Walk into any NHL locker room today and you'll hear a cacophony of languages and accents from around the world. Rewind 50 years ago and the acoustics were much different.
Take the 1970 Stanley Cup champions, the Boston Bruins. Their roster had more Canadians than a season of "Letterkenny," with U.K. native Ken Hodge the lone outlier. Contrast that with the 2020 champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning, who had six nations represented on their roster.
As the scope of the league's talent search broadened through the years, the NHL became the premier destination for the world's greatest players. That's reflected within its franchises, as records held exclusively by Canadians and the occasional American fell to Swedes, Finns and Russians.
It's the National Hockey League of Nations, and it's time to determine the best of the best.
ESPN has taken all 31 franchises and determined the best representative for eight countries: Canada, U.S., Finland, Sweden, Germany, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Russia. There's also a wild-card category that encompasses hockey nations such as Switzerland, Norway, Austria, Latvia, as well as nontraditional locales as Taiwan.
A couple of ground rules: We're using place of birth rather than citizenship for this experiment, so keep that in mind for those "born in Canada, played for Team USA" types. We're also cutting off the stats for relocated teams, using only the accomplishments of players after that relocation. There might be some Thrashers on the Jets' NHL of Nations, but we're judging them based only on their impact in Winnipeg.
About the judging: This is a subjective measuring of stats, franchise impact and worthiness to represent the nation above all countrymen who played for the team. If there wasn't a candidate for a given nation -- perhaps one who didn't play a suitable amount of games -- we left that blank.
There will be disagreement, but that's to be expected in world affairs. Enjoy.
Jump to a team:
ANA | ARI | BOS | BUF | CGY | CAR | CHI
COL | CBJ | DAL | DET | EDM | FLA
LA | MIN | MTL | NSH | NJ | NYI
NYR | OTT | PHI | PIT | SJ | STL
TB | TOR | VAN | VGS | WSH | WPG
Anaheim Ducks
Canada: Paul Kariya, LW (1994-2003, 606 games, 669 points)
USA: Guy Hebert, G (1993-2000, 441 games, .911 save percentage)
Finland: Teemu Selanne, RW (1995-2000, 2006-14, 966 games, 988 points)
Sweden: Samuel Pahlsson, C (2001-09, 527 games, 141 points)
Germany: Korbinian Holzer, D (2015-20, 145 games, 18 points)
Slovakia: Lubomir Visnovsky, D (2009-12, 165 games, 108 points)
Czech Republic: Petr Sykora, RW (2002-06, 197 games, 131 points)
Russia: Sergei Fedorov, C (2003-06, 85 games, 66 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Belarus): Ruslan Salei, D (1996-2006, 594 games, 105 points)
Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Scott Niedermayer and franchise wins leader (and Conn Smythe winner) Jean-Sebastien Giguere were all strong contenders for the Canadian spot, but Kariya was the Ducks' first superstar and earned a spot in the Hall of Fame for his epic -- albeit brief -- offensive career.
For the American spot, Hebert remains second in games and wins for the franchise and was the longest-tenured original Mighty Duck. Plus, we figure most fans were 100% convinced a guy named "Guy Hebert" was born in Quebec when he's actually from Troy, New York. Consider this an education.
We'll take Pahlsson's brilliant defensive game and contribution to the Ducks' Stanley Cup over a trio of Swedes currently on the Ducks in Hampus Lindholm, Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg.
Selanne is the best Finn to ever grace an NHL rink, while Holzer and Visnovsky were their country's only representatives. A couple of the categories came down to either/or choices: Sykora over Ondrej Kase among Czechs, the late Salei over Swiss goalie Jonas Hiller for the wild card and Fedorov's one brilliant season over Oleg Tverdovsky for the Russians. Not a great career move for Feds, but a glorious personal campaign in what was a forgettable era for the franchise.
Arizona Coyotes
Canada: Shane Doan, RW (1996-2017, 1,466 games, 1,252 points)
USA: Keith Tkachuk, C (1996-2000, 332 games, 334 points)
Finland: Teppo Numminen, D (1996-2003, 551 games, 269 points)
Sweden: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D (2010-present, 723 games, 364 points)
Germany: Tobias Rieder, RW (2014-18, 292 games, 111 points)
Slovakia: Ladislav Nagy, LW (2000-07, 321 games, 249 points)
Czech Republic: Radim Vrbata, RW (2007-08, 2009-14, 2016-17, 509 games, 343 points)
Russia: Ilya Bryzgalov, G (2007-11, 257 games, .917 save percentage)
Best of the rest of the world (Denmark): Mikkel Boedker, RW (2008-16, 445 games, 213 points)
One thing is clear in researching the Coyotes' all-time roster: Nice weather year round and copious opportunities to golf are apparently the universal language. Heck, Vrbata had three go-rounds in the desert! It wasn't difficult finding candidates for every nation slot, and in some cases there were multitudes of them.
Doan and Numminen are franchise standard-bearers whose legacies stretch back to the Winnipeg days. So does Tkachuk's, and while Jeremy Roenick amassed more games and points with the Coyotes, Big Walt's prime run of five seasons in Arizona -- including a 52-goal 1996-97 campaign to lead the NHL -- earns him the U.S. spot.
The Coyotes had two outstanding Russian-born goalies in their history: Nikolai Khabibulin (205 games, .910 save percentage) and Bryzgalov. But Bryz had his best seasons in Phoenix, including a Vezina Trophy nomination in 2009-10. Plus, we've never heard Khabibulin opine on the vastness of the universe, so, advantage Bryzgalov.
