1912-1995 Canadian hockey player Hector "Toe" Blake was one of the most influential hockey coaches in the history of the National Hockey League. He won eight Stanley Cups as a coach, five of them in consecutive seasons, with the Montreal Canadiens. He had a .634 winning percentage as a coach, and was a mentor to Scotty Bowman, the only man to win more Cups as a coach, with nine. Many…
1957- Canadian hockey player Mike Bossy Amember of the New York Islanders Stanley Cupwinning dynasty (1980-83), right wing Mike Bossy was a scoring machine. A pure scorer, Bossy had a great shot, and was an excellent shooter and skater. He matched Maurice Richard's record of scoring fifty goals in fifty games. He went on to score at least fifty goals in his first nine seasons, and at…
1933- Canadian hockey coach Scotty Bowman Scotty Bowman is the most successful professional hockey coach in history, winning an unprecedented nine Stanley Cup Championships in a career that spanned thirty-four years. It is a record that may never be surpassed. Bowman, who retired at age sixty-eight after the 2001-02 season, also holds records for the most regular-season games coached (2,141…
1937- American hockey coach Herb Brooks is best known for his role as coach of the 1980 U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey Team that won the gold medal at the Winter Olympic games in Lake Placid, New York, in 1980, the so-called "Miracle on Ice." Brooks had previously played for the U.S. team himself, before starting a coaching career in which he coached on the college, national, Europ…
1947- Canadian hockey player While many consider Ken Dryden to be one of the best goalies who ever played in the National Hockey League (NHL), he was considered odd, even for a goalie (who in hockey circles are often regarded as eccentric individuals), in part because of his intellectual, non-hockey pursuits. While he won five Stanley Cups in the 1970s with the Montreal Canadiens, he also took a y…
1943- Canadian hockey player Nicknamed "Tony O," Tony Esposito was a Hall of Fame goaltender who was an early proponent of the modern style of butterfly goaltending and the use of an unorthodox, sprawling style to make saves. Younger brother of fellow Hall of Famer Phil Esposito, a forward, Esposito won three Vezina Trophies as the best goaltender in the NHL (National Hockey League) …
1971- American hockey player Cammi Granato was one of the best young women hockey players ever produced in the United States, and one of the most recognized. She was captain of Team USA's hockey team which won Olympic Gold in 1998. Playing center, Granato used her head on the ice and had great scoring ability. Granato was born on March 24, 1971, in Maywood, Illinois, to Don and Natalie Gran…
1961- Canadian hockey player The dominant figure in the National Hockey League (NHL) during his twenty-year career in the majors, Wayne Gretzky more than lived up to his nickname, "The Great One." After making his debut in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers in 1979, Gretzky earned the league's Most Valuable Player honors nine times over the next ten seasons. The top scorer in th…
1931- Canadian hockey player Hockey Hall of Famer Glenn Hall's streak of 502 consecutive games (552, including playoffs) pales in raw number to the baseball streaks of Cal Ripken Jr. (2,632) and Lou Gehrig (2,130). It's not even the longevity mark in his own sport. But Hall's streak, from 1955 to 1962, is extraordinary because, as a goaltender, he played one of the most harrow…
1965- Czech hockey player Dominik Hasek is routinely ranked by sports writers as one of the half-dozen greatest goalies in hockey's history. Although his style of goaltending seemed unconventional—with his arms and legs splayed outward to stop his opponents from scoring—Hasek racked up an impressive string of awards during his twelve seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL)…
1928- Canadian hockey player Often called "Mr. Hockey," Gordie Howe is acknowledged as one of the best-ever all-around players in the history of the sport. Fast and powerful on the ice, with the ability to shoot the puck left- or right-handed, Howe set records during his career with the National Hockey League's (NHL) Detroit Red Wings that included most goals scored during the…
1939- Canadian hockey player One of the most dynamic players in the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 1960s, Bobby Hull earned the nickname "The Golden Jet" for his quick moves and solid shooting ability on the ice and his colorful personality off the ice. Setting numerous scoring records during his fifteen seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, Hull was the first player to win a con…
1964- Canadian hockey player Son of hockey legend Bobby Hull, Brett Hull has carved out his own place in the sport's history books alongside his father. Although he was criticized early in his career for being a one-dimensional player who could score goals but do little else on the ice, Hull grew into an impressive all-around player who adapted his game to help his teams win. One of the ten…
1972- Czech hockey player Playing with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Czech Jaromir Jagr established himself as one of the greatest, most dynamic scorers in the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 1990s. Though he had a reputation for being temperamental and moody, and letting these aspects negatively affect his game, the right winger was still a star. He won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins his rooki…
1951- Canadian hockey player Guy Lafleur Right wing/center Guy Lafleur was one of the best scorers of his generation. Winning three Art Ross Trophies as the National Hockey League's (NHL) leading scorer, Lafleur scored with power and grace. He was an all-around player, with strong skating, puck handling, and passing skills, an accurate shot, and the strength to handle defenders. Lafl…
