Beautiful Game Greatest Players Changed

Compiling a list of the best hockey players of all time is sure to stir up a lot of healthful debate. The game has changed so much over the past century that comparing players who starred in dissimilar eras is very difficult. Would Gretzky have overshadowed the 200 point plateau if he hadn’t played in the free-wheeling 80s? What sort of numbers would Bobby Orr have put up if he hadn’t been playing on two bad knees allround his brief career? These are just a couple of the questions that plague hockey historians as they undertake to rank the biggest NHL players.

Before I start out my countdown I want to preface it by stating that this list will not include goaltenders. In my sentiment the position of goalie is so vastly dissimilar from a forward or a defenseman that it is inconceivable to somewhat compare them. Watch for a discerned list rating only the best goalies of all time from me soon. Also, these players will only be those who have starred in the NHL. An international superstar like Valery Kharlamov surely may make a assert to being amid the biggest ever, but that makes the comparison even more difficult since the skill level in international leagues is again dissimilar than the NHL. With all that said here are my picks for the best hockey players of all time:

20 – Jaromir Jagr – Though he may have been dubbed a coach-killer allround his career, this moody, often motiveless superstar could throw his hat in the ring for the title of the greatest stickhandler ever, and his 646 career goals and 1,599 career points put him at #1 on the list of the most eminent scoring European born players in NHL history. He was a key cog in the Penguins machine that won Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992, and all around the course of his brilliant career Jagr captured 5 Art Ross Trophies as the league’s leading scorer as well as a Hart Trophy as NHL MVP.

19 – Eddie Shore – As the Hanson brothers stated in the classic 1977 movie Slap Shot Eddie Shore is “old time hockey”. This legendary Bruins rearguard won an unbelievable 4 Hart Trophies in 6 years for the duration of his time with the Bruins, the only defenseman in NHL history to accomplish the feat. Though his 105 goals and 284 points might pale in comparison to some of the other players on this list you have to do not forget that Shore played in an era where defensemen stayed at home, and seldom contributed to their team’s offense.

18 – Phil Esposito – Though the bulk of his 717 career goals were scored within 5 feet of the goal it is hard to deny that this guy had a nose for the net, and he added a great deal of helps to go along with those goals, helping him to 5 Art Ross Trophies for the duration of his career. Before Wayne Gretzky rewrote the record book it was Esposito who held the single season records for goals with 76 and points with 152. To go with all this he likewise won a pair of Hart Trophies as the league MVP. Not bad for a guy ofttimes referred to as “The Garbage Man”.

17 – Bryan Trottier – With closely 100 points in his rookie year and a Calder Trophy this Hall of Famer didn’t waste any time establishing himself as a bona fide NHL star. However, that impressive introductory year was just a taste of what this guy would accomplish over his awful career. He won an awful 6 Stanley Cups (4 with the New York Islanders and 2 with the Pittsburgh Penguins), once nabbing the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP. He likewise added a Hart Trophy and an Art Ross. Don’t discount him because he only has one of each. You have to do not forget that he expended the bulk of his career playing in the shadow of Wayne Gretzky, who owned both of those trophies all around the 80s.

16 – Stan Mikita – Long before Jaromir Jagr, Dominik Hasek and even Peter Stastny were starring in the NHL, another Czech born player was dominating the league. One of the classiest players to ever play the game, Mikita played his entire 1,394 game career with the Chicago Blackhawks, racking up 541 goals and 1,467 points along the way. He combined with Bobby Hull to give the Blackhawks a desolating one-two punch up front, and he nabbed 4 Art Ross Trophies and a pair of Hart Trophies for the duration of his Hall of Fame career.

15 – Mike Bossy – In my opinion, even more so than Brett Hull, this gentlemanly New York Islander was the purest sniper to ever pick up a hockey stick in the NHL. His quick release and pinpoint accuracy made him a nightmare for opposing goalies to face, helping him to score 573 career goals in just 752 career games. He was just as deadly come clutch time as well, adding 85 goals in just 129 career playoff games. Besides the 4 Stanley Cups he helped his team win in the early 80s perhaps the greatest spotlight of Bossy’s career came in the 1980-81 season when he became the firstborn player since Maurice Richard to net 50 goals in the primary 50 games of a season.

14 – Denis Potvin – Back to back New York Islanders on this list of the best NHL players of all time. Bossy and Trottier were great, without question, but it was this fantastically consistent dominant defenseman that was the engine of the locomotive that was the Islanders dynasty in the early 80s. Potvin was the primary NHL defenseman to eclipse the 1,000 point plateau for a career. He was even better in the playoffs, putting up 164 points. He won 3 Norris Trophies as the league’s best defenseman, but his crowning accomplishment was just how despised he was by the fans of the rival New York Rangers. To this day, more than 2 decades after his retirement the chant “Potvin sucks!” may still be heard on a regular basis when the two teams clash in Madison Square Garden.