Ekman-Larsson, Rieder and Boedker were clear choices. So was Nagy, although Radoslav Suchy played more games (372). We could have gotten cute here and put Marian Hossa as the Slovakian entry, as the Coyotes infamously traded for his cap hit after Hossa hung up the skates. But then we'd have to put Chris Pronger in over Doan, too.
Boston Bruins
Canada: Bobby Orr, D (1966-76, 631 games, 888 points)
USA: Tim Thomas, G (2002-12, 378 games, .921 save percentage)
Finland: Tuukka Rask, G (2007-present, 536 games, .922 save percentage)
Sweden: P.J. Axelsson, LW (1997-2009, 797 games, 287 points)
Germany: Dennis Seidenberg, D (2009-16, 401 games, 117 points)
Slovakia: Zdeno Chara, D (2006-present, 1,023 games, 481 points)
Czech Republic: David Pastrnak, RW (2014-present, 390 games, 379 points)
Russia: Sergei Samsonov, LW (1997-06, 514 games, 376 points)
Best of the rest of the world (U.K.): Ken Hodge, RW (1967-76, 652 games, 674 points)
At the risk of trafficking in hockey blasphemy or, worse yet, sparking a border skirmish, there's a reasonable argument to be made that Ray Bourque (1,518 games, 1,506 points) is in the conversation for best Canadian player, because his career should put him in the conversation with Orr for greatest defenseman of all time. While he doesn't have eight straight Norris Trophy wins, he has five of them -- and a total of 15 appearances as a finalist for the award -- spread out over a 22-year career. But maybe we're just fans of longevity. Orr gets the top spot, however. Also notable: Phil Esposito's 1.62 points-per-game average in 625 games with Boston.
Rask and Thomas were easy calls in goal, as was Chara on the blue line and Hodge -- the pride of Birmingham, England -- as our wild card. Seidenberg gets the nod over German countryman Marco Sturm (302 games, 193 points) for having a Stanley Cup ring and none of the Joe Thornton trade taint.
The Bruins haven't had many long-term Russian players; Samsonov won the Calder Trophy, and never met a contract year he couldn't overachieve in. Axelsson might be one of the most random one-team-career guys in NHL history, playing all 797 games with Boston. Equally surprising: The Bruins have never had a Swiss-born skater or goalie.
Is it a little early for Pastrnak? Probably. But it's very on brand for David Krejci (911 games, 686 points) to be underappreciated, no?
Buffalo Sabres
Canada: Gilbert Perreault, C (1970-87, 1,191 games, 1,326 points)
USA: Ryan Miller, G (2002-14, 540 games, .916 save percentage)
Finland: Christian Ruuttu, C (1986-94, 438 games, 331 points)
Sweden: Henrik Tallinder, D (2001-10; 2013-14, 532 games, 116 points)
Germany: Uwe Krupp, D (1986-91, 327 games, 103 points)
Slovakia: Miroslav Satan, RW (1996-2004, 578 games, 456 points)
Czech Republic: Dominik Hasek, G (1992-2001, 491 games, .926 save percentage)
Russia: Alexander Mogilny, RW (1989-95, 381 games, 444 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Austria): Thomas Vanek (2005-14, 598 games, 497 points)
Obviously, there are some slam dunks here: Hasek, Mogilny, Vanek, Satan. But there's a debate to be had about the U.S. representative.
Phil Housley is a worthy choice, as a Hall of Fame defenseman with 558 points in 608 games. But how you quantify the flashes of brilliance in Pat LaFontaine (385 points in 268 games) and Jack Eichel (337 points in 354 games)? Against those two, we gave the nod to body of work for Housley.
But then you have another level to this debate: Ryan Miller. He played 540 games in Buffalo and won 284 of them, with a .916 save percentage. Plus he captured a Vezina Trophy in 2010, the same year he had an iconic run to the gold medal game for Team USA. Housley was a standout for other NHL teams; Miller's greatest moments were in Buffalo. The winningest American goalie of all time, he's the top American for the Sabres.
Due respect to the Chuks -- Dave Andreychuk and Dale Hawerchuk -- but the Canadian rep for Buffalo has to be Perreault. Ruutu isn't a minus-145, so he gets the nod over Rasmus Ristolainen among Finns. The Swedes were interesting. Tallinder put in his years with the Sabres, which is why he gets the nod, but goalie Robin Lehner and the promise of Rasmus Dahlin were right there. Jochen Hecht played many more games (613), but Krupp had a run of years as one of the conference's better defensive defensemen -- although his legacy was forged with the Avalanche.
Calgary Flames
Canada: Jarome Iginla, RW (1996-2013, 1,219 games, 1,095 points)
USA: Gary Suter, D (1985-94, 617 games, 564 points)
Finland: Miikka Kiprusoff, G (2000-2013, 576 games, .913 save percentage)
Sweden: Kent Nilsson, C (1980-85, 345 games, 469 points)
Germany: Tobias Rieder, C (2019-20, 55 games, 10 points)
Slovakia: Ronald Petrovicky, RW (2000-02, 107 games, 21 points)
Czech Republic: Robert Reichel, C (1990-97, 425 games, 354 points)
Russia: Sergei Makarov, RW (1989-93, 297 games, 292 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Netherlands): Ed Beers, LW (1981-86, 226 games, 192 points)
Iginla doesn't necessarily need any additional underscoring of his greatness, but seriously: The Hall of Famer gets the nod for Canada over a collection of all-time greats like Theo Fleury, Al MacInnis, Joe Nieuwendyk and Gary Roberts. He was a clear choice, as were Kiprusoff and Nilsson, whom Wayne Gretzky called "the purest, most talented player in the league" back in 1987, which was a league of which Wayne Gretzky was very much still a part. So, high praise indeed.
