BOSTON – With their long, rich hockey history, it was no surprise that the Bruins were well represented in the "100 Greatest NHL Players" of all-time list presented on Friday night at NHL All-Star weekend.
In all, 15 former Bruins graced the list with 10 from the modern era of the NHL: Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey, Phil Esposito, Jaromir Jagr, Brian Leetch, Adam Oates, Bobby Orr, Brad Park, Bernie Parent, and Jean Ratelle were all honored as selections among the best 67 NHL players to have played predominantly from 1967-present.
Among the notable Black and Gold omissions from that list was current Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, who has been the NHL’s dominant defensive stopper of the past 15 years, along with a Norris Trophy winner and a Stanley Cup champion. The 10 former B’s players that were named joined the five Bruins players that were previously named during the NHL Centennial Celebration as part of the first 33 players recognized, who played primarily from 1917-1966. That list of Bruins legends included Johnny Bucyk, Jacques Plante, Terry Sawchuck, Milt Schmidt and Eddie Shore among the top players of the Old Time Hockey generations.
The “100 Greatest NHL Players” includes 39 centers, 21 defensemen, 15 goaltenders, 15 right wings and 10 left wings. The group has combined for 106,632 regular-season games, 34,821 regular-season goals, 56,394 regular-season assists, 91,215 regular-season points and 5,445 regular-season goaltender wins. They also have won a combined 307 Stanley Cups, 68 Hart Memorial Trophies, 58 Art Ross Trophies, 49 Vezina Trophies, 46 James Norris Memorial Trophies, 38 Lady Byng Memorial Trophies, 38 Ted Lindsay Awards, 36 Conn Smythe Trophies, 25 Calder Memorial Trophies, 15 William M. Jennings Trophies and 13 Frank J. Selke Trophies.
A 58-member panel, representing more than 1,800 years of experience in the game, selected the 100. Every member of the panel voted for 100 players, with each vote worth one point. Voting was conducted last July and August.
While panel members were able to select any player who played in the 100-year history of the NHL, each was provided with biographies and career statistics for 265 players who met any of the following criteria: Retired Players – I) member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Players Category, II) players who scored 500 regular-season goals or Hart Memorial Trophy winner who scored 350 regular-season goals or, III) goaltenders who won 400 regular-season games; Active Players – I) 400 regular-season goals, II) 600 regular-season assists, III) 900 regular-season points, IV) individual award winner in more than one season, V) named to four or more postseason All-Star Teams, VI) goaltenders with 400 regular-season wins, or VII) Vezina Trophy winner with 300 regular-season wins.