13 – Nicklas Lidstrom – This guy’s inclusion on a list of the greatest NHL players of all time might raise some eyebrows, but there are compelling arguments I couldn’t ignore and thence he earns a lawful spot. He has 6 Norris Trophies to his credit. Only legends Bobby Orr (8) and Doug Harvey (7) have more. He has won 4 Stanley Cups, and in 2008 became the primary European to ever captain his team to a Stanley Cup. He is so consistent and effective that he closely seems robotic out on the ice at times, always making the right decision and closely always in the right place at the right time on both the offensive and the defensive side of the puck. When the sun in the end sets on this Swede’s outstanding career you may bet he’ll be a basi ballot Hall of Famer, and his name will be cited with players like Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman and Ted Lindsay as one of the best Detroit Red Wings of all time.

12 – Howie Morenz – Before guys like Richard and Howe came along there was a superstar by the name of Howie Morenz tearing up the NHL in the 20s and 30s. Hockey historians often refer to him as the biggest player of the basi half of the 20th century, and he helped lead the Montreal Canadiens to 3 Stanley Cups, leading them in scoring on seven distinguished occasions and earning himself 3 Hart Trophies as league MVP along the way.

11 – Ray Bourque – As good as Nicklas Lidstrom has been allround his career with the Wings in my opinion this Boston Bruin outstanding was just a little bit better. Lidstrom has 3 more Stanley Cups, and one more Norris Trophy (6 to Bourque’s 5), but Bourque more than makes up for it with his unbelievable offensive totals. Bourque is the all time leader amongst NHL defensemen in goals with 410 and points with 1,579. In today’s NHL it is hard to imagine any rearguard putting up such massive career totals. Though he at last got his Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche Bourque will always be known as a Boston Bruin, and one of the biggest to ever suit up for that historic franchise.

10 – Guy Lafleur – It seems fitting that a Montreal Canadiens legend would mark the entrance into the top 10 NHL players of all time. Guy Lafleur was larger than life, starring with the Canadiens in the 70s and 80s. He is one of the most stimulating players to ever pick up a hockey stick, and electrified fans in the Montreal Forum as well as rinks all over the league. He helped the Habs win 5 Stanley Cups for the duration of the 70s, won the Hart Trophy as league MVP twice, won 3 Art Ross Trophies, and is the all time Canadiens leader in both helps and points. Sure, he is only second in goals, but being second place to Rocket Richard ain’t half bad.

9 – Jean Beliveau – Forget Steve Yzerman and Joe Sakic. There is only one clear choice as the classiest NHL player of all time. Jean Beliveau was the consummate professional for the duration of his time in the NHL, and his unbelievable leadership helped his team to 10 Stanley Cup Championships for the duration of his playing days. Though he might not have put up the huge numbers of some others on this list he was fabulously consistent all around his career, finishing with a respectable 507 goals and 1,219 points. His leadership didn’t end with his retirement from playing. He has since gone on to win 7 more Stanley Cup rings as an executive, giving him a staggering 17 in total.

8 – Mark Messier – The man they call “The Moose” may have dwelled in the enormous shadow of Wayne Gretzky for the duration of the early years of his career with the Edmonton Oilers, but when “The Great One” was swapped to Los Angeles in the summer of 1988 it was Messier’s turn to shine, and he embraced the challenge. He led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup again in 1990, their original without Gretzky. However, he genuinely cemented his legend as a fellow member of the New York Rangers, when in 1994 he captained the team to their original Stanley Cup in 54 years. However, it wasn’t just his leadership that earns him a spot on this list. He is likewise the NHL’s 2nd leading scorer of all time with 1,887 points and he has a Conn Smythe and 2 Hart Trophies to go along with his 6 Stanley Cups rings.

7 – Doug Harvey – If a fellow by the name of Bobby Orr hadn’t come along this guy would be at the top of most hockey historian’s lists as the biggest NHL defenseman to ever play the game. Harvey starred with the Habs from 1947 to 1961 and genuinely revolutionized the position as a puck moving defenseman. He racked up 540 points in that span, an unbelievable total for a rearguard at that time, and set an NHL record, later broken by Bobby Orr, with 7 Norris Trophies. He helped his Habs win the Stanley Cup 6 times for the duration of his time there and was a key cog in the late 50s team that is widely considered the biggest team in the history of the NHL.