Rieder and Petrovicky were "by default" choices. Reichel was a strong option for the Czechs, including back-to-back 40-goal seasons in 1992-93 and 1993-94; the same goes for Makarov, who infamously won the Calder Trophy at the spry young age of 32.
Suter was a tremendous defenseman and a two-time Olympian. We'll give him the nod for the U.S. despite strong cases from current Flame Johnny Gaudreau (0.96 points per game) and Joe Mullen's brilliant 388 points in 345 games. We should also acknowledge that Brett Hull hadn't become BRETT HULL yet when he played 57 games with the Flames, despite being the highest-scoring player in history with American citizenship. But we should also point out he was born in Ontario.
Carolina Hurricanes
Canada: Eric Staal, C (2003-2016, 909 games, 775 points)
USA: Erik Cole, LW (2001-11, 557 games, 363 points)
Finland: Sebastian Aho, C (2016-20, 310 games, 263 points)
Sweden: Elias Lindholm, C/RW (2013-18, 374 games, 188 points)
Germany: Dennis Seidenberg, D (2006-09, 137 games, 51 points)
Slovakia: Andrej Sekera, D (2013-15, 131 games, 63 points)
Czech Republic: Josef Vasicek, C (2000-07, 341 games, 135 points)
Russia: Sergei Samsonov, LW (2007-11, 249 games, 135 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Latvia): Arturs Irbe, G (1998-2004, 309 games, .906 save percentage)
Taking out the Hartford years both streamlines and complicates this process. If we remember the Whale, center Ron Francis (1,175 franchise points) or defenseman Glen Wesley (913 games) could have gotten the Canadian nomination over Staal. As it stands, his toughest competition was from Conn Smythe-winning goalie Cam Ward and Rod Brind'Amour, the team's current coach and (in our opinion) future Hall of Famer. But Staal's output with the Canes can't be denied.
If we remember the Whale, Ulf Samuelsson would have been the Swedish pick; here, it's Lindholm, who was a solid player for Carolina, but not the icon Ulf was.
While Justin Faulk played two more games than Cole in Carolina, we're totally leaning into the American mythmaking of "scrappy and hungry" with the way Cole played. Aho over Sami Kapanen may not set well with old-school Canes fans, but it's hard to argue with 0.85 points per game through his first three seasons in the NHL.
The rest of the picks are clear, including fan favorite Irbe in goal to rep Latvia, save for one: Samsonov over Alexander Semin, who had 105 points in 166 games with the Canes. But his short tenure ended with a buyout that Carolina still carries on its cap this season, which is the perfect summation of Semin: brilliant talent, with baggage.
Chicago Blackhawks
Canada: Bobby Hull, LW (1957-72, 1,036 games, 1,153 points)
USA: Patrick Kane, RW (2007-present, 973 games, 1,022 points)
Finland: Antti Niemi, G (2008-10, 42 games, .910 save percentage)
Sweden: Niklas Hjalmarsson, D (2007-17, 623 games, 143 points)
Germany: None
Slovakia: Stan Mikita, RW (1958-80, 1,396 games, 1,467 points)
Czech Republic: Martin Havlat, RW (2006-09, 172 games, 161 points)
Russia: Alexei Zhamnov, C (1996-2003, 528 games, 424 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Serbia): Ivan Boldirev, C (1974-78, 384 games, 335 points)
There have been countless debates about whether Hull or Mikita was the better all-around player -- we'll take Mikita, for the record -- but the latter's Slovak heritage allows both to make the cut. (Some teams struggle for Slovak alums, but Chicago had the blessing of having Mikita and Marian Hossa in its history. Wow.)
Kane is 369 points away from being the all-time leading U.S.-born scorer, but it was a tough call here between him, Jeremy Roenick (596 points in 524 games) and Chris Chelios (487 points in 664 games), who won two Norris Trophies with Chicago. Kane gets the nod, by a razor-thin margin.
For the rest, Hjalmarsson wins over Michael Nylander (239 games, 180 points), while Zhamnov's body of work with Chicago puts him over the early years of Artemi Panarin (151 points in 162 games), despite the latter's Calder win. Niemi earns the Finland spot having led ... OK, having been witness to the Blackhawks' 2010 Stanley Cup run. Who is Ivan Boldirev, you ask? A journeyman born in Zrenjanin who played for 15 seasons with six NHL teams, but mostly with Chicago.
Apologies to Dominik Kahun, as our rigid birthplace criteria categorizes him as a Czech native even though he's a German national. He would have been an easy call in the Germany category -- which we're leaving blank as no German Blackhawks player had more than eight games -- but instead he is closed off in the Czech category by Havlat, among others.
Colorado Avalanche
Canada: Joe Sakic, C (1995-09, 870 games, 1,015 points)
USA: Chris Drury, C (1998-02, 314 games, 222 points)
Finland: Mikko Rantanen, RW (2015-present, 281 games, 250 points)
Sweden: Peter Forsberg, C (1995-04, 2007-11, 544 games, 705 points)
Germany: Uwe Krupp, D (1995-98, 144 games, 55 points)
Slovakia: Marek Svatos. RW (2003-10, 316 games, 164 points)
Czech Republic: Milan Hejduk, RW (1998-2013, 1,020, 805 points)
Russia: Valeri Kamensky, LW (1996-99, 289 games, 261 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Latvia): Sandis Ozolinsh, D (1995-2000, 333 games, 253 points)
Sakic is "The Franchise," something that's carried over to his managerial career. The only competition here for Canada was Nathan MacKinnon (too soon) and Patrick Roy, but he won his Vezinas in Montreal.