1965- Canadian hockey player One of the most admired figures in professional sports, Mario Lemieux has enjoyed a lengthy career filled with dramatic moments. A member of two Stanley-Cup winning squads with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Lemieux was sidelined after a diagnosis of Hodgkin's Disease, a form of cancer, in 1993. After completing radiation therapy and missing the 1994-95 season, he ret…
1973- Canadian hockey player Though considered one of the most talented players to ever play in the National Hockey League (NHL), Eric Lindros has had a controversial career from his days in junior hockey. Some believe that he has never fully realized his potential as a player. A power forward in the truest sense, Lindros has size (6'5"; 220 lbs), strong skating ability, a scorer�…
1961- Canadian hockey player Mark Messier is considered by many to be one of the greatest leaders in sports. He served as the captain of three National Hockey League (NHL) teams: the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver Canucks. Messier won Stanley Cups with both Edmonton and New York. The centerman had a long-lived career, playing into his forties. Messier was born on January 18, 1961…
1940- Canadian hockey player Playing his entire career (1959-80) with the Chicago Blackhawks, Stan Mikita was a complete player on the ice, a team leader, and multiple award winner for his playing accomplishments. Often overshadowed by his more flamboyant, goal scoring teammate Bobby Hull, Mikita was nonetheless known for his outstanding abilities as a scorer, stickhandler, and passer, as well as …
1948- Canadian hockey player Bobby Orr is widely regarded as the greatest defenseman in hockey history. From the time he joined the Boston Bruins at the age of eighteen, Orr revolutionized the way hockey was played. Prior to that time, defensive players had confined themselves to playing defense. They guarded the approaches to the net and cleared the puck from the defensive zone, leaving the scori…
1929-1986 Canadian hockey player Apioneer hockey goaltender on several fronts, Jacques Plante changed the position forever when he became the first wear a goalie mask in games on a regular basis after a serious injury to his face. Though Plante took much grief for wearing the mask, it became standard gear for goaltenders within a decade. He also became the first goalie to regularly leave his creas…
1972- Canadian hockey player In 1992, Manon Rheaume became the first woman to play in one of the United States' four major professional sports when she played goal for the National Hockey League's (NHL) Tampa Bay Lightning. Rheaume was also the first woman to play in a major junior hockey game. For much of her career, Rheaume played against boys and men, though she was also a member …
1921-2000 Canadian hockey player When Maurice Richard—universally known by his nickname, "The Rocket"—died in Montreal on May 27, 2000, the entire nation of Canada went into mourning. One of the greatest players in the history of hockey, Richard's legendary exploits on the ice helped the Montreal Canadiens win eight Stanley Cup championships during his eighteen y…
1965- Canadian hockey player One of the greatest goalies to ever play the game, Patrick Roy was a dominant goalie from his rookie season in Montreal in which he lead the Montreal Canadiens to a Stanley Cup. In addition to winning four Stanley Cups with Montreal and the Colorado Avalanche, Roy also won three Conn Smythe Trophies as playoffs most valuable player. Roy also surpassed Terry Sawchuk as …
1970- Finnish hockey player Teemu Selanne Known as the Finnish Flash, right wing sharp shooter Teemu Selanne set a record by scoring seventy-six goals in his rookie season. Selanne began his career with the Winnipeg Jets (who later moved to Phoenix and became the Coyotes), before being traded to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, and later the San Jose Sharks. During his time in Anaheim, Selanne oft…
1950- Canadian hockey player Billy Smith was the National Hockey League's (NHL) dominant goalie of the early 1980s. A clutch performer who shone particularly bright in the post-season, Smith's goaltending led the New York Islanders to four consecutive Stanley Cup championships between 1979 and 1983, during which he set an NHL record for goalies, winning eighty-eight of 132 playoff ga…
1956- Czech hockey player Peter Stastny was one of the dominant offensive players of the National Hockey League (NHL). In the 1980s he was second only to Wayne Gretzky in points scored; the 1,239 points Stastny scored during his sixteen-year career with Quebec, New Jersey and St. Louis rank him as the second-best European scorer in NHL history. Of equal significance, when Stastny and his brother A…
1952- Russian hockey player Often called the greatest goaltender of all time, Vladislav Tretiak continues to impact the world of hockey with his words of wisdom and his vast experience. Vladislav Tretiak He made his mark in hockey at the tender age of 20 in the 1972 Summit Series, where the Soviets played against the Canadians. He continually crafted his game and became feared in the hockey…
1956- Canadian hockey player Bryan Trottier One of the greatest two-way centers ever to play professional hockey, Bryan Trottier is finding success these days on the sidelines as a coach. Trottier was an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001 when the Denver-based team won the Stanley Cup. During his 18 seasons on the ice, Trottier played on six Stanley Cup-winning teams-includ…
1887-1926 Canadian hockey player Because of a trophy given out by the National Hockey League (NHL) to the best goalie in the league in his honor, the name of Georges Vezina remains alive to this day. Many consider Vezina—who played for 15 seasons (1910-25) all for the Montreal Canadiens—the NHL's first great goaltender. Playing in 328 straight games, Vezina was an innovative g…