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Though goaltending is steadily considered the cornerstone of each great hockey crew, it's regularly stated the best offense is a superb protection. And if you'll be able to discover a franchise blue liner, the person who so many GMs covet and so many teams need, to go along side a franchise goaltender, then your crew is constructed for success. Just look at the previous three Stanley Cup profitable teams. Drew Doughty. Duncan Keith. Zeno Chara. While goaltending is integral to a team's shot at the cup, a celebrity defenseman is as necessary, if no longer much more so. While there were numerous superstar defensemen to patrol the blue line in the NHL over the years, the ten on this listing both paved the way for long run generations, modified the game, had been the best of their era, or in some cases controlled to be all 3.
10. Borje Salming
Perhaps a wonder to make the best ten listing, Salming was a super defenseman but extra so the most important trailblazer for European-born hockey avid gamers. One of the first European players to make the soar throughout the pond and feature a very a success occupation in the NHL, Sweden's Borje Salming played for both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings right through his 17-year NHL profession which started throughout the 1973-Seventy four season. Playing 16 of his 17 years in Toronto, Salming turned into a pressure on the Maple Leafs' blue line proving his toughness and durability while also showcasing his offensive skill. During his profession with the Leafs Salming used to be an All-Star six instances. During his complete occupation, Borje Salming played 1148 video games gathering 787 points in the regular season and a further Forty nine points in 81 playoff games. Salming used to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996.
9. Brian Leetch
Via en.wikipedia.org
Another path blazing defenseman of types, Brian Leetch is considered, and simply so, the greatest American-born defenseman of all time. Not handiest that, the two-time Norris Trophy winner is also one of the greatest American-born hockey players of all time, length. Though compatriot Phil Housley scored more points as a participant, Leetch had extra affect all over his career. A famend play maker known for his impeccable skating ability, Leetch used to be a New York Ranger for 16-an-a-half of his 17 seasons sooner than a trade cut-off date deal to the Leafs all the way through the 2003-04 season and a final season with the Bruins. It was once as a Ranger where Leetch shined, with the legendary Mark Messier calling Leetch the biggest Ranger of all time, and rightfully so. Along along with his two Norris trophies, Leetch additionally received the Calder Trophy as rookie of the 12 months in 1989 and, most significantly, won the Conn Smythe Trophy following the Rangers' 1994 Stanley Cup victory. During his career, Leetch seemed in 1,205 games scoring 1,028 points, with Ninety seven points in Ninety five playoff video games. Leetch was once inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009.
8. Scott Niedermayer
Via o.canada.com
Scott Niedermayer is universally recognized on each best 20 or 30 listing relating to defensemen as one of the greatest of all time. Top ten lists generally tend to avoid him, however. Maybe it is debatable, maybe it's daring, but it surely simply turns out downright evident that the former New Jersey Devil and Anaheim Duck be included among the ten largest blue liners to ever play the recreation. Niedermayer ranks upper than Brian Leetch for two causes: he was once arguably a greater puck mover and skater, and even supposing he finished his profession with less points, he additionally performed the majority of his occupation within the stifling, defense first gadget of the Devils. Imagine Niedermayer on a workforce like Detroit or Pittsburgh all over his occupation. It's remarkable he managed to position up just about 800 points in the 1,263 video games he played; Anaheim wasn't a specifically offensive-minded group beneath Randy Carlyle either. Furthermore, beyond a Norris Trophy win in 2004 and a Conne Smythe Trophy in 2007, Niedermayer is the most effective player in history to win every main championship a Canadian-born player can win. During his career Niedermayer received a junior gold medal, a global championship, a global cup of hockey identify, two Olympic gold medals and four Stanley Cups, making him the winningest player in Canadian hockey history. Scott Niedermayer was once inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.
7. Doug Harvey
Via sportsnet.ca
A defenseman from a bygone era, however, Doug Harvey not best contributed to shaping the means the position is performed, but he also played an instrumental function in helping establish a gamers' union in order to give protection to the rights and welfare of NHL gamers who, all over the 1950s were significantly underpaid in line with workforce income and had no recourse to air their grievances. It used to be on the ice where Harvey shone, however, profitable a total of seven Norris Trophies and 6 Stanley Cups during his occupation, predominantly as a component of the Montreal Canadiens dynasty of the Fifties. Harvey essentially invented the offensive defenseman by utilizing his skating talent and puck ownership ability to develop into the defenseman into a deadly phase of a group’s offense. Every other defenseman in this list owes no less than a bit of of their career to Doug Harvey's innovation on the blue line.
Harvey was once inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973.
6. Denis Potvin
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Denis Potvin scored at a just about point-per-game pace all the way through his illustrious 15-year occupation with the New York Islanders. An extremely proficient offensive defenseman, Potvin was once also very dependable in his personal end, equally as professional without the puck as he was with it. Potvin played the game with an edge, recording 1,356 penalty minutes right through his occupation. In truth, Potvin was once a very physical defender which in the long run made him an archetype, together with Larry Robinson, for the modern-day Rob Blake, Chris Pronger and (*10*)-type player. Potvin made an have an effect on in the NHL right away. His first NHL season in 1973-74 saw Potvin win the Calder Trophy as the Rookie of the Year, and he went on to win the Norris Trophy 3 times earlier than the finish of the 1970s. Following his remaining Norris win, Potvin performed a significant function in the New York Islanders dynasty that received 4 Stanley Cups in a row in the early Nineteen Eighties. Though accidents forced Denis Potvin to retire at the age of 35 in 1988, he used to be the NHL’s all-time leading scorer amongst defensemen at the time. He used to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.