Other easy calls: Forsberg, Rantanen (already), Krupp, Hejduk and Ozolinsh. We understand that the Peter Budaj fans -- and for a goalie who used to put Ned Flanders on his masks, we imagine they are legion -- will disagree with the Svatos pick for Slovakia, but the latter had a solid run with Colorado.
It was a tough call to put Kamensky over goalie Semyon Varlamov, who had a Vezina nomination with the Avs. But the winger's three-year run from 1995 to '98 was fantastic, including a point-per-game performance in their Stanley Cup season.
You may be wondering why Paul Stastny (538 games, 458 points) wasn't the choice over Drury for the U.S. spot. Again, the rigid criteria makes an easy call complicated, as Stastny was actually born in Quebec, while Drury was born in Trumbull, Connecticut, where we understand they have a Little League team.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Canada: Rick Nash, LW (2002-12, 674 games, 547 points)
USA: Seth Jones, D (2015-20, 325 games, 195 points)
Finland: Joonas Korpisalo, G (2015-20, 127 games, .908 save percentage)
Sweden: Kristian Huselius, LW (2008-12, 189 games, 142 points)
Germany: None
Slovakia: Marian Gaborik, RW (2012-14, 34 games, 22 points)
Czech Republic: David Vyborny, RW (2000-09, 543 games, 317 points)
Russia: Sergei Bobrovsky, G (2012-19, 374 games, .921 save percentage)
Best of the rest of the world (Denmark): Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW (2015-20, 246 games, 133 points)
An interesting collection of players to choose from, with only a few clear-cut choices due to performance (Nash) or a limited field (Korpisalo, Huselius, Gaborik, Bjorkstrand). We'd include Bobrovsky in that clear-cut choice tier, with 213 wins and two Vezina wins, even though Artemi Panarin's 160-game, 1.06 points-per-game run made it interesting.
Vyborny topped another longtime Jacket in defenseman Rostislav Klesla, but we're here for the argument that Jakub Voracek (134 points in 241 games) deserved to break through for the Czechs. Jones gets the nod for the USA, partially because we couldn't decide which American forward -- Cam Atkinson (368 points) or Nick Foligno (318) -- would deserve it more than the burgeoning star defenseman (and a Texan, no less).
Cue the chorus of "Actually, Zach Werenski is the better American defenseman." We've heard it before.
Dallas Stars
Canada: Jamie Benn, LW (2009-present, 814 games, 688 points)
USA: Mike Modano, C (1993-2010, 1,142 games, 1,050 points)
Finland: Jere Lehtinen, RW (1995-2010, 875 games, 514 points)
Sweden: Loui Eriksson, LW (2006-13, 501 games, 357 points)
Germany: None
Slovakia: Andrej Sekera, D (2019-20, 57 games, 8 points)
Czech Republic: Radek Faksa, C (2015-present, 351 games, 128 points)
Russia: Sergei Zubov, D (1996-2009, 839 games, 549 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Latvia): Karlis Skrastins, D (2009-11, 153 games, 21 points)
Modano is the second-leading scorer in American history, and he scored almost all of those points with the Dallas franchise, save for that forgettable coda with the Red Wings. He's an easy call, as was Zubov, a fellow Hall of Famer. Faksa, Skrastins and Sekera were the best choices among few in their respective categories.
There's an interesting old-school/new-school dynamic in three of the categories. We gave Benn the nod for Canada, but that could have easily gone to Ed Belfour, Marty Turco or Joe Nieuwendyk. Score one for the new school. But the Stars' young defensemen -- Miro Heiskanen of Finland and John Klingberg of Sweden -- aren't quite ready to surpass the two-way game of Lehtinen and the great run that Eriksson had with Dallas, before he became a contractual albatross for Boston and Vancouver in his later years.
Detroit Red Wings
Canada: Gordie Howe, RW (1946-71, 1,687 games, 1,809 points)
USA: Chris Chelios, D (1999-2009, 578 games, 158 points)
Finland: Valtteri Filppula, C (2005-13, 2019-20, 553 games, 272 points)
Sweden: Nicklas Lidstrom, D (1991-12, 1,564 games, 1,142 points)
Germany: Uwe Krupp, D (1998-2002, 30 games, 6 points)
Slovakia: Marian Hossa (2008-09, 74 games, 71 points)
Czech Republic: Vaclav Nedomansky (1977-82, 364 games, 247 points)
Russia: Sergei Fedorov, C (1990-2003, 953 games, 954 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Ireland): Jim McFadden, C (1947-51, 253 games, 142 points)
The case for Steve Yzerman over Gordie Howe: He had a higher points-per-game average (1.16) than Howe (1.07), with 1,755 points in 1,514 games. His mid-career pivot to a more defensive role, coupled with the trap taking over the league, brought that average down. But, it's hard to deny Howe's six scoring titles and six Hart Trophy wins; and it's equally hard to deny that a guy named "Gordie" is, by default, the ideal Canadian rep.
(In all honesty, it's goalie Terry Sawchuk who had the best claim on Canadian icon, with three Vezinas and a Calder in his 734 games with Detroit. But, c'mon, it's Gordie Howe, people.)
Marian Hossa's one year in Detroit -- including his last 40-goal season -- was better than Tomas Tatar's career with the Wings. Nedomansky is a recent Hall of Famer. Belfast native McFadden is the third-highest leading scorer from the U.K., and the only player born in Ireland to win a major NHL award (the Calder).
