Longevity.  Statistics.  Greatness.

Joe Thornton was drafted as the number one overall pick by the Boston Bruins in 1997. His early years in the NHL were slow due to the Bruins Head Coach, Pat Burns, monitoring his ice time. However, by his third season, Thornton became a regular fixture and scored 60 points, which was the first of his 16 seasons in which he scored at least 60 points.

Thornton became an All-Star for the first time in 2002 and broke out as a superstar the following season with a 101-point year. He blossomed as a center, using his size and power to dominate corners and his grace to pass the puck. He was one of the most gifted playmakers of his day, and he would be for years to come. However, it was not going to be in Boston.

In 2003-04, Thornton's points dropped to 73, and fans turned on him, especially after his poor performance in the 2004 playoffs. When play resumed in 2005 after a lockout that cost everyone the 2004-05 season, Thornton was a restricted free agent, and though he resigned with the Bruins, it was a terse negotiation leaving both sides unhappy. Thornton got off to a good start with 33 points in 24 games, but the damage was done, and he was not considered by management to be a leader. He was traded to the San Jose Sharks during the season and, with a chip on his shoulder, won the Art Ross Trophy (125 points), Assists Title (96), and Hart Trophy, making him the first and only player to win the Hart and Art Ross while playing for two different teams.

In San Jose, Thornton became the leader Boston thought he couldn’t be. He topped the NHL in assists the next two seasons and was still a playmaking force over the next ten seasons, performing at a high level over the next decade. The Sharks were Stanley Cup contenders and made the Finals in 2011, but they fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. Age and injury began to catch up to him, and he tried to chase that elusive cup late in his career with stops in Toronto and Florida. However, it was not meant to be. He retired with 1,539 points and is in the top ten all-time in games played and assists.

Internationally, Thornton has won a bevy of gold medals: one Olympic, two World Cups, and one World Junior.

With six All-Stars, four post-season All-Stars, individual hardware, and international gold, the only thing Joe Thornton is missing is a Stanley Cup. Nevertheless, his achievements make him a no-brainer first-ballot Hall of Famer.

The Montreal Canadiens are one of the most iconic franchises in hockey and hold the record for the most Stanley Cup wins. Montreal, an Original Six team, has had many legendary goalies, but Carey Price holds the record for the most wins in a Habs uniform - 361 games.

Price was the top goalie in the Western Hockey League and was highly rated in the draft. He debuted for the Canadiens in 2007 and quickly became their lead goalie, earning a spot on the All-Rookie Team. Although he had some ups and downs in the next two seasons, Price led the NHL in wins (38) in the 2010-11 season and had his first sub-2.50 GAA year (2.35). He was fifth in Vezina and seventh in Hart voting, cementing his place as the star the Canadiens had hoped for when they drafted him.

Price continued to impress, earning top-ten Vezina Trophy finishes in 2012-13 (10th) and 2013-14 (4th). However, his 2014-15 season was nothing short of legendary, leading the NHL in wins (44), save percentage (.933), goals against average (1.96), and goalie point shares (16.2). He swept the awards, winning the Vezina, William M. Jennings, Hart, and Ted Lindsay Award. This came just a year after he helped Canada win a gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Price suffered an MCL sprain the year after his monster campaign, limiting him to just 12 games. However, he bounced back with a third-place Vezina finish in 2016-17, where he had a 2.23 GAA over 62 games. He had another great year in 2019-20, anchoring Montreal to an improbable Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to Tampa Bay in the Finals. The fact that Montreal even made it there was a testament to Price's skills.

Sadly, that was likely the last great moment of Price's career. He faced personal and health issues afterward, and though he returned for five games in 2021-22, it was clear that his career was over. Price won the Bill Masterson Award that year, and he left the NHL, establishing his legacy as one of the greatest goalies of all time.

From Toronto, P.K. Subban won two Gold Medals in World Junior Hockey action before he joined the team that drafted him in the second round in 2007, Montreal.  Subban was an All-Rookie in 2010-11, and two years later, in the strike-shortened 2012-13 campaign, he won the Norris Trophy on the strength of 38 Points in 42 Games.  With the Habs, Subban was a First Team All-Star not only in his Norris year but also two years later.

In a shocking trade, Subban was sent to Nashville in a deal that saw the fellow defensive star, Shea Weber, go the other way.  Subban remained strong in his new environment, collecting Second Team All-Star honors in 2018, a year after he propelled the Predators to their first Stanley Cup appearance.  The charismatic superstar concluded his career with two seasons in New Jersey, where he won the King Clancy Award in his now final year.

In addition to his two Golds as a Junior, Subban won Gold for Canada in the 2014 Olympics and back-to-back Golds in the 2008 and 2009 World Juniors.

Getzlaf was a First Round Pick in 2003, and he would debut for the team two years later with a 39-Point rookie year.  A member of the 2007 Ducks team that won the Stanley Cup, Getzlaf's play blossomed the season after, where he began four years of 50-plus Assist seasons, and he would hit that threshold four additional times.  

A Second-Team All-Star in 2014, the Center finished second for the Hart Trophy that year and was tenth in Frank J. Selke voting.  Getzlaf also received Selke votes in seven other seasons.

