Bryan "Bugsy" Watson

Nicknamed "Bugsy" by Gordie Howe and Alex Delvecchio, Bryan Watson was known to be an agitator extraordinaire. He bothered people, doing whatever it took to make them lose their concentration.

In spite of Bryan's small size (5'9" and 175 Ibs), most people were distinctly aware of his presence. Ken Schinkel, a former teammate and coach of Bryan once said " Bryan is very verbal, and will take whatever steps are necessary to do his thing. That thing means to get into fights, give elbows, and make people boo when he comes to the ice."

Schinkel also recalled when he played against Bryan.

"I felt it when Bryan came to say hello in the corners. You always knew you got hit when Bugsy got to you. "

Watson himself used to say that the contact felt good and got his circulation moving. Pete Stemkowski of the Rangers called him a "Madman". Denis Potvin once described how during a fight Bryan drove his head right into his cheek. Anything counted in Bryan's book. His style of play could easily be seen on his PIM totals. Bryan had 2212 Pim's in only 878 games.

Intimidation was the name of the game for Bryan. He was a pretty bad skater and shooter but he had more guts than most players and that is what kept him in the NHL for such a long time. He only scored 17 goals in the 878 games and had 152 points.

A loyal and absolutely fearless player who never hesitated to stop pucks with his head if the situation called for it, Bryan was a great teammate. In the dressing room he was always on the lookout for a good practical joke. He knew when to lighten the bench, and when to set a fire under someone's ass. He was definitely one of those players who every team liked to have on their side.

But among his opponents he was the kind of player that you loved to hate in the same fashion as an Eddie Shack, Theoren Fleury, or Sean Avery. In other words, you loved to have him on your team but you hated to play against him, because he could be really mean.

This Bancroft, Ontario native played his junior career for the Peterborough Petes in the OHA. He then toiled a short while in the minors before being called up to the Montreal Canadiens where he played 39 regular season games during the 1963-64 season as well as 6 playoff games, but he didn't make much of a name for himself. It was apparent that Bryan's bruising style was not going to fit the fleet style of play that the Canadiens were noted for, so they traded him to Chicago on June 8, 1965. One day later he was claimed by Detroit in the intra-league draft.

Watson spent two years in Detroit, drawing some praise for his job checking Bobby Hull in the 1966 playoffs. Yet he would be claimed by Minnesota in the expansion draft in 1967. The North Stars traded him back to Montreal the same day. Once again he had a short stint with the Canadiens and spend most of his time in the AHL and CHL. Needless to say, Watson's luggage was starting to get worn out after all this movement.

It was during the 1967-68 season that Bryan drew some fame. He managed to lead the CHL in penalty minutes (293) in only 50 games, but he also was named the best defenseman in the CHL as well as being the MVP of the league and a first team All-Star.

He was traded to Oakland in 1968 and then to Pittsburgh in 1969. He managed to stay over 5 seasons in the Steel City, and led the NHL with 212 PIMs in 1971-72.

But Bryan continued to be a well traveled player. He played in St. Louis and Detroit once again before finishing his career with three seasons in Washington. In 878 NHL games he scored just 17 times while setting up 135 others. He retired with 2212 PIMs, then a NHL all time record.

After a short coaching tenure with the early 1980s Edmonton Oilers, Watson would stay in the Washington area in retirement, opening up Bugsy’s Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar in nearby Alexandria, Virginia.

Alan Haworth

The Buffalo Sabres were perhaps guilty of not being patient enough with one of their talented rookies of the early 1980s in Alan Haworth.

Haworth was a small but sturdy center/winger who quickly emerged as a Sabres prospect after being drafted 95th overall in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. He would turn professional in 1980-81. He started the year by apprenticing in the minor leagues but quickly would prove he was ready for the next level when he scored an impressive 14 goals and 32 points in just 21 games. The Sabres called him up for the rest of the season. He continued to impress in his rookie NHL season, scoring points against every team in the league except two despite only playing in 49 games. He was a consistent player and by playoffs emerged as one the to-go guys, scoring 4 goals and 8 points in 7 games, good enough for a third place tie among Sabres post-season scoring leaders.

Haworth returned in 1981-82 but his production leveled off. He scored 21 goals and 39 points in 57 games, while also seeing 14 games in the minors. By the end of the year the struggling Haworth was traded to Washington in an exchange of multiple draft picks.

In Washington Alan would develop into a very good player that the Sabres would have liked to have had in their lineup. He became a consistent 25 goal threat while rounding into a solid two way player. In 1985-86 he enjoyed his best year in the NHL, scoring 34 goals and 73 points while posting another 10 points in 9 playoff games. He had great speed and a hard slap shot, but also became a dependable defensive player. His playmaking abilities were underrated, largely because he spent much of his time on one of the wings of a 2nd or 3rd lines.

In 1987-88 Haworth was a key part of one of the biggest trades in NHL history. He, along with fellow native-Quebecer Gaetan Duchesne and a first round draft choice (used to select the wonderful Joe Sakic) were traded to Quebec for goalie Clint Malarchuk and leader Dale Hunter. The move was especially controversial because of Hunter's surprise departure. Haworth, a natural center, was brought in as his replacement. Those were awfully big skates to fill, but Alan did an admirable job, turning in a career second-best 57 point season including 23 goals and 34 assists.

Haworth, the son of long time professional player Gord "Red" Haworth, opted to surprise many when he left the Nordiques after just one season. He ended up going to Switzerland to play 4 seasons with SC Bern before retiring as a player.

Haworth retired with 189 goals, 211 assists and 400 points in 524 NHL games.

Kelly Miller

Undersized Kelly Miller lived the American hockey dream.

Miller and his family grew up hockey. Born in Detroit and raised in Lansing, Michigan, his father Lyle was a former college player who became a part owner of a local hockey rink. This made it pretty easy for Kelly and his brothers to become rink rats. Kelly, Kevin, and Kip Miller all went on to become collegiate, international and NHL stars. They are also cousins of Buffalo Sabres stand out goalie Ryan Miller and his brother Drew.

Kelly played in relative anonymity until entering college. In fact he wasn't even drafted in his initial draft class of 1981 because he played in the almost unknown Great Lakes Junior Hockey League. But after one season at Michigan State, he was snatched up by the New York Rangers in 1982, 183rd overall.

The undersized speedster would amass one of the greatest careers in Michigan State history, including a Hobey Baker nomination in 1985 as the best player in US college hockey. The two time Michigan State MVP and team captain also starred with the United States junior team, representing the nation at the World Junior Championships three times.

Unlike a lot of student athletes, Miller was a great student as well. The Business major graduated with a 3.51 GPA despite his devotion to hockey and despite time missed for the World Juniors. He was twice named to the CCHA's all academic team, with an honorary mention another year. His academic quests would continue in the pros, working as a stock broker and earning his real estate license in the NHL off-seasons.

Upon graduation Miller stepped directly into the National Hockey League, playing in the final 5 regular season games and 3 playoff games with the Rangers. He finished the year by representing USA at the senior World Championships.

Miller returned for his rookie season in 1985-86, but found nagging knee and ankle injuries hampering him. An offensive leader in college, Miller found the NHL to be a much tougher place to score. He would end up 13 goals and 33 points in a respectable rookie season.

After not showing much offensive progression in half a season in 1986-87, the Rangers gave up on the youngster. Miller found himself traded with Mike Ridley and Bob Crawford to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Bobby Carpenter. The trade would go down as one of the best in Caps history.

Miller would never really find much offense in Washington either. Only once in 13 seasons in the nation's capital would he surpass the 20 goal mark. But Miller worked hard to evolve into a defensive specialist, often playing with Mike Ridley and Michal Pivonka. Miller would be a finalist for the Selke Trophy, as NHL's best defensive forward, in 1992.

Miller was a very unpredictable skater, and that was his best asset. He was lightning quick, but knew how to throw off the opposition by using his speed in multiple gears. His hand and stick skills never caught up to him at the NHL level, but as his career progressed he became a decent passer while on the break. He was strong at reading plays and great at anticipating moves, allowing him to become a top checker and penalty killer. He was a tiny little guy, but he did put what he had into an engaging physical game. He knew his limitations.

Not surprisingly, Miller was a crowd favorite in Washington. Those fans were happy for Miller as much as anyone when the Capitals made an unexpected journey to the Stanley Cup finals in 1998. Despite losing the finals to Detroit, the experience was one of Miller's career highlights. He had been through good times and bad in Washington, and it must have been justifying to be a part of that team.