Chelios had better runs with other teams -- he was only a Norris Trophy finalist with Detroit -- but he played a role on two Stanley Cup winners and gets the nod over Reed Larson (708 games, 570 points). Pavel Datsyuk (918 points in 953 games) should be a Hall of Famer eventually, and the Red Wings have had their share of incredible Russian players, but Fedorov was one of the most exceptional talents in NHL history -- a Hart Trophy winner offensively who was so good defensively he was used on the blue line.
Krupp is "standardmäßig," which is German for "by default."
Edmonton Oilers
Canada: Wayne Gretzky, C (1979-88, 696 games, 1,669 points)
USA: Doug Weight, C (1992-2001, 588 games, 577 points)
Finland: Jari Kurri, RW (1980-90, 754 games, 1,043 points)
Sweden: Tommy Salo, G (1999-2004, 334 games, .906 save percentage)
Germany: Leon Draisaitl, C (2014-present, 422 games, 422 points)
Slovakia: Andrej Sekera, D (2015-2019, 221 games, 77 points)
Czech Republic: Ales Hemsky, LW (2002-14, 652 games, 477 points)
Russia: Anatoli Semenov, C (1990-92, 116 games, 73 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Poland): Mariusz Czerkawski, RW (1995-97, 113 games, 76 points)
Obviously, Gretzky, Kurri and Draisaitl are contenders for all-time GOATs for their respective nations, so easy calls there. Especially Gretzky, whose case goes well beyond stats. Wrote Roy McGregor of the Globe & Mail: "Apart from the obvious talent, there was the sense Gretzky put forward a face Canadians wished the world to see in Canadians: youthful, courteous, humble, valiant, deferential to elders, a consummate team player and, most significantly, victorious."
The Oilers didn't have a lot of wild-card candidates, although they had some odd ones, such as France's Yohann Auvitu. But Czerkawski ended up being the logical choice, for his two seasons of Polish power. Salo is third in franchise wins for the Oilers, while Weight is seventh all time for American-born scorers (1,033 points).
The tougher calls: Andrej Sekera over forwards Miro Satan and Zdeno Ciger; Anatoli Semenov, whose best years were back in Russia, over Boris Mironov, the franchise's leader for games played by a Russian. While Petr Klima might have a case for the Czechs, we're not about to incur the wrath of Edmonton's Ales Hemsky fans to leave him off the list.
Florida Panthers
Canada: Roberto Luongo, G (2000-06, 2013-19, 572 games, .919 save percentage)
USA: John Vanbiesbrouck, G (1993-98, 268 games, .912 save percentage)
Finland: Aleksander Barkov, C (2013-20, 479 games, 407 points)
Sweden: Tomas Vokoun (2007-11, 248 games, .923 save percentage)
Germany: Marcel Goc, C (2011-14, 161 games, 69 points)
Slovakia: Robert Svehla, D (1994-2002, 573 games, 290 points)
Czech Republic: Radek Dvorak, RW (1995-99, 2007-11, 613 games, 268 points)
Russia: Pavel Bure, RW (1998-2002, 223 games, 251 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Belarus): Ruslan Salei, D (2006-08, 147 games, 55 points)
The franchise's three most winningest goalies -- Luongo (230), Vanbiesbrouck (106) and Vokoun (101) -- all make the cut, along with a couple of franchise mainstays (Svehla and Dvorak) and brief visitors (Goc and Salei).
Bure remains fourth in franchise goals despite playing only a handful of seasons in Florida, having won two goal-scoring titles with the Panthers. A case could be made for Viktor Kozlov's 291 points in 404 games in Florida, but his overlap with Bure give the Russian Rocket even more credit.
The one point of contentions here for the Panthers: Olli Jokinen is second in points in franchise history and first in goals; Barkov is third in both categories, but his 0.85 points per game and defensive prowess puts him over here.
Los Angeles Kings
Canada: Marcel Dionne, C (1975-87, 921 games, 1,307 points)
USA: Jonathan Quick, G (2007-present, 664 games, .913 save percentage)
Finland: Jari Kurri, RW (1991-96, 331 games, 293 points)
Sweden: Mattias Norstrom, D (1995-2007, 780 games, 142 points)
Germany: Jason Holland, D (2001-04, 57 games, 7 points)
Slovakia: Zigmund Palffy, RW (1999-2004, 311 games, 340 points)
Czech Republic: Jaroslav Modry, D (1995-2004, 454 games, 164 points)
Russia: Alexander Frolov, LW (2002-10, 536 games, 381 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Slovenia): Anze Kopitar (2006-present, 1,073 games, 950 points)
There's no denying Gretzky's impact as a player and a cultural icon for hockey in Los Angeles during his 539 games as a King. There's also no denying Luc Robitaille as an offensive force, with 1,154 points in his 1,077-game career in Los Angeles. But Marcel Dionne is the franchise's leading point scorer, a decorated representative of the nation in international play and wore the "Forum Blue" and gold better than anyone.
Norstrom and Modry were two long-tenured and frequently unsung defensemen, and easy calls here. The same could be said for Frolov at forward, who had 381 points in 536 games for the Kings. Holland was a default pick, lest we feel the need to honor the legacy of Christian Ehrhoff's season in L.A.
Palffy is the leading scorer for a surprisingly robust group of Slovakian-born Kings: Lubomir Visnovsky, Jozef Stumpel, Michal Handzus and key Cup run contributor Marian Gaborik. Palffy led the Kings in scoring one season among a solid few campaigns with the Kings. The easier call, of course, was Slovenia, where Kopitar is the nation's hockey deity.
Due respect to Dustin Brown (1,183 games), but this isn't a participation award. Quick (2007-present) has a Conn Smythe and two William Jennings trophies.
