There really is not that many players who have competed in over 1,000 NHL Regular Season Games. Gordie Roberts is in that club but when you throw in the fact that he had another 300 plus in the World Hockey Association, you have a 19-year veteran who had quite the long career in professional hockey.
A very good goalie that lost out on the Hart trophy to Wayne Gretzky in 1981, Mike Liut seemed destined for a stellar career after his amazing 1980-81 season. That year he won the Lester B. Pearson award (MVP as selected by their peers) and would be the starting goalie for the 1981 Canada Cup Canadian contingent. Liut’s career tapered off and he was unable to keep up the prediction that so many made about him in the early 80’s. Still, he racked up 294 career NHL wins and was one of the top net minders of the 1980’s.
A top player for the Hartford Whalers, Kevin Dineen twice scored 40 goals and was clearly one of the better players in the NHL during the late ’80s. Dineen also had a good run with the Flyers through the following decade. He was clearly a good player who had very good moments but he was not labeled a great one. Had his run as a very good player lasted longer than his Whalers run, he might have a better shot than he currently does, but considering he had a nineteen-year career with over 700 points Kevin Dineen had a career to be proud of.
Although many people have laced up the skates for the New Jersey Devils, there were many who thought that Pat Verbeek may very well be one. Verbeek was a tough player who logged over 2,500 in penalty minutes and was as pesky a player as they came. Verbeek could put the puck in the net and scored 522 goals in his career. There are a few players on this list who cracked the 1,000 point mark, but pound for pound there were few on the level of Pat Verbeek.