Leave a Comment / Top Ten / By Ted Talks Hockey
1. Gary Leeman
15 Players You’ve Forgotten.
Leeman was drafted 24th overall in 1982 by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He played in the NHL off and on from 1983 to 1999. Leeman was a product of the Notre Dame Hounds Junior A team in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, where he played defense for two seasons before later joining the Regina Pats of the WHL from 1981 to 1983. Upon entering the NHL, Leeman would transition from a defenceman to playing as a forward on the right-wing, joining fellow Notre Dame Alumni Wedel Clark and Russ Courtnall, who was dubbed the “Hound Line. “ In his first full season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Leeman would score 21 goals and would score 20 or more goals the following three seasons, reaching a career-high of 51 goals in 1989–90. After this, his production declined sharply. He would later go on to play for the Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadians, Vancouver Canucks, and the St. Louis Blues, winning a Stanley Cup in 1993 with the Canadians.
NHL Career 667 Games, 199 Goals, 26 Assists, 466 Points.
2. Blaine Stoughton
Stoughton was picked 7th overall in the 1973 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played nine seasons in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Hartford Whalers, and New York Rangers. He was also selected in the 1973 WHA Draft by the Quebec Nordiques. Stoughton was a prolific goal scorer. He finished the 1980 NHL season in a three-way tie for the NHL goal-scoring race with Los Angeles Kings sniper Charlie Simmer and Buffalo Sabres right winger Danny Gare, all with 56 goals. In five seasons with the Hartford Whalers, Stoughton scored 43 or more goals in four of them and scored 56 in 1980 and 52 goals in 1982.
He is one of only three Maple Leafs to score 50 or more goals in a season. The first was Rick Vaive in 1981–82 and recently Auston Matthews, the only Maple Leaf to have scored 60 goals in a season.
NHL Career 526 Games, 258 Goals, 191 Assists, 449 Points.
3. Mike Rogers
Rogers was drafted 77th overall in 1974 by the Vancouver Canucks and 48th overall in 1974 by the WHA Edmonton Oilers. Rogers played in both the WHA and the NHL. He began his professional hockey career with the WHA’s Edmonton Oilers, playing two seasons and becoming the team’s top scorer in (1974–75) before being traded to the New England Whalers. In 1979–80 the NHL merged four teams from the defunct WHA. The Quebec Nordiques, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, and the Hartford Whalers.
Rogers played two seasons in Hartford, scoring 44 and 40 goals, respectively. Rogers would later be dealt to the New York Rangers, where he continued to light the lamp, scoring 23 or more goals in all four seasons played in New York, registering 38 goals during the 1981–82 campaign. Rogers played his final NHL game in an Edmonton Oilers jersey in 1985–86. He was ranked №88 all-time as one of the 100 Ranger Greats of the 901 New York Rangers who played during the team’s first 82 seasons.
An esoteric fact is that Rogers is one of only four players to have scored 100 or more points in his first three seasons. the others are Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Peter Stastny.
NHL Career 484 Games, 202 Goals, 317 Assists, 519 Points.
4. Dennis Maruk
Dennis Maruk was drafted 21st overall in the 1975 NHL Entry Draft by the California Golden Seals. He was also selected as the 65th overall pick in the 1975 WHA Draft by the Cleveland Crusaders. Maruk played 14 seasons in the NHL with California Golden Seals, Cleveland Barons, Minnesota North Stars, and Washington Capitals.
Maruk was a scoring machine, registering 356 goals, 522 assists, and 878 points in 888 games. His finest season was 1981–82, when he scored 60 goals and 136 points. In his previous season, he lit the lamp 50 times. Maruk holds the Capitals’ single-season record for assists in a season with 76 as well as points with 136. He is also the first Capital to record 100 points in a season. He is the last player to wear number 9 for the Minnesota North Stars before Mike Modano wore the number, and he is the last player to have played for the Seals/Barons franchise. In his rookie season, while playing with the California Golden Seals, Maruk became the first NHL rookie to score five shorthanded goals in a season.
NHL Career 888 Games, 356 Goals, 522 Assists, 878 Points.
