Cliff Fletcher may have only won one Stanley Cup, but he brought a brilliant hockey mind to various clubs and brought them a lot closer to the dance than they would have had without him. Fletcher first arrived in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues as he worked his way from Scout to General Manager, and a lot of his work in the background helped the Blues become a contender and reach the Finals three times. Later, he took over the reins in Atlanta and helped to organize the move to Calgary, where they became a top team in the 1980’s, and he won his Stanley Cup in 1989.

Pat LaFontaine arrived at the New York Islanders a year too late. He joined the Isles in 1984, the year their dynasty ended at the hands of another one (Edmonton) set to begin. Still, LaFontaine became the bright spot of an aging team and hit the 100 point mark (along with the 50 goal total) in the 1989-90 season. However it was a move to the west of the state where he had his best season as he finished second in points with 148 as a member of the Buffalo Sabres in 1992-93. Unfortunately a knee injury took him out the following season and he had to fight his way back. His perseverance in returning was rewarded with the Bill Masterton Trophy in 1995, but concussions would prevent him from reaching the period in his career where he would have accumulated some breathtaking career statistics. Still his 1,013 career points are very good, especially considering his very healthy point per game average.

A Detroit based entrepreneur, Mike Ilitch made his mark on the world as the founder of Little Caesar’s Pizza. Despite, the amount of jobs he created, the city of Detroit are probably happier that he bought the Detroit Red Wings. When he bought the team, the Original Six squad was referred to as the “Dead Things” Or “Dead Wings” and they were the dregs of the NHL. It did not happen overnight, but slowly through clever marketing and shrewd hiring; Detroit reclaimed its spot as “Hockeytown U.S.A.” and became a powerhouse in the NHL capturing multiple Stanley Cups. What more could you want from your owner?

Although Grant Fuhr was rarely in the hunt for the Goals Against Average title in the NHL, there was little doubt among Hockey pundits that he was amongst the best in the league. In the 1980’s, Fuhr was the Goaltender for the high powered Edmonton Oilers, who employed a devastating offensive attack. Defence was secondary for Edmonton, and Fuhr did always enjoy the same type of defensive effort in front of him that other netminders received, so it can be argued that his task was more difficult in a way. Of course, wouldn’t every 1980’s NHL goalie trade their position with Fuhr?