Take a poll about the most overlooked and underappreciated pro athletes of all, and hockey has our vote. It’s the culture. As the most humble, selfless, blood-and-guts game in sports, pucks are about team first and last. Honestly, when was the last time the NHL aggressively marketed its best players?
The league can’t even name its best players. When a handpicked panel tried just that in its 100th anniversary season, they somehow left out Evgeni Malkin, a surefire Hall of Famer whose name appears on every major career statistical list.
So we’ve the consulted a higher authority (that would be me) to give the greatest players in NHL history their just due. The criteria take into account individual statistics/all-time rankings/honors plus position played, historical significance and team performance.
OK, Boom Boom, shoot da puck.
Note: All statistics are through the 2018-19 season. Incomplete ones are marked with asterisks.