A top forward in the WHA, Mark Howe (along with his father, Gordie) took the Houston Aeros to a pair of Avco Cup wins in the 1970’s. As he moved to New England, and later joined the NHL with the Whalers, Mark Howe emerged as one of the game’s top defenseman, who was a power play anchor and gifted two way player. It took him a lot longer to get into the Hockey Hall of Fame, as he was not only in his father’s shadow, but his WHA accomplishments were seemingly overlooked by the Hall. Thankfully, he took his rightful place alongside Gordie in 2011.

Joe Nieuwendyk won three Stanley Cups with three different teams and though his role with each squad was different, he was a leader in all three. Nieuwendyk was an excellent goal scorer who was very good on the Power Play. His aggressive style caused him many injuries but also earned him a lot of respect throughout the NHL. His biggest moment was his 1999 Conn Smythe Award winning performance where took his Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup and proved himself to be one of the most respected players in Hockey history.

Ed Belfour’s first full season in the National Hockey League was a stellar one as he won the Calder, the Vezina, the William M. Jennings and was a First Team All Star. From that point on, Belfour was considered one of the top Goalies in professional hockey, and though he may not have had a season as good as first, he would have a lot of very good ones winning more awards and putting his teams in Stanley Cup contention, eventually winning the grand prize with the Dallas Stars in 1999.   Belfour would become a first ballot Hockey Hall of Fame entrant in 2011.

Although Doug Gilmour was undersized, the man dubbed “Killer” became one of the most popular players in the National Hockey League due to his tenacious and feisty play. However, Gilmour was not just ferocious, as he was an effective playmaker who three times hit the 100 points mark in a season and was twice the runner up for the most assists. Gilmour was also a top two way star, as he won the Frank J. Selke Award for the top Defensive Forward in the NHL in 1993. It was in those early 90’s that “Dougie” took over the hearts of Toronto Maple Leaf fans, nearly taking them to the Stanley Cup Finals and dazzling everyone with his complete style of play. He may never have made a Post Season All Star Team, but he was a Centre that every team coveted.