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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…
61. Ryan Suter
BORN: Jan. 21, 1985, Madison, Wis. NHL CAREER: 2005-present TEAMS: Nsh, Min STATS: GP 1,142 G 90 A 498 P 588 PIM 655 ALL-STAR: 1 (First-1) IN THE PAST decade, no NHL defenseman has averaged as much ice time as Ryan Suter. The definition of a workhorse, Suter has played nearly 27 minutes per game – a staggering amount for a guy who does it all as a two-way star. Suter spent just one year at his hometown University of Wisconsin before making the leap to the pro ranks in 2004-05. After one year with AHL Milwaukee, Suter jumped to the Nashville Predators, a team that has become a factory for stud defenseman, producing Shea Weber, Roman Josi, Seth Jones, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis. Suter developed into one of the game’s best during his seven years…
21. Earl Seibert
BORN: Dec. 7, 1911, Berlin, Ont. NHL CAREER: 1931-1946 TEAMS: NYR, Chi, Det STATS: GP 645 G 89 A 187 P 276 PIM 746 ALL-STAR: 10 (First-4, Second-6) STANLEY CUPS: 2 HHOF: 1963 A DEFENSEMAN breaking into the NHL in the 21st century at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds is considered to have good size. In the 1930s and ’40s, Earl Seibert qualified as a behemoth. It’s no wonder that even the likes of Eddie Shore and Red Horner, two of the toughest players ever to play the game, knew well enough to steer clear of him. But pigeonholing Seibert as a simply a physical force is giving short shrift to his other gifts. You don’t earn all-star honors 10 straight seasons by being nothing but a banger. Because other players didn’t want to mess with him, and he…
28. Babe Pratt
BORN: Jan. 7, 1916, Stony Mountain, Man. NHL CAREER: 1935-1947 TEAMS: NYR, Tor, Bos STATS: GP 517 G 83 A 209 P 292 PIM 463 ALL-STAR: 2 (First-1, Second-1) TROPHIES: 1 (Hart-1) STANLEY CUPS: 2 HHOF: 1966 BABE RUTH WAS A winner. So was Walter ‘Babe’ Pratt. His baseball prowess earned him the nickname, but championships followed him every time he put on skates. In 26 seasons from junior through the NHL, his teams won 15 titles. It was impossible not to notice Pratt, who was a giant for his time at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds and had a gregarious personality just like his baseball counterpart. Pratt’s stupendous puck-rushing ability made him one of the most thrilling players of his generation. His offense exploded after the New York Rangers traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942-43. He…
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