After finishing the year at the World Championships, Miller retired in 1999. He did sign a minor league contract in a comeback bid in 2000. He skated with the Grand Rapids Griffins, a team he was already working with as a volunteer coach. He would later coach junior hockey in the Lansing area while starting his own real estate development company.

Al Iafrate

Al Iafrate is one of the more interesting characters to play in the National Hockey League. His passion for hockey was matched by his joy for heavy metal music, and perhaps exceeded by his love of Harley Davidson motorcycles. He often showed up for practice and games on his hog while wearing the full Harley leather gear!

Iafrate was one of hockey's best prospects. Drafted 4th overall by the Toronto Maples Leafs in 1984 after spending the year with the USA National and Olympic teams, Big Al had scouts drooling over his skill package. Huge at 6'3" and over 220lbs, he was a strong skater for a big man. He had a booming shot that would rival Al MacInnis' shot at All Star skills competitions. He had great offensive instincts. His one downfall was his defense, primarily because he never used his size to his advantage. He was great at rushing the puck out of the defensive zone, but was never an elite breakout passer.

"Wild Thing" had a very good career cut short by serious knee injuries. It took 3 years before Iafrate finally blossomed, but once he did he erupted with 22 goals and 52 points. He would slip a bit in 1988-89 but returned to the 20 goal, 60 point level in 1989-90.

The Leafs grew tired of the enigmatic blueliner who was a handful off the ice as well, and traded him to Washington where he fit right into the Capitals love of offensive defensemen. Al would score 17 goals and 51 points in 1991-92, his first full season with the Caps. And in 1992-93 he had his best season ever - scoring 25 goals and 66 points while being named to the Second All Star Team. He was even able to shake the notion that he wasn't a strong playoff performer. While the Caps were ousted in round one, this defenseman could not be blamed. He scored 6 goals in 6 games! Amazing!

Al slowed somewhat in 1993-94 when he had 10 goals after 67 games. At that point the Caps traded him to Boston in exchange for the highly skilled Joey Juneau. Iafrate finished the season strongly with 5 goals and 13 points in 12 games, but was relatively quite in the playoffs with 3 goals and 1 assists in 13 playoff matches.

Al's career effectively came to a halt at the conclusion of that season. Like most hockey players, Iafrate was badly injured and he finally had to give in to get himself patched up. In the summer of 1994 Al had to go through surgeries to correct injuries in his back and both knees. It took 2 full seasons for him to recover.

The San Jose Sharks took their chances on Iafrate when they acquired his rights in a June 1996 trade. Al Played in 59 games over the next two seasons, but he was never fully recovered from injuries and was not to be counted on to play on any given night.

Despite his history of injuries, the Carolina Hurricanes offered Al an incentive-laden contract in the summer of 1998. However Iafrate had to announce his retirement before training camp ever began, and he forsook his contract by not attempting to play.

Pete Peeters

As a youngster I instantly took a liking to goaltender Peter Peeters. Initially it had to be the name that attracted me took him, but his play quickly made him a long time favorite.

Peeters is the the son of Dutch immigrants, and grew up as a competitive swimmer while tending to the nets on the side. In fact, it was not until he was 18 years old that he committed to major junior hockey, joining a weak Medicine Hat Tigers squad for two years starting in 1975.

With a porous defense in front of him, Pete Peeters was peppered with pucks. But this pickle that Peeters picked turned out to be a perfect training ground. The huge workload and respectable showing earned him high praise from scouts. In 1977 he was selected 135th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL Amateur draft.

After two years apprenticing in the American Hockey League, winning the Hap Holmes trophy as top goalie along the way, Peeters was promoted to the Flyers for the 1979-80 season, sharing the nets with Phil Myre.

The Flyers must have thought they had the second coming of Bernie Parent based on the way Peeters started that year. He went 22-0-5 before losing his first game of the season on February 19th! Of course that was the year the Flyers went 35 straight games without a loss, and partner Myre picked up some wins during that streak as well. Peeters finished the year with a record of 29-5-5 with a 2.73 GAA, earning him an All Star game nod. He was the Flyers go to guy in the playoffs as well, leading the Flyers all the way to Stanley Cup finals, only to lose on an over time goal courtesy of the New York Islanders' Bob Nystrom.

The following season Peeters had the impossible task of duplicating his incredible rookie season. Of course he could not, and over the next two years in Philadelphia his GAA rose and his playoff success dwindled.

Peeters was a tough guy to warm up to as well. Known as a grouchy guy, he was nicknamed Grumpy. He did not like the Philadelphia system of rotating goalies and at times carrying three netminders. A bit of a sore loser, he was not easy to talk to after games, especially in games that he loses. One Philadelphia reporter found that out in the 1981-82 season when he accused Peeters of physically assaulting him. The incident helped lead to Peeters departure from the City of Brotherly Love.

In June 1982 the Flyers traded Peeters to Boston in exchange for stud defenseman Brad McCrimmon. Both teams fared well in the trade, especially Boston in that first season. Peeters had perhaps his best year, playing in a career high 62 games, posting an amazing record of 40-11-9 with 8 shutouts and a NHL best-of-the-decade 2.36 GAA. At one stretch he went 31 games without a loss. Not surprisingly Peeters was awarded the Vezina Trophy as top goalie and named to the NHL's First All Star Team. Almost as impressive was the fact that Peeters finished 2nd in the entire league in Hart Trophy voting as league MVP in a time when the award was basically owned by the great Wayne Gretzky.

Again Peeters was faced with the unenviable task of living up to his previous years performance. And again he would not be able to live up to the gaudy expectations. He played two more years in Beantown while his GAA inflated the numbers in the L column increased. Though his critics skepticism grew, he remained a top goalie in most minds in the NHL. He was invited to Team Canada for the 1984 Canada Cup, one of his greatest honours, but sprained his ankle. Still he was able to play in the final game against Sweden and clinch the championship. He was also the goalie in the dramatic 3-2 OT win against the Soviets. The game, considered by many to be one of the greatest of all time, wasthe highlight of his career.

Interestingly, Peeters found the Canada Cup experience to be such a high that he had trouble once he returned to Boston for the season. Bruins GM Harry Sinden directly linked the Canada Cup to Peeters poor season by his standards, claiming "he was tired, both physically and emotionally." Peter Peeters was Petered!

After a slow start to the 1985-86 season, Peeters was traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for goaltender Pat Riggin. Obviously the Caps were counting on Peeters' track record of great performances when placed in a new environment, though that never really panned out in Washington. Instead Peeters supplied the Caps with solid but not spectacular goaltending for the next 5 seasons. But he was never able to find any playoff success with the Capitals either.

Peeters returned to Philadelphia for the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons, the final two of his career. Peeters did so by his choice, signing as a free agent. It seemed like an odd move, as Peeters left Philadelphia because he dislike the three goalie rotation so much. Now he found himself as part of another three goalie rotation in Philly, sharing the nets with Ron Hextall and Ken Wregget. Hextall was hurt much of the 1989-90 season though.

Peeters retired with 246 wins, 155 losses and 51 ties in 489 career games. He posted 21 career shutouts and had a career GAA of 3.08, a very respectable number for the high scoring 1980s. Upon retirement he returned to the family farm near Edmonton, where he grew up and always returned to in the off seasons. He eventually got into coaching, serving as a goaltending specialist with the Minnesota North Stars, Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes before returning to Edmonton to do the same role with the Oilers.

If you take the highlights of Pete Peeters career, you could mistake him as one of the greatest goaltenders of all time. He had some great highs, such as 1979-80 in Philadelphia, 1982-83 in Boston and the 1984 Canada Cup. But because of his team's frequent failures in the playoffs and the fact he rarely played 2/3rds of the schedule like most top goalies, Peeters isn't really remembered as one of the top goalies of the 1980s that he actually was. In fact Peeters may be best remembered for a highlight reel scene surrendering Mario Lemieux's first NHL goal.

Mike Ridley

It has become more and more common for hockey players to come out of University programs, but most of those players come from the American colleges who offer full scholarships to talented athletes. Many American colleges place high importance on athletic performance, some of which take hockey very seriously as a collegiate sport.

University hockey in Canada is nowhere near the same level, and rarely attracts top talent. This is because the CIAU does not allow for full scholarships given to athletes, so top hockey players who would rather go the college route than through junior hockey hope to impress American college scouts. Universities in Canada have hockey teams, but they are made up more of future chiropractors and engineers. These players are there for their studies and hockey is an extra curricular activity, whereas in many cases of top athletes in the States the athletic achievement in University is placed on an equal or sometimes greater level than the academic.