Minnesota Wild
Canada: Pierre-Marc Bouchard, C (2002-13, 565 games, 347 points)
USA: Brian Rolston, C (2005-08, 241 games, 202 points)
Finland: Mikko Koivu, C (2005-20, 1,028 games, 709 points)
Sweden: Jonas Brodin, D (2012-present, 555 games, 146 points)
Germany: None
Slovakia: Marian Gaborik, RW (2000-09, 502 games, 437 points)
Czech Republic: Filip Kuba, D 2000-06, 357 games, 132 points)
Russia: Andrei Zyuzin, D (2002-06, 188 games, 55 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Switzerland): Nino Niederreiter, RW (2013-18, 434 games, 228 points)
Ever since they both took their talents to Minnesota in the same free-agent class, Ryan Suter and Zach Parise have been linked as American stars. But we're splitting the difference and going with another former U.S. Olympian: Rolston, who cracked 30 goals in each of his three seasons with the Wild.
Minnesota hasn't had nearly as many Canadian standouts. We could have opted for Brent Burns here, but this was well before he became a perennial Norris candidate with San Jose. You could make the argument that Staal's four-year run (111 goals in 311 games) should earn this spot like Rolston earned the U.S. one. But Pierre-Marc Bouchard was the highest-scoring Canadian and a thrilling playmaker whose numbers (and leaguewide reputation) were muted by the style with which the Wild played. Not an obvious pick, but he's ours.
More obvious: Koivu, Gaborik, Brodin and Niederreiter, although Kevin Fiala needs one more season like his 2019-20 campaign to catch his Swiss countryman. Kuba gets the spot over fellow defenseman Marek Zidlicky, while Andrei Zyuzin was one of only six Russian players in franchise history which is ... wild.
Montreal Canadiens
Canada: Maurice Richard, RW (1942-1960, 978 games, 965 points)
USA: Chris Chelios, D (1983-90, 402 games, 309 points)
Finland: Saku Koivu, C (1996-2009, 792 games, 641 points)
Sweden: Mats Naslund, LW (1983-90, 617 games, 612 points)
Germany: None
Slovakia: Jaroslav Halak, G (2007-10, 101 games, .919 goals against average)
Czech Republic: Tomas Plekanec, C (2004-19, 984 games, 606 points)
Russia: Andrei Markov, D (2001-17, 990 games, 572 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Belarus): Andrei Kostitsyn (2006-12, 379 games, 210 points)
The best Canadian Canadien sounds like the greatest reality show to ever air on CBC. For our purposes, we must acknowledge hockey deities like Jean Béliveau, Guy Lafleur, Doug Harvey, Howie Morenz, Henri Richard, Larry Robinson, Patrick Roy, Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden and Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion. But true to his nickname, Maurice Richard rockets above the contenders to take the top spot, for his stardom, his culture impact and 544 goals in just 978 games.
The other categories are remarkably easy for a franchise this storied. Koivu, Naslund, Markov and Plekanec are all obvious choices. Halak gets the nod over Richard Zednik and current Habs forward Tomas Tatar, if only for making Montreal fans briefly question if Carey Price should be the anointed one.
The one point of contention outside the Canadian Canadiens is Chelios, who won a Norris Trophy and a Stanley Cup with Montreal in 402 games. Max Pacioretty's 226 goals rank him 18th in team history, and the former captain played 626 games in Montreal. Tough call, but Chelios had the bigger impact -- and higher points-per-game average (0.77).
Nashville Predators
Canada: Shea Weber, D 2005-16, 763 games, 443 points)
USA: Ryan Suter, D (2005-12, 543 games, 238 points)
Finland: Pekka Rinne, G (2005-present, 659 games, .917 save percentage)
Sweden: Filip Forsberg, C (2012-present, 458 games, 353 points)
Germany: Marcel Goc, C (2009-11, 124 games, 54 points)
Slovakia: Vladimir Orszagh, RW (2001-04, 239 games, 105 points)
Czech Republic: Tomas Vokoun, G (1998-2007, 383 games, .913 save percentage)
Russia: Alexander Radulov, RW (2006-08, 2011-12, 154 games, 102 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Switzerland): Roman Josi (2011-present, 632 games, 413 points)
Nashville's franchise holy trinity of Weber, Suter and Rinne all earn spots here, although we're willing to consider that David Legwand, the Predators' all-time leading scorer, is more deserving than Suter.
Forsberg is fifth in points for the Preds, and he gets the Swedish spot ahead of frequent linemate Viktor Arvidsson and defenseman Mattias Ekholm. Josi, Goc and Orszagh were all easy calls. Radulov's brief tenure in Nashville was enough to put him ahead of more tenured Predators Vitali Yachmenev (338 games) and Denis Arkhipov (273). Vokoun was our choice for the Czechs, despite the fact that Erat is the second-leading all-time scorer for the Preds.
New Jersey Devils
Canada: Martin Brodeur, G (1992-2014, 1,259 games, .912 save percentage)
USA: Brian Rafalski, D (1999-07, 541 games, 311 points)
Finland: Sami Vatanen, D (2017-20, 154 games, 68 points)
Sweden: Patrik Sundstrom, C (1987-92, 305 games, 246 points)
Germany: Uli Hiemer, D (1984-87, 143 games, 73 points)
Slovakia: Peter Stastny, C (1989-93, 217 games, 173 points)
Czech Republic: Patrik Elias, C (1995-2016, 1,240 games, 1,025 points)
Russia: Sergei Brylin, LW (1994-2008, 765 games, 308 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Switzerland): Nico Hischier, C (2017-present, 209 games, 135 points)
Brodeur is the winningest goaltender in NHL history (and one of the most decorated), and that's the kind of legacy he needed to overcome bids from fellow Hall of Famers Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer to win top Canadian. He joins Vatanen, Sundstrom, Hiemer, Stastny and franchise scoring leader Elias in being head and shoulders above their fields.
