Angela James was considered to be the first great player in women’s hockey. She dominated every level she competed in and was easily the top female in the sport for years. Once the sport had a sanctioned tournament in the IIHF, James again was the dominant player, leading Canada to Gold in the first four World Championships; all of which were finals against the United States. James, however was inexplicably left off the 1998 Olympic roster, though medical conditions would take her out of the game shortly after.

Easily one of the greatest Detroit Red Wings of all time, Steve Yzerman spent his entire 22 year career in Motown and amassed a whopping 1,755 points for them. Yzerman was a godsend to the struggling Red Wings, who were an awful team in the early 80’s, and slowly became a power under Yzerman’s leadership. That was not a misnomer, as he would become the youngest captain in the franchise’s history. He entered the NHL as a good scorer, but he reached elite status for a six year stretch where from 1988 to 1993 he topped the 100 point mark. As he got older, he still was a decent scorer, but he was more than just a leader, as his defensive skills shone through as new offensive stars came to play for Detroit. His loyalty, hard work and dedication paid off as “Stevie Y” was the leader of a now powerful Red Wings team and won three Stanley Cups there. Yzerman not only became a legend in Detroit, but across the border in his native country of Canada, where his leadership was instrumental on their successful International teams. He would later take over as the General Manager for Canada in their 2007 and 2008 World Championships and was the Executive Director for the successful Canadian 2010 Winter Olympic Hockey Team.

Luc Robitaille spent nineteen seasons in the NHL and won a Stanley Cup as a member of the Detroit Red Wings in 2002, but it was his tenure in Los Angeles years before where he had his greatest success. For a six year stretch, Robitaille was considered the games top Left Wing, and he would hit the 100 point mark four times as a member of the Kings. In L.A., he was part of a powerful offense that became more potent with the arrival of the Wayne Gretzky.  Robitaille would finish with 668 goals in his career and would finish in the top ten in that category in nine seasons. Considering that Luc Robitaille played alongside some of the greats of the game, he was never really in a shadow which was a great testament to his ability and popularity. It was no surprise that he was selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Think about this for a second. Before Lou Lamiorello took over as the General Manager of the New Jersey Devils, the franchise (which was in Kansas City and Colorado before) had never had a winning record. That changed in Lou’s first year in 1987, and the building of a winner continued. The Devils not only won games, but they won three Stanley Cup Championships, primarily because of the shrewd business acumen of Lou. He would become the CEO and President of the club, a post he held when he was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Internationally, he was the General Manager of team U.S.A. and built the World Cup winner in 1996. The odds that the Devils would have ever held hockey’s Holy Grail without Lou Lamiorello is remote.