5. Pierre Larouche
Pierre Larouche was drafted 8th overall in the 1974 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins and 30th overall in the 1974 WHA Draft by the Houston Aeros. He played NHL hockey from 1974 to 1988 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadians, Hartford Whalers, and New York Rangers. Larouche won two Stanley Cups with Montreal in 1978 and 1979. During his playing day’s he set several records; youngest player to score 100 goals (later broken by Wayne Gretzky), the youngest player to score 50 goals (later broken by Wayne Gretzky), the youngest player to score 200 points (later broken by Wayne Gretzky), the youngest player to score 300 points (later broken by Bryan Trottier), he still holds the Montreal Canadians record more most goals scored by a center in a season with 50 in 1979–80, he holds the New York Rangers record for most goals scored by a center in a season with 48 in 1983–84. He is the 1st player in NHL history to score 50 goals with two different teams (PIT & MTL) as well as 45 goals with three different teams (PIT, MTL, NYR). He holds the QMJHL record for assists in a season with 157 1973–74 and held the QMJHL record for points in a season with 251 in 1973–74 until broken by Mario Lemieux with 282 in 1983–84. Larouche is now second.
Pierre Larouche is ranked number 94th all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who played during the team’s first 82 seasons. In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats.
NHL Career 812 Games, 395 Goals, 427 Assists, 822 Points.
6. Ken Morrow
Ken Morrow was drafted 68th overall in the 1976 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders. He was also drafted 86th overall in 1976 by the WHA’s New England Whalers. Morrow had a phenomenal career. He was a member of the 1980 USA Olympic team that won gold at Lake Placid, defeating the powerhouse Soviet Union team that had won the previous four gold medals in what became known as “The Miracle on Ice” and later beating team Finland in the final to capture the first Olympic gold for team USA since 1960. Immediately after the euphoric Olympic gold medal win, Morrow joined the New York Islanders, helping them win their first Stanley Cup title in franchise history. Morrow would become a rock on the Islanders blueline helping the team to win four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1980 to 1983. Although Morrow rarely scored during the regular season come playoff time, he was known to score clutch goals at crucial moments.
Morrow was forced to retire prematurely from professional hockey at the end of the 1988–89 season due to persistent knee problems.
NHL Career 550 Games, 17 Goals, 88 Assists, 105 Points.
7. Bernie Federko
15 Players You’ve Forgotten
Bernie Federko was drafted 7th overall in the 1976 NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues and 6th overall in the 1976 WHA Draft by the Edmonton Oilers. He played 14 seasons in the NHL from 1976 to 1990 with the St. Louis Blues and the Detroit Red Wings. Federko makes my list because he was an exceptional player who never really got the recognition he should have playing in an era where Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux were so dominant. In 1986, GOAL magazine conducted a poll in which he was named the most overlooked talent in hockey. Federko was an unselfish player, as his assists stats can attest to.
Federko played 13 of his 14 NHL seasons for the St. Louis Blues; he owns several team records; career games played (927), career assists (721), Career points (1073) record for assists in one game (5 on February 27, 1988), career playoff assists (66), First player to register 50 assists in 10 consecutive seasons in NHL history and until recently he held the Blues team record in playoff points in a playoff year (21 in 1986) until Ryan O’Reilly surpassed him in 2019 with 23, and record for most playoff assists in one playoff year (15 in 1982) until Alex Pietrangelo overtook him in 2019 with 16 en-route to the Blues first Stanley Cup championship.
Federko played exactly 1000 games in the NHL, collecting 369 goals, 761 assists, and 1130 points. He scored 20 or more goals in a season 11 times and scored a career-high 41 goals and 107 points in 1983–84. Bernie Federko was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002. The St. Louis Blues retired his number 24 on March 16, 1991.
NHL Career 1000 Games, 369 Goals, 761 Assists, 1130 Points.
8. Kent Nilsson
Kent Nilsson was drafted 64th overall in the 1976 NHL Entry Draft by the Atlanta Flames. He was also drafted 11th overall in the 1976 WHA draft by the Toronto Toros. Nilsson played professional hockey in both the WHA and the NHL. He played for two years in the WHA with the Winnipeg Jets from 1977 to 1979. He then played in the NHL from 1979 to 1987 with the Atlanta Flames, Calgary Flames, Minnesota North Stars, and the Edmonton Oilers. He won his only Stanley Cup with the Oilers in 1987.
During his NHL career, he was named “The Magic Man” and “Mr. Magic” for his exceptional puckhandling skills. Some assessed that had he played with a highly talented team like the Oilers of the eighties, he could have challenged Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky said of Nilsson, “Skills-wise, he might have been the most skilled hockey player I ever saw in my entire career.”
