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TOP 75 Players & Teams of all-time
In our 2021 Collectors' Edition, we celebrate the 75th year of The Hockey News by counting down the Top 75 NHL Players and Teams of All-Time. Also, each of our NHL team correspondents provide the all-time all-star lineup and top three teams for the organizations they cover.
Top 75 NHL Teams Of All-Time
BEFORE WE GET STARTED, let’s get one matter out of the way. If the Buffalo Sabres, the worst team in the NHL in 2020-21 and arguably the worst of the salary-cap era, played any of the Montreal Canadiens dynasty teams of the late 1970s, the first thing they would do is get out a can of ‘whoop-ass.’ Then they’d proceed to skate circles around the helmetless and hapless Habs, scoring pretty much at will. That’s how much better hockey players are now than they were 40-plus years ago. So when we were charged with choosing the top 75 NHL teams of all-time, it was with that in mind. If we had restricted ourselves to choosing strictly the best – or most capable – teams, there may not be a single squad…
New York Islanders
FORWARDS MIKE BOSSY 1977-87 GP 752 G 573 A 553 PTS 1,126 PIM 210 HE IS SIMPLY THE greatest goal-scorer in franchise history – and one of the NHL’s very best of all-time. The Hall of Fame right winger played 10 seasons and scored at least 50 in each of the first nine. He reached 60 goals on five occasions and scored 61 of his 85 playoff goals from 1980 to 1983 en route to four straight Stanley Cups. BRYAN TROTTIER 1975-90 GP 1,123 G 500 A 853 PTS 1,353 PIM 798 TROTTIER COLLECTED 500 GOALS and 1,353 points as well as four Cup rings in 15 seasons with the Islanders, including winning the Conn Smythe in 1980. The Hall of Fame center, who also amassed a franchise-record 168 playoff points on Long Island, had a supreme hockey IQ and…
Vancouver Canucks
FORWARDS DANIEL SEDIN 2000-18 GP 1,306 G 393 A 648 PTS 1,041 PIM 546 HE CAPTURED A SCORING title and was anointed by peers as the league’s most outstanding performer (Ted Lindsay Award) after a career-high 41 goals and 104 points in 2010-11. Daniel was blessed with an underrated shot and uncanny telepathic chemistry with his twin brother, Henrik. He left a lasting team-first legacy on and off the ice. HENRIK SEDIN 2000-18 GP 1,330 G 240 A 830 PTS 1,070 PIM 680 HEAVY IS THE HEAD that wears the crown. The captain’s strength of conviction powered him to the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Trophy with a career-high 29 goals and 112 points in in 2009-10. His sublime playmaking, including picture-perfect blind passes, was augmented by practising as hard as he played and a penchant for game-winning goals. PAVEL BURE 1991-98 GP…
Colorado Avalanche
FORWARDS JOE SAKIC 1988-2008 GP 1,378 G 625 A 1,016 PTS 1,641 PIM 614 HE’S THE ONLY NAME on this list to play his entire career (20 seasons) with the Colorado/Quebec franchise, and the 2012 Hall of Famer holds the franchise records for games, goals, assists and points. Sakic won the 1996 Conn Smythe and was the unquestioned 2000-01 NHL MVP, taking both the Hart Trophy and player-voted Pearson Award. PETER FORSBERG 1995-2004, 2008, 2011 GP 591 G 217 A 538 PTS 755 PIM 556 HE’S THE FRANCHISE LEADER in assists per game (0.91) and second in points per game (1.28). Forsberg was the toughest superstar in club history, but injuries limited him to just 708 career NHL games. He won the Calder Trophy in 1994-95, the Hart and Art Ross Trophies in 2002-03 and was inducted into the Hall…
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