Brett Hull

Hull spent just two years in college, but it was a pivotal experience in his career. A finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the best college hockey player of the 1985-86 season, Hull was signed by the Calgary Flames, who had selected him in the 1984 draft. He immediately made his debut at the end of the 1986 season during the Flames' appearance in the Stanley Cup finals, which the team lost to the Montreal Canadiens. Sent to the Moncton Golden Flames, Calgary's American Hockey League affiliate, for most of the 1986-87 season, Hull returned to Calgary in 1987. His tenure with the team turned out to be short-lived. With a reputation as a "sniper," or a player who lurked around the net waiting for a chance to score a goal, the right wing's style of play differed from the team-oriented approach of Calgary's coaches.

Finishing the 1987-88 season with the St. Louis Blues, Hull returned with a respectable forty-one goals and forty-three assists the following year. Working with coach Brian Sutter to improve his all-around game and his physical endurance, Hull had an impressive 1989-90 season with seventy-two goals and forty-one assists. He was also honored in 1990 with the Lady Byng Trophy, given to the NHL player exhibiting the most gentlemanly style of play on the ice.