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Top 100 Defensemen of All-Time
In our 2020 Collectors' Edition, The Hockey News counts down the Top 100 Defensemen of All-Time and tells the tale of each legendary player on the list.
41. Jacques Laperierre
BORN: Nov. 22, 1941, Rouyn, Que. NHL CAREER: 1963-1974 TEAMS: Mtl STATS: GP 692 G 40 A 242 P 282 PIM 674 ALL-STAR: 4 (First-2, Second-2) TROPHIES: 2 (Norris-1, Calder-1) STANLEY CUPS: 6 HHOF: 1987 GROWING UP IN Rouyn, Que., Jacques Laperriere had visions of being the next Doug Harvey for the Montreal Canadiens. But things didn’t work out as planned. Laperriere could never come close to Harvey’s offensive exploits, but he was every bit as good as, maybe even better than, the Habs’ best all-time defenseman in his own end. It’s easy to overlook how great Laperriere was, for a couple reasons. First, you might have noticed the Habs have had more than a few great blueliners in their history. Second, Laperriere did almost all his best work with the Canadiens of the 1960s, the forgotten dynasty that…
22. Borje Salming
BORN: April 17, 1951, Kiruna, Swe. NHL CAREER: 1973-1990 TEAMS: Tor, Det STATS: GP 1,148 G 150 A 637 P 787 PIM 1,344 ALL-STAR: 6 (First-1, Second-5) HHOF: 1996 BORJE SALMING WAS A trailblazer whose legacy was forged through an iron will. One of the first Swedish players to come over to the NHL, Salming became a star with the Toronto Maple Leafs beginning in his rookie season of 1973-74. But it wasn’t easy. Europeans were stereotyped as being soft by NHL players, and Salming was tested nearly every game. Despite constant hacks, hits and slashes, he stood his ground and earned the respect of the league. Of course, Salming was incredibly talented as well. He also seemed to be in the right place on the ice, and by his fourth season in Toronto, he put up more…
88. Ott Heller
BORN: June 2, 1910, Berlin, Ont. NHL CAREER: 1932-1946 TEAMS: NYR STATS: GP 647 G 55 A 176 P 231 PIM 465 ALL-STAR: 1 (Second-1) STANLEY CUPS: 2 HAILING FROM the German-influenced town of Kitchener, Ont. – when it was still called Berlin – Erhardt ‘Ott’ Heller was a high-end defenseman who first made a name for himself skating in the Can-American League with the Springfield Indians. His heroics in Springfield caught the eye of the New York Rangers, who signed the 21-year-old as a free agent midway through 1931-32. Heller quickly helped the Rangers hit another level, winning the Stanley Cup in 1933 and then another in 1940. That second triumph was the last championship New York won until 1994, and Heller truly helped the Blueshirts to halcyon days. Some of his finest work came on a…
11. Dit Clapper
BORN: Feb. 9, 1907, Newmarket, Ont. NHL CAREER: 1927-1947 TEAMS: Bos STATS: GP 833 G 228 A 246 P 474 PIM 462 ALL-STAR: 6 (First-3, Second-3) STANLEY CUPS: 3 HHOF: 1947 BEFORE BRENT BURNS and Dustin Byfuglien, hulking hybrids who transitioned effortlessly between forward and defense, there was Dit Clapper, a mountain of a man who drove one of the league’s most productive scoring lines as a right winger and then somehow became even better as a blueliner. Born Aubrey Victor Clapper, he earned the nickname ‘Dit’ as kid because of the sound he made when he pronounced ‘Vic’. A cutesy moniker like ‘Dit’ belied the imposing specimen Clapper became when he broke into the NHL in 1927. He arrived as a defenseman, but the Bruins tried him at forward. Teams didn’t have an answer for Clapper barrelling down…
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