Mike Ridley was one of the few to attend a Canadian university and go on to enjoy a fine NHL career.

Born on July 8th, 1963 in Winnipeg, Ridley attended his hometown University of Manitoba rather than leaving home for a US college or for a Canadian junior hockey team. The move paid off well for Ridley. He was named the Canadian University Player of the year, an First All Star and a All-Canadian in 1984 and repeated his All Star and All-Canadian performance in 1985.

Despite his dominating play, Ridley was never drafted by a NHL team as scouts scoffed at the level of play in the CIAU. However the New York Rangers were smart enough to give this kid a look-see in their 1985 training camp. Ridley came into camp and impressed the Rangers so much that they not only signed him to a NHL contract, but he made the team and played a big role immediately.

In fact in Ridley's rookie season he led the New York Rangers in scoring with his 65 points (including 22 goals).

Mike was on pace for another fine season with 36 points in 38 games in 1986-87 when the Rangers surprisingly traded him along with Bob Crawford and Kelly Miller to Washington for Bobby Carpenter and a draft pick. Ridley was a quiet, hard working All-Canadian kid but the Rangers play in New York. When the opportunity arose for the Rangers to acquire Carpenter - Sports Illustrated's poster boy and the first American to score 50 goals in a season - they jumped at the opportunity. Carpenter would struggle much of his career offensively before reinventing himself as a defensive specialist. Ridley, and for that matter Miller, went on to enjoy fine seasons with the Washington Capitals.

Ridley relied more on hard work than natural talent. Despite lacking offensive flare, Ridley manage to squeeze out 547 points in 588 games with the Caps. A fine two way player, his best personal season came in 1988-89 when he scored 41 goals and 89 points.

Ridley was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a big 1994 draft day swap that saw the two teams exchange first round picks. Ridley, who rarely missed a handful of games in his NHL career, was starting to develop a chronic back problem. He would play in all 48 games of the lock-out shortened 1994-95 season, but often in pain. His offensive contributions were affected by his pain - just 10 goals.

The Leafs "dumped" the injured center in a July 1995 trade with Vancouver in exchange for Sergio Momesso. The Canucks had hoped his back would get better and had planned on taking advantage of Ridley's fine playmaking skills by putting him on their top line with Pavel Bure with another newcomer, Alexander Mogilny on the other wing.

The Canucks dream line never became a reality. Ridley's back limited him to 37 pain-filled games. He only registered 6 goals and 21 points.

Ridley's back held up for much of the 1996-97 season. He played in 75 games. He was a standout in the first half of the season but then his ailing back failed him again. Though he missed only 7 games, his play was effected by season's end.

The Canucks released Ridley after that. After more back treatment he returned to Winnipeg where he tried to skate with the Manitoba Moose of the IHL to test his back. He scored 4 points in 4 games but his back continued to bother him. Ridley finally admitted defeat in his battle with back pain.

Ridley was a tremendously underrated star for most of his NHL career. He scored 292 goals and 466 assists for 758 points in 866 NHL games. He added 28 goals and 78 points in 104 playoff appearances.

Scott Stevens

On February 3, 2006, the New Jersey Devils retired a uniform number for the first time in franchise history: Scott Stevens' #4. As video tributes and teammate reflections were aired over the course of that night's ceremony, many words were brought up which characterized the man: fierce, hard-nosed, intense, intimidating, energetic, respected, competitive, heart-and-soul, a winner, a leader, a work-horse.

He is hockey's ultimate warrior.

Scott Stevens played in 1,635 regular season games and 233 playoff games, both NHL records among defensemen. He skated in thirteen All-Star Games. He captained the Devils to three unforgettable Stanley Cup championships. Simply put, Scotty Stevens was a hockey legend with an on-ice presence unparalleled in NHL history.

Given his remarkable legacy with the Devils, people often forget that he was a veteran of nine seasons coming into New Jersey. Born and bred in Kitchener, Ontario, Stevens was selected fifth overall by the Washington Capitals in the 1982 NHL Draft. During his time in D.C., he enjoyed moderate individual and team success. The Capitals housed one of the deepest defensive corps during the 1980s (think Rod Langway, Kevin Hatcher and Larry Murphy), and so Stevens developed a niche for himself as a classical, rugged, stay-at-home defenseman who specialized in dealing punishing checks and breaking down the opposition's flow. While he had the ability to put up solid offensive numbers, he understood that playing within the system for the greater good of the team took precedence above all else.

Stevens made headlines during the early '90s with his involvement in two massive, high-salary transactions. The first was in July 1990, when, as a restricted free agent, he signed a four-year contract with the St. Louis Blues worth a then-overwhelming $5.145 million. In return, St. Louis had to ship a whopping five first-round draft picks the other way as compensation (two of which ended up being Washington mainstays Sergei Gonchar and Brendan Witt). One year later, in July 1991, with the assistance of an arbitrator, the Blues were forced to ship Stevens to New Jersey as compensation for their signing of Brendan Shanahan. Both transactions created a ripple effect around the league as player salaries spiralled out of control, ultimately culminating in the 1995 NHL Lockout.

Although initially upset about going to New Jersey, Stevens became an instant fan favorite at the Meadowlands. After a single season, he was awarded for his leadership with the team captaincy, a position he would hold for the balance of his career. In 1993-94, Stevens exploded offensively with 78 points and led the league in plus-minus with +53. (It is worth noting that not once in his 22 seasons did he have a plus-minus rating in the red, a truly remarkable feat.)

Stevens is quick to credit the Devils, particularly coaches Larry Robinson and Jacques Lemaire, for developing him into a complete defenseman.

"I'm more knowledgeable, more patient,'' Stevens said. "I've learned a lot here under Jacques and Larry about playing defense and good position. Just goes to show, you never stop learning. I probably played over 10 years, then I came here and was taught a lot of new things.''

In the spring of 1994, Stevens, coupled with an emerging core nucleus of players such as Martin Brodeur and Scott Niedermayer, came within a whisker of reaching the Stanley Cup Finals. The following, lockout-abbreviated season proved to be kinder, as Stevens helped guide the Devils to their first-ever Stanley Cup. Two more Cups would follow, including a Conn Smythe-winning performance for Stevens during their run in 2000.

Asked about the secret to his success over the years, Stevens said, "Every year, I always felt that I had to make the team. I felt every training camp I had to prove myself. I never took anything for granted." In spite of his accomplishments and larger-than-life stature, Stevens always carried with him a blue-collar work ethic, a deep Canadian-rooted humility, and an awe of the game he played.

In New Jersey, Stevens gained league-wide notoriety for his devastating open-ice hits, many of which rendered opponents unconscious. Notable victims of Scott Stevens hits in the past include Slava Kozlov during the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals, Eric Lindros during the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals, and Paul Kariya during the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals. They didn't call him "Captain Crunch" for nothing! (See video below.)

As devastating as his hits were, they were always clean and legal. One NHL broadcast mentioned that only three times in his entire NHL career had Stevens been tagged for elbowing.

"With Scott, you know exactly what you're going to get from him," Lindros said of his longtime nemesis. "There's no question, you're aware of his presence on the ice. He's still definitely a premier defenseman in the league because of the desire he has on the ice. His style out on the ice certainly shows how much he wants to win.""Playing against Scotty, you had to be alert. It was no secret that he's had some pretty big hits. That's in your mind. You need to have a sense of where he is," added Joe Nieuwendyk.

Stevens' international resume was loaded as well. He represented Canada at the '98 Winter Olympics, the '96 World Cup of Hockey, the '91 Canada Cup, and four World Championships during the '80s. Interestingly, during the '89 World Championships, Stevens took a skate to the face, courtesy of his boyhood idol Borje Salming, which resulted in a gash requiring 88 stitches to seal up. Ever the warrior, Stevens missed a mere game, and, wearing a protective visor, came back to score the game-winning goal against Czechoslovakia, giving Canada the silver medal. This is but one in a vast sea of anecdotes which capture Stevens' love for the game and drive to be on top.

Despite his highly decorated resume, somehow Scott Stevens never won a Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman. It is almost mind-boggling that he was never so recognized.

"I've always said that Scott Stevens should've won a Norris Trophy at some point in his career," former teammate Bobby Holik said. "Well, they don't give out the Norris Trophy in the Playoffs, but I'm his biggest fan. As a hockey player, he's one of a kind."

Somehow I don't think Scott Stevens would trade any of his Stanley Cups or his Conn Smythe Trophy for a Norris Trophy.