6 – Bobby Hull – Before Pavel Bure and Alexander Ovechkin were pulling fans out of their seats with spotlight reel plays Bobby Hull was thrilling fans with his unbelievable speed and powerful slapshot. One of the greatest icons in the history of the sport the man dubbed “The Golden Jet” was one of it is biggest snipers, netting 610 goals in his career, an aweinspiring total giving careful consideration to he expended various years in the WHA (where he scored 303 more times). Hull became the firstborn player to score more than 50 goals in a single season, when he sniped 54 in 1966, a feat he accomplished 4 more times for the duration of his Hall of Fame career.

5 – Maurice Richard – The Rocket was a no-brainer for a top 5 spot on the list of the biggest hockey players. Perhaps the most standard player in the history of the game, his suspension by Clarence Campbell in 1955 caused fans to revolt in what is called The Richard Riot. One of the most determined players to ever pick up a hockey stick, Maurice Richard was all but unstoppable from the blueline in. He was the firstborn player to ever score 50 goals in a single season, achieving the feat in 50 games. He was the firstborn player to score 500 goals in a career, finishing with 544, the most ever by a Habs player. He only won 1 Hart Trophy and never led the league in scoring, but he did aid his team capture an unbelievable 9 Stanley Cups, and in spite of his lack of personal hardware you’d be hard-pressed to find a hockey historian who didn’t consider him one of the best to ever play.

4 – Mario Lemieux – If I was basing this list on pure athletic capacity alone then I would have put Mario the Magnificent right at the top of the list. No player before or since had the pure skill set, the effortless capacity with the puck, and the capacity to dominate his peers one on one that Mario did in his prime. If he hadn’t expended years with chronic back problems, battling cancer, and even in retirement he would without apparent effort be second on the all time list of points, and would likely be basi in goals. Despite all the time he expended away from the game, or playing injure he still scored 690 goals and 1,723 points. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP both times the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup. He won 6 Art Ross Trophies, 3 Hart Trophies, and the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, and he did all this in just 915 regular season games. Simply…magnificent.

3 – Gordie Howe – When the term power forward is brought up people who follow the sport of hockey without delay think of guys like Cam Neely and Wendel Clark. However, long before these guys ever picked up a hockey stick the man they call Mr. Hockey was defining the term “power forward”. Howe was as mean and nasty as he was gifted as any person who felt the brunt of his elbow will tell you. He could fight with the best of them, but seldom had to as few were stupid sufficient to challenge him. However, in the long run it was on the score sheet that Howe carved his legend. Until Gretzky came along Howe was the all time leader in goals (801), helps (1,049) and points (1,850). To this day he remains the leader in games played with (1,767), and these are just his NHL numbers. Howe also expended various seasons in the rival WHA. He won 6 Art Ross Trophies and 6 Hart Trophies for the duration of his career, and hoisted the Stanley Cup on 4 distinguished occasions. Despite all this perhaps his most unbelievable feat came in the 1979-80 season when he suitable up for the Hartford Whalers to play with sons Mark and Marty. He was 52 years old at the time and still scored 18 goals that season!

2 – Bobby Orr – Trust me when I tell you that Bobby Orr came within a whisker of taking top spot on this list, and had his brilliant career not been cut far too short because of chronically bad knees there is a very good prospect he would be the consensus choice of the hockey world as the biggest player ever. He helped the Bruins to 2 Stanley Cups in the 1970s, he won 8 successive Norris Trophies, and captured the Hart Trophy 3 times. He even led the NHL in scoring on 2 distinguished occasions, as a defenseman! He holds the single season record for points by a defenseman with 139, and had he enjoyed a career as long as Ray Bourque did you may rest assured he have eclipsed Bourque’s 1,579 points by a country mile.

1 – Wayne Gretzky – With Orr at number 2 there actually wasn’t any mystery left to who would grab the title of the best hockey player of all time. Gretzky shattered the record book for the duration of his career, and is the leader in all major offensive categories in both the regular season and the playoffs. He was blessed with extraordinary imagination on the ice and was one of those rare athletes who had the capacity to make each one of his teammates better. With 894 goals, 1,963 helps and 2,857 points there is a good chance that Gretzky’s records will last as the NHL does. It is little wonder that he is called “The Great One”.

Beautiful Game Greatest Players Changed

Wherever you are on earth, it’s only a matter of time before you come all over children playing soccer. Another five minutes and you will in all likelihood find yourself having a ball rolled to your feet as an invitation to join in the game. Soccer is a mutual language and a culture shared: a joy, a passion, an escape, and an affirmation of identity understood and celebrated by children—and their parents—in each country around the globe.