Nilsson holds three Calgary Flames single-season records. Calgary Flames team record for points in a single season (131 in 1980–81). Calgary Flames team record for assists in a single season (82 in 1980–81). Calgary Flames team record for shorthanded goals in a single season (9 in 1983–84). He also holds the record for the fastest goal scored from the start of a regular season-opening game at ten seconds while playing for the Minnesota North Stars in a game against the Quebec Nordiques on October 11, 1986.
NHL Career 553 Games, 264 Goals, 422 Assists, 686 Points.
9. Danny Gare
Danny Gare was drafted 29th overall in1974 by the Buffalo Sabres. He was also drafted 36th overall in 1974 by the WHA’s Winnipeg Jets. Gare played 14 seasons in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and Edmonton Oilers. Gare was a scrappy competitor with a quick wrist shot and a consistent goal scorer. His best years were played in Buffalo, where he twice scored 50 goals (50 goals 1975–76) and (56 goals 1979–80). In eight seasons in Buffalo, Gare scored 27 or more goals six times. He played the right-wing on the “French Connection Line“ for a while.
Gare holds several Buffalo Sabres team records. Most goals by a right-winger (267), most game-tying goals (21), and the quickest goal from the start of an NHL career, scoring just 18 seconds into a game against the Boston Bruins in October 10, 1974. Gare was inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame in 1994. On November 22, 2005, the Sabres retired Gare’s number 18, making him the fifth Sabre of seven to receive the honor.
NHL Career 827 Games, 354 Goals, 331 Assists, 685 Points.
10. Tony McKegney
Tony McKegney was drafted 32nd overall in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft by the Buffalo Sabres. McKegney played 13 seasons in the NHL from 1978–79 to 1990–91. He played for the Buffalo Sabres, Quebec Nordiques, Minnesota North Stars, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings, and Chicago Blackhawks. Initially, McKegney had signed a deal to play for the (WHA) Birmingham Bulls, but when team owner John Bassett began to receive angry threats from fans promising to boycott the team for signing a black player, he illegally reneged on the deal.
Undeterred, McKegney embarked on a successful NHL career. He tallied nine 20-goal or more seasons with career-highs of 40 goals, 38 assists, and 78 points late in his career during the 1987–88 season while playing for the St. Louis Blues. McKegney registered 320 goals, 319 assists, and 639 points in 912 NHL games.
NHL Career 912 Games, 320 Goals, 319 Assists, 639 Points.
11. Michel Goulet
Michel Goulet was drafted 20th overall in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques. Goulet played in the NHL from 1979 to 1994 with the Nordiques and the Chicago Blackhawks. Goulet was a scoring dynamo scoring 22 or more goals in ten consecutive seasons and thirteen overall; he recorded four consecutive 50 goals plus seasons followed by two seasons of 49 (1986–87) and 48 goals (1987–88). sadly his career ended prematurely when on March 16, 1994, during a game against the Canadians at the Montreal Forum, he collided head first into the end boards suffering a severe concussion. The injury prompted Goulet to call it a career.
Goulet never won a Stanley Cup as a player, but he did win two as director of player personnel while with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and 2001. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998 along with former teammate Peter Stastny.
NHL Career 1089 Games, 548 Goals, 605 Assists, 1153 Points.
12. Peter Bondra
Peter Bondra was drafted 156th overall in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals. He played in the NHL from 1990 to 2007 with the Washington Capitals, Ottawa Senators, Atlanta Thrashers, and Chicago Blackhawks. Bondra played primarily for the Capitals in thirteen of the fourteen seasons he played for the Caps. He scored 21 or more goals every season except for his first season registering 12 goals in only 54 games. He is in select company as one of only a few players to score five or more goals in a game. The closest he came to winning a Stanley Cup was when the team was swept in the Stanley Cup Final by the Detroit Red Wings in 1998. Bondra had two seasons of 52 goals (1996 and 1998). He represented Slovakia at the world championships, winning gold in Sweden in 2002 and a bronze in 2003 in Finland.
NHL Career 1081 Games, 503 Goals, 389 Assists, 892 Points.