The other contenders for the U.S. spot: Scott Gomez, who won the Calder, had a 0.80 points-per-game average in 606 games and played in the Olympics once; Zach Parise, who had a 0.82 points-per-game average in 502 games and appeared in two Olympics; and Aaron Broten, who had a 0.73 points-per-game average in 641 games, but didn't appear in the Olympics.
Our choice? Rafalski, a defenseman on three U.S. Olympic teams. He won two Stanley Cups with the Devils and then another later in his career with the Red Wings. He was overshadowed by his teammates on the blue line, but he's ninth among American-born defenseman in points per game (0.62). A very tough call, however.
The wild-card choice here is Hischier, who is already seventh among Swiss-born players in points, but we're here for arguments that Dainius Zubrus should be the choice. He played 554 games, had 224 points and was nicknamed "Lithuanian Love Machine." So there's that.
We'll hear no arguments on the Russian pick, however. Yes, Alexander Mogilny had 114 points in 121 games. Yes, Ilya Kovalchuk had 210 points in 222 games before his awkward departure. Yes, Slava Fetisov and Alexei Kasatonov were Red Army icons. But Brylin is the franchise's most underrated player, a utility guy who appeared in 765 regular-season contests for the Devils and had 308 points. The Devils have never won a Stanley Cup without Brylin on the team. OK, or Brodeur, Stevens and Niedermayer, but the point stands.
New York Islanders
Canada: Mike Bossy, RW (1977-87, 752 games, 1,126 points)
USA: Pat Lafontaine, C (1983-91, 530 games, 566 points)
Finland: Mikko Makela, RW (1985-90, 307 games, 219 points)
Sweden: Bobby Nystrom, RW (1972-86, 900 games, 513 points)
Germany: Thomas Greiss, G (2015-20, 193 games, .915 save percentage)
Slovakia: Zigmund Palffy, RW (1993-99, 331 games, 331 points)
Czech Republic: David Volek, LW (1988-94, 396 games, 249 points)
Russia: Alexei Yashin, C (2001-07, 346 games, 290 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Poland): Mariusz Czerkawski, RW (1997-2004, 470 games, 295 points)
The holy trinity of the Islanders' dynasty was all-Canadian: Bossy, center Bryan Trottier (1,353 points in 1,123 games) and defenseman Denis Potvin (1,052 points in 1.060 games). Bossy gets the call here as one of the most dynamic goal-scorers in NHL history with 573 in just 752 games, before injuries ended his career early. What might have been ...
The rest of the picks are fairly clear ones, with slam dunks in Lafontaine, Mäkelä, Nystrom, Palffy and, yes, even Yashin. Greiss gets the call over Uwe Krupp, and Volek had more of an impact than defensemen Roman Hamrlik (300 games) and Radek Martinek (479 games).
Special shoutout to Mariusz Czerkawski, the highest-scoring Polish-born player in NHL history. Na Zdrowie!
New York Rangers
Canada: Andy Bathgate, RW (1952-64, 719 games, 729 points)
USA: Brian Leetch, D (1987-2003, 1,129 games, 981 points)
Finland: Reijo Ruotsalainen, D (1981-86, 389 games, 316 points)
Sweden: Henrik Lundqvist, G (2005-20, 887 games, .918 save percentage)
Germany: None
Slovakia: Marian Gaborik, RW (2009-13, 255 games, 229 points)
Czech Republic: Jaromir Jagr, RW (2004-08, 277 games, 319 points)
Russia: Alexei Kovalev, RW (1992-2004, 492 games, 330 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Norway): Mats Zuccarello, LW (2010-19, 509 games, 352 points)
When your nickname is "The King," chances are you're going to win the nod for your nation. But while Lundqvist makes the list, second-most-winningest Rangers goalie Mike Richter must take a back seat to Leetch, who is second all time in points by an American-born defenseman (1,028).
Kovalev, Ruotsalainen, and Gaborik were all clear choices. So was Zuccarello as the wild card, if for no other reason than the Elijah Wood doppelgänger earning the nickname "Norwegian Hobbit Wizard" during his time in New York. Petr Nedved (478 games, 351 points) might have a stronger case than Jagr due to longevity, but Jagr's run from 2005 to '07 was among the best in franchise history.
OK, we've stalled enough: There is absolutely justification for Rod Gilbert, Hall of Famer and franchise scoring leader, to have the Canadian spot. But his career spanned a Stanley Cup drought that Mark Messier was responsible for helping end, and he beats Gilbert in points per game (0.99).
What Messier doesn't do is beat the points-per-game average of Bathgate (1.01), the Hall of Fame winger who was a Hart Trophy finalist in three straight seasons (1956-59), winning it once, as Messier did in 1992. There are no wrong answers here, but we think Bathgate is the right one.
Ottawa Senators
Canada: Jason Spezza, C (2004-14, 686 games, 687 points)
USA: Craig Anderson, G (2010-20, 435 games, .914 save percentage)
Finland: Jarkko Ruutu, LW (2009-11, 210 games, 57 points)
Sweden: Erik Karlsson, D (2010-18, 627 games, 518 points)
Germany: Dany Heatley, LW (2005-09, 317 games, 362 points)
Slovakia: Marian Hossa, RW (1998-2004, 467 games, 390 points)
Czech Republic: Martin Havlat, RW (2001-06, 298 games, 235 points)
Russia: Alexei Yashin, C (1994-2001, 504 games, 491 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Switzerland): Martin Gerber (2006-09, 100 games, .908 save percentage)
All right, let's just cut to the chase: You're either down with Karlsson being the big Swede on campus or you believe there's no way face-of-the-franchise Daniel Alfredsson isn't Sweden's best. The case for Karlsson is fairly airtight: He led NHL defensemen in points and points per game (0.83), winning two Norris Trophies and being a finalist four times. Alfie has 1,108 points in 1,178 games. He'll be a Hall of Famer, eventually. Karlsson might be a Hall of Famer based on just his nine seasons in Ottawa. We're comfortable giving him the edge, even if Alfredsson has a rightful challenge.