5. Paul Coffey
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During his 20-year career Paul Coffey managed to damage and take care of 11 information set by means of a defenseman. Originally a first round draft choice of the Edmonton Oilers, Coffey was once the maximum mobile and offensively dominant defenseman of his technology, as evidenced by him now not best turning into the 2nd, and quickest, defenseman to achieve 1,000 issues in 1990, but additionally via the highest-scoring defenseman of all time in 1992, nine years ahead of he retired. Coffey may be a four-time Stanley Cup champion, wining the name three times with the Oliers, and over again with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and a three-time Norris Trophy winner. Well over a point-per-game participant, Coffey was once often instances thought of as a fourth ahead on the ice because of his skating and talent to create offense via leaping up into the rush. Coffey was the 2nd leading scorer of all time amongst defensemen, and the thirteenth leading scorer in NHL historical past. He used to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005.
4. Larry Robinson
Via en.wikipedia.org
Six-time Stanley Cup champion Larry Robinson did most of his harm as a participant patrolling the Montreal Canadiens' blue line, and together with Doug Harvey is considered one of the largest Canadiens ever. Scoring 958 issues during his 2o-year occupation, 17 of those with Montreal and the final 3 with the Los Angeles Kings, Robinson by no means once ignored the playoffs. At 6’4’’ and 225 pounds, Robinson was much like the quintessential modern day defenseman, a large bodied, bodily participant who used to be also extremely cell and offensively minded. Along together with his six Stanley Cup wins, Robinson won the Norris Trophy twice, and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1978. Though his whole career was spectacular, in all probability the maximum shocking statistic Larry Robinson retired with was his career plus/minus score of +730, an NHL record to these days. Robinson was once inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995.
3. Bobby Orr
Via en.wikipedia.org
Most lists regarding largest defensemen place Bobby Orr at primary, and the argument for doing so is extremely compelling. At the identical time, Orr, most likely more than every other participant save Wayne Gretzky, has been mythologized to such an extent that he has change into the de facto biggest defenseman of all time, regardless of whether stats and facts backs up such a declare. There is undoubtedly, Bobby Orr is one of the greatest hockey gamers to ever live, and furthermore, Orr solidified the offensive defenseman as an integral part of a hockey staff. The difference between Orr and the remaining two defensemen in this checklist is that their careers had been in an generation the place hockey was a harder sport to play; the gamers were larger and faster, more used to the offensive defenseman, and, most significantly, the goalies had been a lot, much more professional.
That stated, to some extent, Orr may really well be tied for primary in this list; the guy was an implausible hockey participant who gained the Norris Trophy a file 8 times, the Conn Smythe trophy twice, the Calder Trophy, the Hart Trophy 3 times, and remains the simplest defenseman to ever win the league scoring name, successful the Art Ross Trophy twice. Orr also gained two Stanley Cups. Furthermore, in only 12 seasons, the ultimate three minimize brief by accidents, Orr recorded 915 issues in a trifling 657 games. If no longer for habitual knee injuries, Orr may just rather well have performed every other ten years, and then there most likely wouldn't be any debate who number one on this record would be.
2. Ray Bourque
Via 1045theteam.com
Like the defenseman ahead of him, and the one following him on this list, a case can be made for Ray Bourque being regarded as the largest defenseman of all time. In his 23-year occupation, 21 of which he spent with the Boston Bruins, Bourque established himself as one of the most reliable, and complete defensemen to ever play the game. Bourque won the Calder Trophy in his rookie season as a Bruin and not regarded back, turning into one of the maximum constant defenders of all time. He is the all-time chief among defensemen in issues and objectives, in addition to the NHL’s all-time leader in pictures on objective. A five-time Norris Trophy winner, Ray Bourque is 11th general in overall points by means of an NHL player as neatly, proving his offensive prowess, whilst his general plus/minus is 3rd among defensemen, at the back of most effective Larry Robinson and Bobby Orr. Though Bourque by no means won a Stanley Cup in Boston, he in any case learned his function of a championship in his final NHL sport, a recreation seven Stanley Cup victory as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. Ray Bourque used to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.
1. Nicklas Lidstrom
The first European-born captain to steer his workforce to a Stanley Cup name, whilst there could also be some debate about Nicklas Lidstrom topping this list, there in point of fact shouldn’t be. The maximum constant defensemen of all time, at each ends of the ice, Lidstrom never overlooked the playoffs all over his entire 20-year profession, all with the Detroit Red Wings. Seemingly incapable of making a poor play, Lidstrom gained the Norris Trophy seven instances, 2d simplest to Bobby Orr, who played in a league with less teams and far less defensive festival. Furthermore, Lidstrom was once also the first European-born player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy following Detroit’s Stanley Cup title in 2002. He could also be a member of the Triple Gold Club, playing a big role in Sweden’s Olympic victory in 2006.
If most General Managers had been requested to pick out one defensemen to build a workforce round, Lidstrom can be the obtrusive choice. As implausible as he used to be in his personal end, he was once as prolific offensively, tallying a occupation total of 1,142 issues in 1,564 video games. If not for a complete season lost to a lock out, Lidstrom would have most unquestionably improved upon his profession totals, and might smartly have won an eighth Norris Trophy in the process. While each and every one of the defensemen on this list had been spectacular hockey players, and Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque specifically may be others first selection for largest defencemen of all time, Nicklas Lidstrom will get the nod here due to the degree of festival he faced, and his level of success in the generation during which he performed.
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