Special thanks to Vikash Khanna.

Gaetan Duchesne

"Outstanding."

That's how coach Bryan Murray described Gaetan Duchesne in just his second season in the National Hockey League. However that label could have been applied to anyone of Duchesne's 14 NHL seasons.

His first season was 1981-82. It was a difficult one for the French speaking kid just out of junior hockey. Not only did he have to adapt to the massive differences between juniors and the NHL, but he had to learn a new language while in another country. Duchesne handled it like a professional though, and got better and better as the season went on.

By year two he was one of the top players in the league in his role - defensive forward. He often teamed Duchesne with fellow defensive stalwarts Doug Jarvis and Bobby Gould to form one of the most effective checking units in hockey.

"I like to play Gaetan against the opposition's best right winger" continued coach Murray. There sure were a lot of good right wingers in the early 1980s too - Bossy, Lafleur, Kurri, Mullen.....

"I can see an almost game-to-game improvement in his play. Experience will only help him. He has certainly yet to reach his peak." Murray continued of the Rejean Houle-clone.

Murray seemed not too concerned about "Gator's" lack of offensive contributions.

"He'll always be an adequate scorer, but never a big scorer. He is a hard working responsible defensive player. I realize there is a tendency for him not to get much credit because he doesn't score. Over the years though, as he gets more experience, he'll get the recognition he deserves."

Murray proved to be right. Duchesne ended up playing in over 1000 NHL games and was highly regarded throughout hockey circles. He was always popular with his teammates, who definitely appreciated his contributions if no one else did.

Duchesne was a long shot to make the NHL, as he wasn't selected until 152nd overall in the 1981 entry draft. However he surprised many by making the immediate jump to the NHL. He ended up playing 6 seasons in the American capital before he was a key ingredient heading to Quebec in the famous Dale Hunter trade.

Despite being highly regarded in his native Quebec because of his tireless work, his stay in Quebec was disappointingly short. After just two seasons he was moved to Minnesota for a low draft pick prior to the 1989 season. It was one of the worst trades in Nords history. Coming off of his worst offensive season since his rookie year, the Nords felt Duke was near the end of his career, and peddled him away. It was a steal for Minnesota, as Duke was a big part of the Stars magical Stanley Cup charge in 1991.

Duchesne stayed with the Stars until expansion took him to San Jose. He spent two years there before re-uniting briefly with Bryan Murray in Florida to finish his career.

After retiring Duchesne returned to Quebec City. First he tried his hand at coaching, with both the Quebec Rafales of the IHL and the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. More recently he and his brother began an architectural supply business in the provincial capital.

John Druce

The playoffs is the time of the year when people start to wonder whether another John Druce will emerge from the shadows to become the talk of the hockey world.

Druce wasn't exactly as household name in NHL circles back in the early 1990s when he played for the Washington Capitals. He was a fourth-line fixture known more for his guts than glory. He was a part time winger with back to back 8 goal campaigns to begin a NHL career that appeared to be going nowhere fast.

But when sharp shooter Dino Ciccarelli became sidelined with a bad knee in the 1990 playoffs, Druce found himself on the Capitals' top line with Dale Hunter and Geoff Courtnall. The line clicked instantly and played like they had been playing together for years.

Druce stunned the hockey world when he netted 14 playoff goals in 15 games as the Capitals advanced to the conference finals. Druce became the unsung hero of the '91 postseason. 8 of those goals came on the power play, and another shorthanded. 4 of his goals were game winners.

"Everything just took off. I kept on going to the net and it seemed that everything I touched around the net was going in the net," Druce said. "It was almost surreal. The whole time I was doing it, I didn't get too excited and I did not get too low. I was in a zone and even away from the rink, I felt I was in a zone."

Druce wasn't the first unlikely playoff hero, nor will he be the last. Ed Sandford, Chris Kontos and Darryl Sutter had playoff seasons never to forget. More recently Tomas Holmstrom, Dave Lowry and Fernando Pisani raised their games higher than anyone thought possible. In most cases, however, the success proves to be the players' 15 minutes of fame.

The fantastic playoff performance earned Druce a regular spot in the Caps lineup for the next couple of seasons. In 1990-91 he played in all 80 games and scored 22 goals and 36 assists for 58 points. Though those numbers were respectable, his playoff performance set unrealistic expectations amongst fans and media, and maybe even the Caps themselves. That disappointment continued when Druce put up just a single goal and an assist in 11 post season games in the spring of 1991.

After one more season in Washington, Druce began bouncing around the league, joining the Winnipeg Jets, Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers with no hint of success. He finished his career in the minor leagues and then spent two seasons playing in Germany.

Mike Gartner

When you think of great goal scorers, one often forgets the name Mike Gartner. But year after year after year Gartner has racked up an overwhelming amount of goals that places him near the top.

Very quietly, Mike Gartner scored 708 career goals. Only Phil Esposito (717), Marcel Dionne (731), Brett Hull (741), Gordie Howe (801) and Wayne Gretzky (894) have scored more often. Mike Gartner scored more career goals than the much flashier and much more celebrated Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier, Steve Yzerman, Bobby Hull, Guy Lafleur and Mike Bossy.

Yet somehow Mike Gartner doesn't usually get the same accolades as all the pre-mentioned superstars. In 1997, when The Hockey News assembled a panel to determine the top 100 hockey players in NHL history, Gartner ranked 89th.

How is this so? Unlike his statistical peers Gartner never has had an explosive season of 60 or 70 goals that ranks among the great seasons in NHL history. In fact, Gartner only reached the 50 goal plateau on one occasion (1984-85).

So how did he become the leagues 5th highest goal scorer ever?

Over 19 seasons Gartner showed great consistency while playing for the Washington Capitals, Minnesota North Stars, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and lastly the Phoenix Coyotes. Gartner has scored at least 30 goals in 17 of his 19 seasons. He scored at least 30 in his first 15 consecutive years in the league, only to miss in the 48-game schedule lockout shortened season in 1995. He followed that up with 2 more 30 goal seasons before an injury riddled campaign finished off his career in 1998.

All that consistency might rank him high on the all time goal scoring list after a 19 year career, but not on the all time greatest players list. He played in relative obscurity with the Washington Capitals for the first decade of his career. He would later play in the shadows of Mark Messier and Brian Leetch in New York, and Doug Gilmour and Mats Sundin in Toronto. He also spent short stints in Minnesota and Phoenix. Though he played an important role with Team Canada in two Canada Cup victories and four world championships, he still never really got the recognition he deserved.

In addition, he played in the right wing shadows of the likes of Guy Lafleur, Mike Bossy, Jari Kurri, Brett Hull and Jaromir Jagr. Gartner never made a NHL all star team, and never was in contention for any NHL post season award. Unlike his great peers, he never won a Stanley Cup.

Mike Gartner will always be remembered for his exceptional speed. His technical form was flawless and powerful. He had a great stride with really deep knee bends. His legs pumped like pistons, making him one of the fastest skaters of his time. A concerted defensive player, Gartner teamed really well with Mark Messier and Glenn Anderson in the Canada Cup, and because he had the speed to keep up with Soviet superstars Sergei Makarov and Vladimir Krutov.

More often than not Gartner used his speed to create offense. There have been a lot of incredibly fast skaters in the NHL, but very few who could handle the puck and make plays in top gear like Gartner could. He had a nice play where he'd bounce the puck off the nearby boards and then speed around a flatfooted defenseman, as if he was passing to himself. But more often than not he would try driving to the net to unleash a deadly accurate wrist shot or an absolute cannon of a slap shot. If he couldn't get around the defenseman, Gartner would typically zip around the net and try a wrap around attempt.

Gartner wasn't much of a playmaker, though he did score 627 career assists. He wasn't an overly physical player, but he was definitely not afraid to play in traffic and drive to the net. He was exceptional at protecting the puck from the opposition even at such high speeds. Not a body cruncher, Gartner would finish his checks usually by rubbing players out along the wall.

Mike Gartner was a really good player on some pretty average teams. Because of his ageless legs and a cannon of a shot, he was always looked to as a go to guy on these teams. He was as consistent as consistent could be, but he was never dominant for any length of time. Largely because of his career totals a high scoring era where players played longer than ever before, Gartner was included in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

It will be interesting to see how well history remembers this 700 goal scorer.

