Joel Otto came from Elk River, Minnesota where he went starred for Bemidji State University.  Otto would go undrafted but after what must have seen like an eternity, he was signed with the Calgary Flames.  Otto would become a permanent fixture in the pro ranks in the 1985/86 season and found a niche excelling at the less than sexy aspects of the game.  He had size that he could use was an excellent faceoff man and he would become an excellent defensive Centre.  Otto never won the Frank J. Selke Award as the NHL’s best defensive Award but he finished 3^rd on two occasions, was in the top ten another two times and received votes another four seasons.

Gary Suter started off with a bang winning the Calder Trophy with the Calgary Flames. Suter continued to rack up points for the Flames and the star was able to hoist the Stanley Cup in 1989. Year after year, Gary Suter was among the league leaders in point by a defenseman. With a career garnering 844 points, he is among the elite and is in the conversation when discussing the best American born defenseman ever. Had he ever won a Norris trophy, he would have likely seen his chances increase by a wide margin.

Should someone compile a list of the best all time hockey players from Sweden, Kent Nilsson often gets left out. Nilsson was a largely forgotten international star whose professional path may have made him the forgotten man. After a few years lighting up the Swedish league, Nilsson joined the WHA and the Winnipeg Jets where he was instantly among that organization’s elite. Upon the merger of the WHA and NHL, Nilsson joined the Flames where in the 1980-81 season he had a career year of 131 points. This remains the record both a Swedish born player and Calgary Flame.

Is it possible to be one of the more inspirational players in hockey history yet have a career that is a somewhat cautionary tale to young players? With Theoren Fleury the answer appears to be yes.