13. Dany Heatley
Dany Heatley was drafted 2nd overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers. He played in the NHL from 2001 to 2015 with the Atlanta Thrashers, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, and Anaheim Ducks. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year in 2002 and was named to the All-Star game in 2003, 2007, 2008, and 2009. He was the All-Star Game MVP in 2003, a Second All-Star Team in 2006, and a First All-Star Team in 2007. In 2004 EA Sports NHL honored him on the cover of their NHL video game. EA Sports later replaced him on the cover with Joe Sakic due to the controversy over the fatal car accident Heatley was involved in that took the life of his teammate Dan Snyder.
Heatley was highly successful on the international stage playing for Team Canada in six World Championships, two Olympics, one World Cup of Hockey, and two World Junior Championships. In 2008 he passed Marcel Dionne as Canada’s all-time leader in goals and Steve Yzerman as the all-time leader in points for the World Championships. In 2007 Heatley and the Ottawa Senators reached the Stanley Cup Final, losing in five games to the Anaheim Ducks.
Dany Heatley was a controversial figure throughout his NHL career. He drew the ire of fans in Ottawa and became a pariah among his teammates when he demanded a trade, then later wouldn’t accept a trade to Edmonton, forcing GM Bryan Murray to come up with a new deal that saw him move to the San Jose Sharks. Heatley will forever be remembered for being responsible for the death of teammate Dan Snyder for which he pled guilty to second-degree vehicular homicide. The accident occurred on September 23, 2003, with Heatley at the wheel, driving at speeds between 55 and 82 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour zone. Heatley lost control of his Ferrari 360 Modena and crashed into a brick pillar iron fence. Both occupants were ejected from the car. Snyder suffered a depressed skull fracture and went into a coma dying six days later on October 5, 2003. Heatley avoided a prison sentence that could have seen him behind bars for as much as fifteen years, mostly due to Snyder’s parents forgiving Heatley and the judge explaining that he saw no benefit to the community. Heatley was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to give 150 speeches on the dangers of speeding and to pay $25,000 to Fulton County for the cost of investigating the crash.
NHL Career 869 Games, 372 Goals, 419 Assists, 791 Points.
14. Bobby Schmautz
Bobby Schmautz played thirteen seasons in the NHL for the Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, and Colorado Rockies. Schmautz was signed as a free agent in 1970 by the Vancouver Canucks. Originally he was signed by the Blackhawks in 1967, appearing in thirteen games, his rights were transferred to the St. Louis Blues in the 1969 intraleague draft, and three weeks later, the Blues traded him to the Montreal Canadians, who in turn sold his rights to the Salt Lake Golden Eagle of the WHL. Salt Lake would trade him to the Seattle Totems. He never played with either the Blues or the Canadians.
Schmautz was known as a tenacious forechecker and back checker. He had some of his best years in Boston, scoring 20 or more goals every season from 1974–75 to 1978–79. He matched Bobby Orr with 26 playoff goals scored at the time of his death (March 28, 2021, age 76). He ranked 20th in Bruins history with 56 playoff points.
NHL Career 764 Games, 271 Goals, 286 Assists, 557 Points.
15. Curtis Joseph
Curtis Joseph is a product (SJHL) Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. Joseph played Junior hockey for the Notre Dame Hounds In Wilcox, Saskatchewan, helping them to win the Centennial Cup in 1987–88. The following year he played for the University of Wisconsin of the NCAA 1988–89 and the Peoria Rivermen of the IHL (1989–90). Joseph went undrafted. Eventually, he signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Blues in 1989.
Joseph played in the NHL from 1989–90 to 2008–09 for the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Pheonix Coyotes, and Calgary Flames. He won the gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics for Canada. At the time of his retirement, Joseph had accumulated the most wins of any goaltender in NHL history who did not win the Stanley Cup (454). Roberto Luongo has since surpassed him with (489). Joseph briefly tied Gump Worsley for the NHL record of most losses by a goaltender when he lost his 352nd game. Since then, he has been surpassed by Martin Brodeur (397) and Roberto Luongo (392).
Joseph retired from professional hockey on January 12, 2010, in Toronto. He holds the record for most playoff wins by a goaltender without winning the Stanley Cup (63).
NHL Career Stats 943 games, 454 wins, 352 losses, 90 ties, shutouts 51, GAA 2.79, SV% 906.
15 Players You’ve Forgotten
Keep Your Stick on the Ice.