Bernie Wolfe

Bernie Wolfe was a goaltender for the Washington Capitals from 1975-1979. Those Caps were perhaps the worst team of all time. The 1974-75 Caps went 8-67-5 while giving up a record 446 goals against in the process. The 1975-76 Caps didn't do a whole lot better going 11-59-10. After being subjected to such mediocrity, it should come as no surprise that Wolfe doesn't miss playing anymore.

"I think I'm one of the few to say that I've never missed hockey for as much as a day since I retired." said Wolfe in all seriousness.

Wolfe was playing with Sir George Williams University in Quebec when the Caps signed him in June of 1974. He was actually the first goaltender under contract for the new franchise. Bernie spent that season in the minors but battle mononucleosis and as a result never played for the big club. He arrived in the US capital in the Caps' second season.

Wolfe's first NHL game came in Kansas City. The game was a rare 6-2 road win for the Caps. In fact Wolfe's first game and first win also marked only the second time in Caps history that they earned two points while on the road! Wolfe played in 40 games that year. He won 5, lost 23 and tied 7 with a 4.16 GAA.

Wolfe picked up his only NHL shutout in his second season. The shutout was against the Detroit Red Wings at the old Olympia. For Wolfe it was the highlight of another long season in which he went 7-15-9.

In all Wolfe played 120 NHL games with a career record of 20 wins, 61 losses and 21 ties and a career GAA of 4.17. He played his whole career with the Washington Capitals.

Playing goal on such a bad team caused Wolfe to feel insecure about his future as a hockey player. He was smart enough to continue his education in the off season as well as getting his feet into the financial consulting business which he began to take a liking too. Finally, on the first day of training camp for the 1979-80 season Wolfe announced his retirement so that he could get on with his life and worry about his future.

Ryan Walter

Ryan Walter was a born leader.

Born in New Westminster, BC, Ryan, one of the nicest people you'll ever meet, played his minor hockey in Burnaby, British Columbia, before going on to play junior in Langley and Kamloops. However it wasn't until he moved to the WHL's Seattle Breakers that Ryan became noticed by NHL scouts. He scored 54 goals and 125 points and he captained Canada at the 1978 World Junior Hockey Championships.

His outstanding play in the WHL prompted the Washington Capitals to select him second overall in the 1978 Amateur Draft. A year later, he was named team captain, the youngest captain in NHL history at that time.

Walter described his style of hockey:

"I was a bit adaptable I think over 15 seasons In the beginning, I think it was I was pretty aggressive and a Rick Tocchet type of player that scored goals and had to sort of play a very rounded game. I played center and wing in those early years.

"Coming into Montreal, early in my time there, I was playing with Guy Lafleur and Doug Wickenheiser and so it was more of an offensive bent obviously. And then, about half way through my time there, I ended up being a bit more of a defensive specialist and that continued through Vancouver."

Walter was a deceptively strong person, with leg power and balance being the trademark of his skating. He was a tenacious checker who was able to drive through his checks. He also possessed a great understanding of the game, and was able to read the play and anticipate his check's moves ahead of time. His vision enabled him to position himself perfectly to break up plays. Never possessing the quick release needed to become a top shooter, Walter was an opportunistic scorer who scored 264 goals in 1003 NHL games.

Walter enjoyed his best NHL season with the Capitals in 1981-82 when he set career-highs in all offensive categories with 38 goals, 49 assists and 87 points. He would be named as the Caps MVP, top player and fan favorite. However playing in Washington was like playing on the moon - you didn't get noticed there no matter how good you are, at least in those days. Ryan was one of the NHL's best kept secrets.

The Montreal Canadiens knew about him however and on September 9th, 1982 traded for him in a blockbuster deal. The Habs sent a young Rod Langway, Brian Engblom, Doug Jarvis and Craig Laughlin to Washington for Walter and Rick Green. While Walter and Green performed well for Montreal, the trade would be dubbed by many in the Montreal media as the worse trade the Habs ever made as Rod Langway went on to become a standout on defense, twice winning the Norris Trophy.

Ryan spent nine seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, and won his first and only Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1985-86. He helped the Canadiens reach the Cup Finals again in 1988-89.

When Walter left Montreal he finished out his career in his home province playing two seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. Walter, a devote Christian, was named the Bud Light/NHL Man of the Year in 1991-92 when he was also the Canucks' nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy and an alternate captain for the Canucks.

When Ryan left the NHL after the 1992-93 season, he had seven 20-goal seasons over his career and finished his playing days with 264 goals, 382 assists and 646 points in 1,003 regular season games. He also had 16 goals and 51 points in 113 playoff contests.

Walter has been busy experiencing many new facets of life since retiring as a hockey player. A devout Christian, Walter has been a leading figure for World Vision, Athletes for Kids and Hockey Ministries International as well as many Christian hockey camps. He authored three books: Off the Bench and Into the Game: Eight Success Strategies from Professional Sport, Simply the Best: Insights and Strategies: From Great Hockey Coaches, and Leading Strategies for Winning Teams. He became a motivational speaker, a corporate leadership coach, and dabbled in broadcasting. He served as a technical advisor for the Kurt Russell's Hollywood blockbuster Miracle, making a cameo appearance as the referee. He also became an board game entrepreneur with his critically acclaimed Trade Deadline Hockey.

Bill Riley

Regardless of the fact that he was the third black player in National Hockey League history, it's almost a miracle Bill Riley made it to the big leagues at all.

He played junior hockey for the Halifax Canadians (where his teammate was future NHL'er Errol Thompson) and finished for the Amherst Ramblers in 1968-69, scoring 64 points including 32 goals.
After that 1968-69 season Bill gave up pursing hockey at a higher level. He received no interest from the NHL or any other professional league, not because he was black but because, in the words of Breaking The Ice author Cecil Harris, was "blessed with more toughness, resiliency and perseverance than hockey talent."

Riley moved to Kitimat where he worked as a welder at the Alcan aluminum plant. But he just couldn't quit playing hockey. In 1971 he joined the Kitimat Eagles to play senior hockey in a now long gone industrial British Columbia League. Bill was tearing up the league, winning the scoring title in each of his three years there. In 1972-73 Bill had 88 points (56 goals) and in 1973-74 he had 118 points (76 goals).

His 1973-74 season was so spectacular that he caught the attention of NHL scouts. He was invited to both the Washington Capitals and the Philadelphia Flyers training camps in 1974. He chose Washington as he figured he would have a better chance to catch on with an expansion club rather than the reigning Stanley Cup champions. Nobody even expected him to make the Capitals farm team, but Bill proved everybody wrong. He had an outstanding camp and was signed and sent to apprentice with the Dayton Gems of the IHL.

Bill went on to play in one game for Washington during their inaugural season in 1974-75. During his appearance in a Caps uniform in 19 74-75 he made history as it marked the first time two colored players played on the same team in the NHL at the same time. Rambunctious Mike Marson also played for the Caps. The rest of the season Riley played for Dayton where he quickly became a teammate's favourite with his bruising style. Bill racked up 279 Pim's in 63 games for Dayton.

Although he was appreciated by all of his teammates, winning over the fans was another story. The fans around the league, and especially in Dayton, were unthinkably brutal towards him. There were stories of fans making monkey sounds and even throwing chicken at him.

Riley tried not to let it bother him.

"I felt so sorry that black families that came to the games to support me had to hear those ugly things from cowards in the stands. I'll tell you what, though, it used to energize me. I think you had to look at it that way. You couldn't let those cowards beat you.

Bill remained in Dayton for the entire 1975-76 season and scored a 66 points, including 35 goals, in 69 games. He also racked up a mind boggling 301 penalty minutes. That was the season that the Washington management started to realize that Bill had a fine potential of becoming a very useful power forward in the National Hockey League.

Although Bill again started the 1976-77 season in Dayton it quickly was obvious that Washington couldn't afford having him in the minors. Bill scored 19 goals and 34 points in just 30 games for Dayton before being called up by the Capitals. He was officially signed as a free agent with the Caps on January 19, 1977.

Bill went on to play better hockey for the Caps then anybody could have imagined. He was one of Washington's best players, if not the best player during the second half of the 76-77 season. Bill scored 27 points (13+14) in 43 games, while picking up 124 PIMs. The most impressive part though was the fact that Bill was a +4 on a team that only had one more player with a plus rating (Bob Sirois +1). In the standings Washington was the 16th team out of 18 and yielded 86 more goals than they scored. So that, plus the fact Bill was a rookiem made his plus-minus rating even more impressive. Not surprisingly Bill became the "rookie of the year" in Washington, as voted by his teammates.

Washington's coach Tom McVie explained why Bill got a shot to play on the Capitals.