Getzlaf is already the all-time Ducks leader in Assists (737) and post-season Points (120); in his final year in the NHL, 2021-22, he overtook Teemu Selanne in Points (1,019).   He is also a decorated performer in International competitions, helping Canada win two Olympic Gold Medals (2010 & 2014) and Gold in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

A 17-year veteran, Duncan Keith was a Second Round Pick in 2002 by the Chicago Blackhawks; the native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, would slowly become of the most complete blueliners in hockey.  

Keith first made the Blackhawks in 2005, breaking out in the 2009-10 Season, where he not only won the Norris Trophy but anchored Chicago to their first Stanley Cup in decades.  A Norris winner again in 2013/14, Keith added rings to his finger in 2013 and 2015, the latter seeing him win the Conn Smythe as the NHL's top playoff performer.

Capable of everything you want from a Defenseman, complete with rushing skills and tenacious ice protection, it can be easily stated that the Stanley Cup would not have returned to the Windy City three times in the 2010s, and though he has not received the due he should have, he was a superstar and giant of the game.  

Keith finished his career with a season in Edmonton before retiring with 117.0 Point Shares and 646 Points.

Internationally, Keith also captured Gold for Canada in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics.

So…what does longevity mean?

As far as we are concerned, it should matter a lot!

As of this writing, Patrick Marleau is the most tenured player in the National Hockey League.  The Canadian forward played 23 seasons (21 with San Jose) and logged 1,779 Games with 1,197 Points.  Marleau was never a threat for any individual award, but he was consistent for a long time, played both ends of the ice, and was a clean player who rarely made mistakes.  He was also a three-time All-Star.

As good as he was, and as long as he played, is Patrick Marleau a Hall of "Very Good" player, or was he the next level?  Anyone, who holds the record for Games Played, is a member of the 1,000-Point club will likely be considered Hall of Fame worthy!

We are fascinated to debate this further!

It has been said by many that Jay Bouwmeester is one of the most gifted skaters in hockey history.  We have to agree, and would gladly throw in that Bouwmeester is one of the more underrated players of the game.

The Canadian Defenseman was the third overall pick in 2002 by Florida, and was an All-Rookie after making the Panthers after being drafted.  Bouwmeester was a two-time All-Star with Florida, and he twice received Norris Trophy votes.  He would be traded to Calgary in 2009, and at the 2013 Trade Deadline, Bouwmeester was dealt to St. Louis, providing a veteran presence to the team that won the Stanley Cup in 2019.

Bouwmeester’s career ended abruptly when he suffered a cardiac arrest during a game against Anaheim in February of 2020.  He never played again, thus ending one of the most sneaky good careers in hockey.  As a professional, Bouwmeester scored 424 Points in 1,240 Games.

If Bouwmeester never becomes a serious contender for the Hockey Hall of Fame, the IIHOF could look at him, as he won five Gold Medals (one Olympics, two World Cups, two Worlds) while playing 57 Games for Team Canada.  That is one hell of an international career.

With 477 career NHL points (and 283 in the WHA), the professional statistics speak to a very good player but not that of the Hall of Famer. This is very much the consensus of most hockey pundits and fans alike. However, we all know of that intangible of the 1972 Canada/Soviet Union Summit Series. Coming off his most productive NHL year with 38 goals, Henderson was an afterthought selection to team Canada. Henderson responded with the best hockey of his career leading the tournament with ten points. Of course, it was that final point, a goal with thirty four seconds remaining that he will known forever for. That goal won the series and made him an icon in Canada. It is a moment that is played over and over again on Canadian television, and will be replayed for generations to come. When critics say that Paul Henderson would not be in the Hall of Fame discussion if he hadn’t scored “the goal” but what they have to remember is one thing: HE DID score that goal.

Generally when General Managers engineer trades both hope for some sort of accurate equity in return. The New York Rangers certainly did not get that equity when they traded Rick Middleton to the Boston Bruins for Ken Hodge who was at the tail end of his career. Middleton however was just getting started. The man dubbed “Nifty” scored 898 points for his new team and proved to be the best offensive threat for the Bruins for nearly a decade.

When Rick Tocchet entered the National Hockey League, he seemingly did so with the strength of his pugilistic skills. Tocchet still fought, but by his fourth season he emerged as an effective scorer as well. Tocchet was as hard nosed as they came and was the quintessential power forward of the game. The popular winger won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh and though he played for six different teams throughout his career he was always among the more popular. Tocchet did score a lot of points, but it may not have been enough to gain entry. Let’s hope that Rick Tocchet isn’t betting on his chances.

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.

In 1999 Master Card named the all Canadian Junior Hockey Team. This team featured current Hall of Famers, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Guy LaFleur, Denis Potvin, Bobby Orr, and Bernie Parent. It also featured Saskatchewan native Brian Propp who lit up the lights for the Brandon Wheat Kings. Propp’s first NHL season saw him on a line with Bobby Clarke and Reggie Leach. He held his own and for the next ten years, he was a consistent offensive threat on Broad Street.

From Banff, Alberta, Ryan Smyth would play for his home province Edmonton Oilers for the first eleven and a half seasons of his career.  Smyth would become one of the Oilers’ top scorers where he was known for his determination and scoring ability.  Smyth would have three 30 Goal seasons for the Oilers and he was regarded by many as the team leader and would take Edmonton to the Stanley Cup Finals where they would go down to defeat in seven games against the Carolina Hurricanes.  Smyth would be traded the following season to the New York Islanders and afterwards he would sign with the Colorado Avalanche as a Free Agent.  Smyth would return to Edmonton where he would finish his career.