Gordie Howe

 

  • Jean Béliveau

    Considered one of the game’s best centers, Jean Béliveau won 10 (yes, 10) Stanley Cups (1956–60, 1965–66, 1968–69, 1971) with the Montreal Canadiens. He scored a then record 507 career goals and was twice named the league’s MVP (1956, 1964). In fact, Béliveau was so awesome that he didn’t even have to wait the customary three years after retiring before being voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (1972).

  • Maurice Richard

    Maurice Richard (left) and goalie Jacques Plante (right) of the Montreal Canadiens defending the goal against Alex Delvecchio of the Detroit Red Wings in the 1956 Stanley Cup play-offs
    Maurice Richard and Jacques Plante
    Maurice Richard (left) and goalie Jacques Plante (right) of the Montreal Canadiens defending the goal during the 1956 Stanley Cup playoffs.
    UPI/Bettmann/Detroit Times

    “The Rocket” rewrote the record books. The right winger was the first player to score 500 goals and the first to light up the lamp 50 times in a single season. During his 18 years with the Montreal Canadiens, Maurice Richard won eight Stanley Cups (1944, 1946, 1953, 1956–60). He was also known for his aggressive play and hot temper. An idol among French Canadians, his suspension (for fighting) in 1955 caused fans to riot in Montreal.

  • Mario Lemieux

    Despite being 6 feet 4 inches (1.9 meters) tall, Mario Lemieux displayed great speed and agility. During his 17 years as a player with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he won two Stanley Cups (1991–92) and managed to score an impressive 690 career goals despite missing a number of seasons after being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. In 1997 “The Magnificent One” retired, and two years later he helped the Penguins climb out of bankruptcy after becoming the team’s majority owner. He returned as a player for several seasons before his last retirement in 2006. Three years later Pittsburgh won another Stanley Cup, making Lemieux the first person to win the cup as both a player and an owner.

  • Bobby Orr

    Bobby Orr (number 4), 1968
    Orr, Bobby
    Bobby Orr (number 4), 1968
    Canada Wide/Pictorial Parade

    Bobby Orr is widely regarded as the game’s best defenseman—evidenced by his record-setting eight James Norris Memorial Trophy wins (1968–75). While with the Boston Bruins, he became the first defenseman to lead the NHL in scoring (1970), and he was named the league’s MVP three times (1970–72). He also won two Stanley Cups (1970, 1972).

  • Wayne Gretzky

    Wayne Gretzky (left) of the Edmonton Oilers and New York Islanders Denis Potvin (5) jostle for a loose puck during the first period of a game at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, March 26, 1988. (ice hockey)
    Wayne Gretzky and Denis Potvin
    Wayne Gretzky (left) of the Edmonton Oilers and New York Islander Denis Potvin battling for the puck, 1988.
    Wa Funches/AP Images

    With his finesse and speed, “The Great One” revolutionized the game. Wayne Gretzky shattered long-standing records, notably scoring an unprecedented 894 goals. He also earned four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers (1984–85, 1987–88) and was named the NHL’s MVP nine (!) times (1980–87, 1989). After being traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988, he helped popularize ice hockey in the United States, paving the way for the game’s expansion.

  • Gordie Howe

    Gordie Howe, 1969 (Gordon Howe, ice hockey, Detroit Red Wings)
    Gordie Howe
    Gordie Howe, 1969.
    Courtesy of the National Hockey League

    That’s “Mr. Hockey” to you. Gordie Howe’s 801 career goals set a then record in the NHL, and, as a member of the Red Wings “Production Line,” he won four Stanley Cups (1950, 1952, 1954–55). In addition to being a scorer, “Mr. Elbows” was also known for his gritty play. Not that I’m condoning fisticuffs, but, unlike some players (cough, Gretzky, cough), Howe didn’t need an enforcer to fight his battles. He inspired the “Gordie Howe hat trick,” which was a goal, an assist, and a fight in one game. And Howe played until he was 100. OK, really he was 52, but that’s like 100 in hockey years.

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