"We needed someone to stand in front of the net and pay the price." It was exactly this willingness to do that which gave him a spot on the team. Bill was far from a classic skater, but he made that up with his bruising body checks and an "in your face type" of hockey.

Tom McVie was also quoted as saying:

" He's one of the most determined athletes I've ever known," which tells us a little bit about Bill's all-out approach to the game.

That approach didn't stop in the NHL.

"In the NHL I fought Dave Schultz, Tiger Wiliams. I fought all the tough guys of that era (the 1970s)."

After his fine 1976-77 season he was a regular in the lineup. Early during the 1977-78 season (November 20, 1977) Buffalo's Jim Schoenfeld's skate accidentally cut the tendon in Bill's right ankle. Although he completed the game, this injury forced Bill to miss the next 21 games. Although he scored in his first game back and was in good form, he didn't top his performance from the previous year. Bill finished with 25 points (including 13 goals) in 53 games. He often found himself skating on the top line with scorers Guy Charron and Bob Sirois, establishing himself as crease crasher and fierce forechecker.

Sadly, one of the most blatant stories of racism against Riley occurred back in his hometown of Amherst, Nova Scotia. After signing a $100,000 contract with the Capitals, Riley tried to purchase a cottage on the outskirts of town where he and his childhood sweetheart Joanne could summer. The bank simply wouldn't process the transaction, as the all white neighborhood quietly moved to prevent him from moving in. It didn't matter for these bigots he was the hometown boy he made it all the way to the NHL. Riley ended up suing the bank successfully, making national headlines in the process.

Left hobbled by the tendon injury, Bill only played in 24 games for Washington in 78-79 and split his time between Washington and Hershey (AHL). He was left unprotected by Washington before the WHA / NHL merger draft. Winnipeg picked him up and he played briefly for Winnipeg in 1979-80 (14 games - 5 points) before being sent down to the Nova Scotia Voyageurs (AHL) where he had over a point per game (64 points in 63 games).

Bill never returned to the NHL. He was signed as a free agent by the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 25, 1981 but never played for them. Instead Bill went on to play for the New Brunswick Hawks (AHL) where he captained the Hawks to a Calder Cup championship in 1981-82. The team had future NHL superstar Steve Larmer in the lineup as well as 1980 Olympic Gold Medalist Jack O'Callahan.

In 1982-83 Bill became the Moncton Alpines (AHL) player/ assistant coach and in 1983-84 he returned to Nova Scotia where he played for the Voyageurs (AHL). Bill put up some pretty descent AHL numbers (304 points in 391 games).

Bill remained active in hockey after retiring as a player. He went on to be the Moncton Golden Flames director of marketing and public relations for three years. He was also the co-coach of the Moncton Junior Midland Hawks, reaching the Centennial Cup round.

But Bill wasn't ready to hang up his skates just yet. He went on to be the playing coach for the St. John's Sr. Capitals of the Newfoundland Senior League where he played between 1986-89. He scored 163 points (64 goals and 99 assists) in just 66 games the last two seasons there. In 1988 Bill was also a member of the Hardy Cup winning "Port Aux Basque Mariners".

In 1989-90 Bill became a coach and GM of his hometown team, the Amherst Ramblers, where he once had played junior hockey. He remained there for eight years, winning two Atlantic titles with four Centennial Cup appearances. He later went on to various positions with the junior Moncton Wildcats and Miramichi Timberwolves.

Dennis Maruk

Dennis Maruk turned out alright for a guy who was supposed to be too small to play professional hockey. He played in 888 National Hockey League games, accumulating an impressive 356 goals and 522 assists for 878 points. Included in those totals are back-to-back seasons of 50 and 60 goals respectively, and a 136 point season!

So how does a 5'8" center thrive in the National Hockey League?

"I remember as a 19-year-old being worried when I went to pro camp, so I asked Dave Hutchison what it was going to take for me to make it," Maruk said. "He told me that I could score goals and make plays, but that I had to stay aggressive -- always be aggressive. I always remembered that and it helped me stay in the NHL."

Dennis was an aggressive player, almost chippy at times. But he was a clean player too, only picking up more than 100 PIM in a season just once. Ironically that was Maruk's best year. Maruk scored 60 goals and 136 points in 1981-82, and had 128 PIM.

Dennis was drafted by the California Golden Seals in 1975 after a spectacular career with the OHA's London Knights. In his final year of junior he scored 66 goals and 145 points in 65 games.

Dennis stepped right into the NHL the next year, and did not disappoint. Right from that first season he showed he had what it took to play in the National Hockey League, despite his lack of size. He scored 30 goals and 32 assists in a full 80 game schedule.

The Seals franchise relocated to Cleveland where Dennis played the next two years. He scored 28 goals and 78 points in 1976-77 and 36 goals and 71 points in 1977-78.

The Cleveland Barons entered the NHL's graveyard after 1978 and Maruk became a member of the Minnesota North Stars. But not for long. After only 2 games in a North Stars jersey, Dennis was traded to Washington in exchange for a first round pick. Minnesota used the pick to select highly regarded Tom McCarthy. Maruk went on to become a superstar.

Maruk elevated his play to 90 points in 76 games in his first season with the Caps. However his second season was forgettable. He was on pace for another 80-plus point year but injuries shortened his season to just 27 games.

Maruk came back with vengeance in 1980-81 and showed the North Stars how wrong they were to give up on him, and showed the Caps how right they were for picking him up. Maruk played in all 80 games and scored 50 goals and 97 points!

Maruk dwarfed his own numbers in 1981-82 when he turned in one of the best single season performances in National Hockey League history. He scored 60 goals and 136 points in 80 games, still team records.

Maruk failed to reproduce his incredible season a year later, and slipped back to a point a game level of production, scoring 81 points in 80 games. However for the first time in his stay in Washington, the Capitals made the Stanley Cup playoffs. Despite his incredible efforts in the past, Maruk finally got his first taste of post season action. It was short lived as the Caps lasted only 4 games.

The North Stars tried to correct past wrongs in the summer of 1983 when they traded their 2nd round pick to Washington in exchange for Maruk. The Caps felt that despite being only 28, Maruk's best days were behind him, as experienced in his 55 point decline from the year before.

Maruk's arrival meant a glut at center ice in Minnesota. Bobby Smith and Neal Broten were already there which meant that Dennis would be a third line center. The Stars ended up trading Smith to Montreal during the season but Dennis never did find his scoring niche in Minnesota.

Maruk played parts of the next 6 years in Minnesota, scoring 60 points in each of his first two years and 58 in his third. He slipped to 46 in year 4 before a severe knee injury all but ended his career. He played in only 28 more games over the next two season before his shattered knee forced him to retire in 1989.

Ten years after his retirement from hockey, the name Dennis Maruk once again appeared on professional hockey box scores. Maruk, who was living in Lake Charles, Louisiana, suited up for eight games this season with Lake Charles Pirates in the Western Professional Hockey League, a very low minor league made up of teams from Texas and Louisiana. However Maruk's story was not about an old player making a silly comeback. Maruk reasoned he was just "filling in because the team had some injuries and were short a few players." Maruk picked up two assists.

Maruk and his wife Kim opened an antiques store in Louisiana. Dennis also keeps busy with the developing hockey programs down there.

Dennis Maruk quietly was one of the most electrifying athletes in hockey during his hey-day, yet in many ways he slipped away without anyone noticing. Why is that?

"I never played for teams that were very good, or that got a lot of coverage. Those teams never seemed to be in contention. Even the Washington teams (that) I had 50 and 60 goals for, (they) weren't very good teams. One thing I did do -- played the game at 100 per cent all the time."

Maruk will likely never join the Hockey Hall of Fame, but three of his sticks reside there. They included an all-star game stick and the sticks he used to score goal 351 and his 60th in 1982.

Mike Marson

A decade and a half after Willie O'Ree broke hockey's color barrier, Mike Marson became just the second black hockey player in National Hockey League history.

Marson came along as a highly touted kid from Scarborough. He was so talented that age 16 he joined the OHL's Sudbury Wolves after being the 4th overall draft pick in the entire province. He became a junior standout, serving as tough guy, leading scorer and team captain of a Wolves team also sporting Ron Duguay, Dave Farrish, Eric Vail and Randy Carlyle. So impressive was he the NHL's Washington Capitals used the 19th overall pick in the 1974 draft to grab him, just a few picks ahead of Bryan Trottier, Mark Howe, Tiger Williams, Danny Gare and Guy Chouinard.