For this distinguishable collaborative project, soccer writer Tom Watt talked to the world’s top players in regards to growing up and falling in love with the game: Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Brazil’s Gilberto Silva; England’s David James and Scotland’s Craig Gordon; Italy’s Fabio Cannavaro, Spain’s Iker Casillas, and France’s Franck RibÉry; South Africa’s Benni McCarthy and Nigeria’s Nwankwo Kanu; USA’s Landon Donovan and Japan’s Shunsuke Nakamura; and the world’s most widely known and esteemed player, David Beckham.

A Beautiful Game tells their stories, in the players’ own words—stories of boys who would grow up to be heroes for a new generation of young players and fans. They look back to their childhoods: to their family homes, to their schoolrooms, to the friends they grew up with, and to the places where they initial played the game that has made them stars. The players’ words are brought to life with over 160 full-color images that offer rare, emotive, and striking perceptivenesses into childhood all over the world, and celebrate soccer’s capacity to touch the lives of children—and adults—wherever the gorgeous game is played.

Five percent of the originating publisher’s revenue from sales of the book global will gain chosen UNICEF sports-related projects.

“…a great promise that’s beautifully executed.” (Oregonian (online) )

“…a generous collection of eye-catching photographs, this coffee-table book lets a lot of of the world’s best players track back to their days as youngsters and write regarding how the sport seduced them.” (New York Times )

“Don’t let the long title intimidate you: This large-format supplying is filled with gorgeousphotos and candid consultations with galore of the sport’s most accomplished players, who share their love of the game.” (Washington Post )

“…lush, evocative photography…” (goal.com )

“…readers will no doubt find something to identifywith in the anecdotes of outstanding players.” (goal.com )

“…the undemanding book is fun to flip through and 5 percent ofthe revenue from the book goes to UNICEF. Recommended.” (Los Angeles Daily News )

“A Beautiful Game likewise offers an interesting info set: a rare prospect to considerthe question of what makes a player from the perspectives of the players themselves.” (Pitch Invasion )

About the Author

Tom Watt is an English actor, writer, and broadcaster. Television, film, and stage credits include EastEnders, Patriot Games, and Fever Pitch. Tom has broadcast in regards to soccer spacious in the U.K. and the U.S. He co-produced the innovative children’s sports series Rookies for Channel Four television and produced the successful Row Z for BBC Choice TV. After presenting sports shows over the past ten years for BBC and independent radio and television stations, he is presently the lead presenter for BBC London’s soccer coverage and hosts weekly programs for Arsenal’s club TV channel.

As well as writing when it comes to soccer for each major U.K. newspaper, Tom is the author of assorted books regarding the game: The End, a groundbreaking oral history of Arsenal FC; A Passion for the Game, ninety firsthand accounts of life behind the scenes in English football; The Greatest Stage, the official history of Wembley Stadium; and, most recently, My Side, the bestselling autobiography of David Beckham. Tom also gives rise to schoolbooks built around soccer, the latest of which, a twelve-book series called The Jags, was published earlier this year.

Beautiful Game Greatest Players Changed Pic

Beautiful Game Greatest Players Changed Image

Beautiful Game Greatest Players Changed Photo

Beautiful Game Greatest Players Changed Pic

Beautiful Game Greatest Players Changed Picture

Beautiful Game Greatest Players Changed Photo

Most helpful customer reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful.
The game is the big star
By M.S.
The bigger picture this book paints of how the game affects lives, all over the world, in profound ways is what is most impressive. The photographs are moving and interweave brilliantly with the short biographies of world famous professionals. Stories from tiny countries to the worlds super powers help you get a sense of what this game represents globally. I suppose it could be any sport, soccer happens to be the most popular game all over the world for good reason: it’s simplicity plus it is a universal language. It has a massive impact on lives.

My son loves this book and loves to learn about some of his favorite players. The stories are short and you don’t need to read it from front to back. Easy to pick up and flip through for a few moments, gives the reader a real sense of some far away land. It truly is a moving book for anyone, not just a soccer fan

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent book for a young soccer fan
By DCResidentPK
I bought this for my son’s birthday (15). I got a brief chance to look through it before and was impressed with the whole thing. I do plan to go back and read it all. He loves it and has commented a few times how much he likes it and thanked me more than once! He said he has read it through 3 times. He loves the game and this was just a great way to get more info on players he loves and some he doesn’t. You won’t be disappointed whether for you or as a gift.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
Great read for any fan of the beautiful game
By JohnGalt
This is, simply, a fantastic book. I can’t imagine a better read to give a sense of soccer and its role in the world. The photography is incredible and really makes me appreciate the passion this sport has garnered. Some of the interviews seem choppy and shallow but this is clearly the result of translations and casual interviews. It is this lack of polish that makes it a true gem. I read it electronically and now am buying a hard cover for my office coffee table.

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