Dale Hunter - destined for NHL Hall of Fame and one of the greatest of all-time??
604195
No Stanley Cups hurt him a little, but I would have to think that there's a little corner of the Hall of Fame that Dale Hunter can occupy. The only parallel I can give is to Dick Butkus in the NFL. Hunter was just a bastard to play against.
476428
Steve Yserman. He took Scotty Bowman's advice and changed his game 180 degrees in order to win championships. And yet, he plays with a quiet dignity that even his opponants respect - case in point, the number 19 and the Candadian Olympic Team. \n\nIf you get a chance to watch him this year, do so. This is the final act in a solid career between stat's, leadership and citizenship that deserves almost instant Hall of Fame induction.
868459
I jsut got done voting on nhl.com. And yes, I voted for Jonathon Cheechoo---you're welcome!  :-)
1043100
Well, that would be the Great one: Wayne Gretzky.\nThere are so many now.......Messier, Lemiuex (sp), even Mr. McTavish himself.\nThis year I think that the likes of Smyth, Pisani, Torres, Pronger, Roloson,Markanen and others have done a great job!!!  Well done, Oilers!!!\nGO OILERS!!!!!  Stanley Cup 2006!!!!
282439
You can't really call Wayne, Mario, or Gordie Howe the best player in the world.  Remember they all played in different time periods under different rules, so you can't compare them to each other.  I have to say that they were each the best player of their time period, except when Mario Lemieux had heart problems.  Wayne has the records, Howe has the 2nd place records, Mario has a couple of Lord Stanley Cups.  Mario has also played with Jaromir Jagr and Tom Barrasso, possibly the best goalie ever.  Howe played in Detroit, the single greatest team based on reputation, while Wayne played with the great Mark Messier in New York, the great Mark Messier in Edmonton, and the great Luc Robitaille in Los Angeles.  I think they all were good and can't pick any one over the others.
205753
I am a disfranchised Hartford Whalers fan who loves great goaltending. Marty's my boy... guess I'm a Devs fan by proxy.
246052
There is no doubt. Tom Renny is in the running for the Jack Adams Award (best coach), Hank is in the running for the Calder Trophy(rookie), and Jagr is almost a shoo-in for the Hart and Art Ross trophies. As for the person who said "D", I dont think we have the best offensive defense, but they are excellent in their own zone. And with Jagr, you dont really need the D to contribute much. The only thing that can be held against them is experience. And youre very right, I cant wait until the Carolina game.
316301
No knock on Crosby but Ovechkin is the total package. His blend of talent, effort, skill and intensity is unrivaled. I think he's the most complete rookie I have ever seen, and I've been following hockey since I was 4 years old. It staggers the mind to contemplate the fact that he will only get better! If the Caps can begin surrounding him with talent, he'll achieve the heights previously known only to Gretzky and Lemieux. He's just that good!
202939
This is absolutely right.  They've been consistent winners with a solid core of future Hall of Famers.  Over the last 10 years they've featured players like Yzerman, Shanahan, Hull, Fedorov, Lang, Lidstrom, Chelios, Robitaille, Hasek, Zetterberg and Datsyuk.  It seems that whoever comes to play for Detroit just automatically gets better, and who wouldn't with the kind of veteran leadership that this team has had?  The new rules and the salary cap were supposed to kill Detroit, but as of today, they are in the lead for the President's Cup.  Great team with a great tradition.
481219
Mario is the king, now and forever.  He did almost as much as Wayne, but had a much shorter career.  He often played without all-star linemates, unlike Wayne, but made average players, like Rob Brown and Warren Young, good.  He succeeded at every level.  He beat cancer.  He saved hockey in Pittsburgh twice. Only Jesus could be better than him.
319215
INSANE QUESTION:  Theodore was a flash in the pan.  He's done.  Huet is better than Theodore, that's why he's gone.  Patrick Roy is one of the best if not the best goaltenders of all time!
929570
Man, this is not an easy one! There are so many choices.\nOh, well... Here is my opinion. Very subjective, of course.\n\nG - Patrick Roy or Terry Sawchuck (couldn't make up my mind)\nD - Ray Bourque, Doug Harvey\nLW - Bobby Hull\nRW - Gordie Howe\nC - Wayne Gretzky
854638
Greztky - Lemieux - Howe\nOrr - Bourque\nRoy\n\nTo the guy who mentioned Salming.  There were other teams in the 70's you know, some of them even won the Stanley Cup.\n\nAs for Gary Roberts, the question said "All Time", not who would be your starting line up on Oct 17, 1992 in a pick up game in Sudbury Ontario.
219324
of course....he will be a hall of famer and possibly one of the best ever!!!! .......no one even compares to him right now
378149
oh yeah i live breathe sleep and play hockey.i have been on the ice since before i can remember.my dad coaches here in denver and i play/coach! it is the most competitive game even in the pee wee league it just gets in your soul and you can,t shake it you know? you just can't give it up my dad is 63 and he plays every day.sorry if this is to long its an obsession .
369481
Favorite current player is Peter Forsberg.  I know this is a easy choice, but when you have the best hockey player on the planet on your team, it's kinda hard not to like him.\n\nForsberg is a force and is very talented.\n\nAs for current and the past- I have to go with Ron Hextall.  I was too young for the Cups of Barber, Parent and Clarkey.  Hextall was a great goalie with a huge mean streak.  Gotta love 'em!
1085179
In the mid-70's, after the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup, I became so obsessed about the sport that I bought a paperback book that had player bios, thumbnails, and career stats, and read that thing so many times that for a few years, I could tell anyone every players name on each team, when each team came into the league, and even the numbers of the players. I think it has to do with passion. I can recall the summer of 1971 when,as a 10 year old, I would sit at the kitchen table while Dad read the paper and Mom ironed our washed clothes and we would listen to the Phillies on the radio and I would keep the boxscore. You put your heart and soul into the study of anything, you can recall data almost as well as a computer. Call them sports savants. And I remember an author, maybe David Halberstam or George Will, who described that baseball was the only common ground for a father and son to be able to communicate on in an otherwise closed relationship.