Unfortunately for Marson, he was not able to translate his excellent amateur resume into NHL success, largely due to several reasons, but mostly because he was not able to handle the political pressures associated with racism.

Let's cover the other reasons first.

Just 5'9" tall, he often played well over 200lbs. The Capitals felt this affected his skating ability and therefore his ability to be an effective hockey player and not just a tough guy. His teammates teased him relentlessly about his weight, something that always bothered him. As a result he never really felt accepted by many of his own teammates.

Bill Riley, the third black in the NHL and Marson's soon to be teammate, said Marson didn't do himself any favors when he chose to rarely associate himself with teammates away from the rink. Rather than engaging himself in common team building social activities he enrolled for part time courses at the University of Maryland and voraciously read about philosophies of Mao, Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King.

Another reason was he was admittedly rushed into the NHL. The Capitals were hockey's worst team, desperately needing a transfusion of new blood. The NHL had just lowered the eligible age level to 18, and the Caps promoted him directly to the NHL. With the benefit of hindsight, Marson himself agrees he made the jump to early.

"A rookie should never go from the juniors straight to the National Hockey League without take a course in life management skills."

But the biggest problem for Marson was the racism he had to endure. No course in life management skills could have likely prepared Marson for what he had to endure. Not that a course may have helped. Marson was bullheaded and refused to bend, which led to him becoming a bitter and angry young man who never enjoyed the sport the same way he did back in Sudbury or as a youth.

"For me the biggest problem was that I was naive," Marson told Cecil Harris, author of Breaking The Ice, a book about blacks in the NHL. "I watched the assassinations of Martin Luther King and the Kennedys in the sixties, as everybody did. But I believed coming through the hippie era in the sixties and seventies that the world was a better place and people had evolved to where you could love your fellow man and woman regardless of race, creed or color. I mean, I really believed that. I believed that to the point of being radically naive.

Although he and his family undoubtedly dealt with racism for a long time, Marson's upbringing in small town Canada probably sheltered him from the realities of America at the time.

"For me, it seemed normal to be a hockey player. I grew up in Canada. I played hockey. A black hockey player? So what? But I found out that people looked at me like I was a Martian. Not Mike Marson. Mike Martian. Because I was a black hockey player."

The naive and cradled Marson was thrust into the heart of racial unrest in Washington, D.C. Making headlines as hockey's first black superstar, both sides wanted to use him or at least his image. To make matters worse, the non-conforming Marson didn't make things easier for himself. Sporting a big afro and Fu-Manchu moustache at a time when such hairstyles were very much a political statement, he dated and married a white woman when inter-racial marriage was still a no-no. No matter what he did the political pressure came from both whites and blacks, and the taunts, including death threats, were too much for him to take.

In his book Harris writes of Marson as the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Marson should have become one of the top players in the National Hockey League. But he was unable truly focus on hockey.

"There was just so much garbage I had to deal with that I just wasn't used to," he said. "The accumulation of all that garbage just made me uneasy. Uncomfortable all the time. How can you perform at your best as a professional athlete if you're uncomfortable all the time? You can't. It's impossible."

He tried. He had a decent rookie season, scoring 16 goals and establishing himself as a feared fighter. But his production slipped, and he was demoted to the minor leagues just 3 years later. Tired of dealing with everything, including increasing levels of depression and drinking, he quit hockey at the age of 25.

"I saw myself as a hockey player. Everybody else saw me as different."

Marson returned to southern Ontario, and worked as a bus driver in Toronto. He found refuge and peace in martial arts. Marson became a 5th degree black belt in the Japanese style of Shotokan, attaining the status of Master-Shihan. Now some 250 pounds, the always intimidating Marson combined knowledge of hockey and martial arts to create Mike Marson's Athletic Training Services. Also offering motivational speeches, he's developed an off-ice training program for hockey players that gives players a better awareness of timing and focus through an understanding of the martial arts. Among his students is NHL superstar Rick Nash.

Joe Juneau

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to be a good NHL player, but in the case of Joe Juneau it certainly didn't hurt.

Juneau, one of the most interesting people ever to lace up the skates, left his hometown of Pont Rouge, Quebec unable to speak much English. He didn't let that deter him from balancing hockey and education at the famed Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York state. He graduated from RPI with a degree in aeronautical engineering, also known as rocket science, in 1991.

Boston's 81st overall draft choice back in 1988, Juneau was far from a blue chip NHL prospect at this point. It would have been easy for Juneau to walk away from the game and begin working in the engineering field. But at the conclusion of his final two seasons at RPI he extended his season by skating with the Canadian national team. When coach Dave King offered him a chance to spend the entire 1991-92 season and audition for the Olympic tea, Juneau but his engineering ambitions on hold.

Juneau really emerged into a top prospect during this season. He led the team in scoring, and impressed many with his speed and passing abilities. Many NHL scouts closely scrutinized the Canadian national team that season. All amateur players at the time, scouts and media took unusually high interest in the season because of the presence of Eric Lindros on the team. Juneau, the leading scorer in those Olympics, led Canada to a silver medal, leading Juneau to proclaim those Games as the highlight of his career.

"I think the top would be the (1992) Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. We were all amateurs [on the Canadian men’s ice hockey team] and we managed to get a silver medal, and I was the high scorer in the tournament. It was great. I went to the Stanley Cup finals twice, and as much fun as it was, I didn’t think it was like the Olympics were."

Juneau, a certified pilot who spent his off-seasons rebuilding his own deHavilland Beaver float plane, continued his high flying ways when breaking into the NHL immediately after the Olympics. He stepped in with 5 goals and 14 assists in 14 games to close off the regular season, and added 12 more points 15 playoff games. He proved those numbers were no fluke when in his official rookie season of 1992-93 he scored 32 goals and 102 points.

Juneau was the beneficiary of some great line mates in Boston, namely Adam Oates and, when healthy, Cam Neely. When the Bruins traded Juneau to Washington in 1993-94, he was never able to duplicate the same lofty scoring totals. He remained a good playmaker that was a strong presence in back to back Stanley Cup finals, 1998 with Washington and 1999 with Buffalo, despite falling short both times.

Juneau would spend 6 seasons in the U.S. capital. His offensive production would never challenge his previous numbers, but he earned great acclaim for rounding out his game and becoming a very versatile player. His offense slowly dried up, but he became a key penalty killer and checker. He underwent an interesting transformation from scoring star to a jack-of-all-trades utility player noted for his work ethic and strong defensive play. While his scoring totals diminished, his hockey sense remained as strong as always. It was just used in different fashion and, to his credit, he never complained about his role.

The highlight of Juneau's stay in Washington was the 1998 playoffs when the Capitals unexpectedly made it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals. Juneau was a big part of that run, scoring 17 points in 21 games, including two overtime game winning goals. Unfortunately the Capitals couldn't pull off the upset.

After bouncing around the league late in his career, Juneau returned home to Pont Rouge and became a partner with the engineering company Harfan Technologies. Juneau, who also spends lots of time at the companies Maryland office, spends much of his time promoting the small company that develops infrastructure asset management solutions for the private and public sector.

An avid outdoorsman who enjoys flying his float plane to the remotest fishing holes in northern Quebec, Juneau was troubled by social conditions in some of Quebec's isolated and usually native communities in the region known as Nunavik. He has begun working with communities in Nunavik, using hockey as a tool to boost self confidence and scholastic performance of the region's youth.

Dino Ciccarelli

Dino Ciccarelli is hockey's version of a sanitation engineer. He has scored over 600 NHL goals, almost all of them by parking himself in front of the net and banging away at rebounds and loose pucks. Meet Dino Ciccarelli - garbage man.

"It's just a matter of getting the puck on the net and getting traffic in front of the goalies. I don't know why more teams don't do it. I still believe 90% of the goals scored are ugly goals, 10% are pretty goals. You won't find many of mine on the highlight films," explains Ciccarelli.

While scoring more than 600 garbage goals may very well land him in the Hockey Hall of Fame, there was a time when it didn't look like any NHL team was willing to take a chance on the high scoring junior star. A badly broken leg in his second year of junior resulted in doctors telling Ciccarelli he'd never be able to play hockey again.

Dino worked through a year and a half of rehabilitation and was determined to prove his doctors wrong. His dream was to play in the NHL, but more disappointment greeted Ciccarelli. Despite working hard to return to the ice, he was not drafted even though he had a great last season of junior.

While he wasn't drafted, the Minnesota North Stars were still interested in the pint sized scoring machine. Lou Nanne signed Ciccarelli with the idea of playing him in the minors to see how his leg would hold up. After just 48 games with Oklahoma City of the CHL (in which Dino scored 32 goals and 57 points), Ciccarelli was called up late in the 1980-81 season.

Dino played in 32 NHL games his first year, scoring 18 goals and 30 points - very solid numbers for an NHL rookie. But the best was yet to come for Dino and the North Stars that year. The Stars went on a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Finals before eventually falling short against the New York Islanders dynasty. The Stars were powered by Dino's 14 goals (and 21 points) in 19 games, setting a record for most playoff goals scored by a freshman.

Ciccarelli would enjoy 10 seasons with the Stars, easily becoming one of the most popular players in Minnesota. Twice Dino scored 50 goals in a season and scored more goals than any other Minnesota North Star in history except for Brian Bellows.

However Ciccarelli was also no angel in his younger days in the NHL. A notable incident happened in Ciccarelli career in 1988. Dino got into a bitter altercation with Toronto Maple Leaf's rookie defenseman Luke Richardson. The battle of words went from pushing and shoving to a fencing competition as Ciccarelli in particular went after the much bigger Richardson with the lumber, including an attempt to hit him in the head. Much controversy arose from the incident which eventually would end up in court as Ciccarelli was charged with assault. Dino's punishment however was just one day in jail - a day which turned out to be a couple of hours spent signing autographs.

While the Richardson incident was the highest profile incident of Ciccarelli's bad boy image, his immature behavior away from the rink eventually wore thin with the North Stars management. At the trading deadline of 1989, Dino and Bob Rouse were sent to Washington in exchange for Mike Gartner and Larry Murphy. Ciccarelli and Gartner were similar in that they were long time goal scorers with their now-former teams. The trade was the first trade in both players careers.

Ciccarelli scored 12 goals in his first 11 Capitals games quickly earning the respect of Caps fans who loved Gartner. Dino would play three seasons in the US Capital. He had 41 and 38 goal campaigns (plus a 21 goal injury-shortened season) before being traded in the summer of 1992.

This time Ciccarelli was off to Detroit. His first season with the Red Wings was statistically the 3rd best of his career, scoring 97 points including 41 goals. However as Ciccarelli aged and with the Wings incredible depth on right wing, Dino saw less and less ice time as his days in the Motor City went on. He scored only 57 points the following year. He put up a solid 43 points in the lock-out shortened season of 1995 but equaled the same point production in the following full season.

Despite being a popular member of the Wings, Ciccarelli was traded before the Wings were able to win the Stanley Cup. The Wings traded him to the lowly Tampa Bay Lightening for future considerations. The Wings had some great prospects at right wing and they wanted to get them some playing time. Ciccarelli, who at the time was 35, was disappointed to leave a contender which would later go on to win Stanley Cups, but at the same time was pleased to go to Tampa where he would also receive more ice time.

Dino responded well to the increased ice time in his first season with the Bolts. He scored 35 goals, returning to the form of 3 seasons earlier. However in his second season, the Bolts struggled through a terrible season and ownership difficulties, Tampa Bay GM Phil Esposito, a big fan of Dino's, was forced to move him and his multi-million dollar salary. Ciccarelli and Jeff Norton were traded to cross-state rival Florida Panthers in a late season deal for Mark Fitzpatrick and Jody Hull.

In Florida Dino has been plagued by injuries, most notably a badly sprained ankle and an ailing back, most likely caused by years of punishment for standing in front of the opposition's net. In 1998-99 the back problem limited Dino to just 14 games. With his contract up at season's end, no team was willing to take a chance on the aging scoring machine with a chronic back problem.

"I would have loved to play another couple of years, but the injury that I got last year is just nagging and it's making me unable to play the way I'd like to. It wasn't worth it."

Dino the Dinosaur retired with 608 goals, 2 shy of Bobby Hull's 610. There is no doubt that Ciccarelli ranks high on the all time goal scoring list. There is also no doubt that Dino belongs among the game's all time best.

Bobby Carpenter

Following the United States "Miracle on Ice" victory over the heavily favored Russians at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, hockey in the US was about to experience a boom in hockey interest. All the NHL needed was an American superstar to come along quickly to capitalize on the new found popularity.

Enter Bob Carpenter, Sports Illustrated's "Can't Miss Kid."

Prior the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, Sports Illustrated plastered the 18 year old high school kid on the cover of their weekly magazine. Its pretty rare for a hockey player to grace the cover of SI, let alone a high school player. SI exclaimed that Carpenter was going to be America's first truly great hockey player, and called him the "Can't Miss Kid."

Carpenter didn't miss, at least at first. He stumbled during the middle part of his career and towards the end reinvented his game to survive for 18 NHL seasons. While he wasn't even the best American in the league for most of his career, he was a pioneering player who accomplished a number of firsts by an American.

Bob was the first player ever to go from playing hockey at an American high school straight to the NHL. When the Washington Capitals chose him third overall in the 1981 Entry Draft, he became the first American ever to be taken in the first round. He was the first American to reach the magical 50 goal plateau in a season in 1984-85, when he recorded a career-high 53. He retired as one of five American's to play in over 1,000 games.

Carpenter experienced a lot of early success in his career. In fact his first NHL point, an assist, came only 12 seconds into his first game. By the end of the season, Bob had set Capitals rookie records for goals (32) and points (67) while finishing fourth in team scoring. The next two seasons were similar, as he scored 69 points in 1982-83 and 68 points in 1983-84.

1984-85 was the pinnacle of Bob's career when he reached 53 goals. It appeared that Bob had finally taken his game to the next level, a level where an American could start putting up statistics that could compare among the league's elite. Carpenter's 53 goals tied him with Dale Hawerchuk behind John Ogrodnick (55), Mike Bossy (58), Jari Kurri (71) and Wayne Gretzky (73).

However 1985-86 would see Bob's performance fall greatly. He stumbled to just 27 goals and 56 points. He recovered somewhat in the playoffs with 5 goals and 9 points in 9 games, the first really solid playoff performance by Carpenter. However the 1986-87 season saw Carpenter get off to another horrible start, with 5 goals in the Caps first 22 games.

Finally Washington had had enough and traded Carpenter along with a 2nd round pick to the New York Rangers. Broadway, always looking for a big name talent to showoff at Madison Square Gardens, had hoped that Carpenter could return to previous form and gave up Bob Crawford, Kelly Miller and Mide Ridley to get him. It turned out to be a fairly lopsided trade in hindsight. Miller and Ridley went on to become significant pieces of the Capitals for years to come while Carpenter struggled in just 28 games with the Rangers.

2 goals and 10 points later, the Rangers traded Carpenter to Los Angeles in the big Marcel Dionne deal. The Rangers also sent Tom Laidlaw in exchange for Jeff Crossman, a third round pick, and the aging superstar Dionne.

Carpenter's first full season in Tinseltown was also Wayne Gretzky's first season. Carpenter saw a lot of time on Wayne's LW, but failed to put up great numbers. He scored 19 goals and 33 assists for 52 points. However there was always rumors that Gretzky didn't like having Carpenter on his line and that Gretzky wanted Carpenter moved for someone else. Again, these were only rumors and were never substantiated.

Carpenter lasted half way through the 1988-89 seasons before being traded to Boston in exchanged for super-shadow Steve Kasper.. It was a dream come true for the native of Beverly Massachusetts to play in the famous Boston Gardens. Bobby actually rejuvenated his career somewhat while wearing the spoked B crest on his jersey. He scored 25 goals and played a good role in the 1989-90 run to the Stanley Cup finals. The following year almost saw the end of Carpenter's career as he badly shattered his knee cap and sat out most of the season. However Carpenter went through excruciating rehab assignments and returned to the game he loved the next season. He not only returned to the league, he also returned to the 25 goal plateau in just 60 games.

Carpenter became a free agent without compensation after the 1992 season and elected to take his career full circle by returning to Washington, the scenes of some past glories. Bob played in 68 games, scoring 11 goals and 28 points. Following the season, the Capitals cut Carpenter loose for a second time.

Carpenter signed on with the New Jersey Devils where Carpenter met coach Jacques Lemaire. Lemaire turned Carpenter into a defensive, checking oriented center/winger. Carpenter's scoring totals dropped dramatically over the next 6 seasons but he excelled in his new role of shadow and penalty killer. He became known as one of the league's best defensive centers, a role Carpenter cherished.

Carpenter finished with 320 goals and 418 assists in 1,178 games. He also retired with a Stanley Cup ring, as he was a big part of the Devil's 1995 triumph.