Marian Hossa had 390 points (including 188 goals) during his time in Ottawa, smack dab in the trap years. He's just a smidge ahead of Zdeno Chara, who spent 299 games in Ottawa and became a Norris contender during that span.
While we considered Dominik Hasek's brilliant lone season in Ottawa, Havlat's 0.79 points-per-game average was too good to ignore. Yashin was an absolute rock star before he became a cautionary tale with the Islanders. Gerber had one strong season as a starter, and is slightly more memorable than Denmark's Peter Regin in the wild-card spot.
That Spezza was a point-per-game player for the Senators is a mind-blowing stat when you consider how many games he played with the team. Anderson leads the franchise in wins (202) and losses (168), which succinctly sums up his tenure. Heatley was obviously an influence on that output. While he was a Canadian citizen and national team player, we're using place of birth for the purposes of this exercise, so the Freiburg native gets the German nod.
Among the other close calls, Janne Laukkanen led Ottawa Finns with 266 games, but there's no denying the nefarious charms of Ruutu.
Philadelphia Flyers
Canada: Bobby Clarke, C (1969-84, 1,144 games, 1,210 points)
USA: Mark Howe, D (1982-92, 594 games, 480 points)
Finland: Kimmo Timonen, D (2007-14, 519 games, 270 points)
Sweden: Pelle Eklund, C (1985-94, 589 games, 452 points)
Germany: Dennis Seidenberg, D (2002-06, 92 games, 20 points)
Slovakia: Michal Handzus, C (2002-06, 237 games, 146 points)
Czech Republic: Jakub Vorácek, LW (2011-present, 674 games, 561 points)
Russia: Ivan Provorov, D (2016-present, 315 games, 133 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Austria): Michael Raffl (2013-present, 470 games, 152 points)
Clarke is so Canadian that he bleeds maple syrup.
Everyone else was an easy call, too. That includes Provorov, a young player who has eclipsed fellow defenseman Dmitry Yushkevich for the franchise's greatest Russian player. There were two goaltending contenders, but Sergei Bobrovsky hadn't quite blossomed when he was in Philadelphia, while Ilya Bryzgalov ... well, he got paid.
The only true point of contention was for the U.S. pick. Legion of Doom alum John LeClair (643 points in 649 games) vs. Howe, the Hall of Fame defenseman with 480 points in 594 games? We've gotta give the nod to Howe, who was also a plus-351 during his career.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Canada: Mario Lemieux, C (1984-2006, 915 games, 1,723 points)
USA: Tom Barrasso, G (1988-2000, 460 games, .895 save percentage)
Finland: Olli Maatta, D (2013-19, 363 games, 107 points)
Sweden: Patric Hornqvist, LW (2014-20, 407 games, 264 points)
Germany: Tom Kuhnhackl, RW (2015-18, 168 games, 39 points)
Slovakia: Tomas Surovy, C (2002-06, 126 games, 59 points)
Czech Republic: Jaromir Jagr, RW (1990-2001, 806 games, 1,079 points)
Russia: Evgeni Malkin, C (2006-present, 907 games, 1,076 points)
Best of the rest of the world (U.K.): Peter Lee, RW (1977-83, 431 games, 245 points)
Sidney Crosby scored the most iconic goal in Canadian history this side of Paul Henderson, and was the greatest player of his generation. But no less an authority than TMZ once asked him about surpassing Mario as the greatest Penguin ever, and he replied "I don't think he has anything to worry about." We'll assume the same applies to the Canada test.
Jagr, Malkin, Hörnqvist and Kühnhackl were all obvious choices. Maatta is the only Finn in Penguins history to appear in more than 200 games with them, and played on back-to-back Cup champions.
As this exercise is also about "remembering some guys," let's give a shoutout to Peter Lee of Ellesmere in the U.K., who was drafted 12th overall by Montreal in 1976, was traded to Pittsburgh with Pete Mahovlich (!) in 1977, and had a few very productive seasons with the Penguins. Let's also give one to Tomas Surovy of Banska Bystrica, who played in Pittsburgh before the Crosby era really got rolling. He's currently in the KHL.
There were a couple of close calls here. Hornqvist holds a significant advantage in games and points over his Penguins countrymen, but a case could be made for Ulf Samuelsson (277 games), an absolute rock on defense for Mario's two Cup champions.
As for the best American, it comes down to four players. Kevin Stevens, who leads all American scorers for Pittsburgh, with 555 points in 522 games; Joe Mullen, who had 325 points in 379 games; America's sweetheart Phil Kessel, with 303 points in 328 games; and the player we ended up choosing, Tom Barrasso, who back-stopped two Cup winners and has almost 200 more wins than any other American goalie in franchise history.
San Jose Sharks
Canada: Joe Thornton, C (2005-20, 1,104 games, 1,055 points)
USA: Joe Pavelski, C (2006-19, 953 games, 761 points)
Finland: Teemu Selanne, RW (2001-2003, 176 games, 131 points)
Sweden: Douglas Murray, D (2005-13, 451 games, 59 points)
Germany: Marco Sturm, LW (1997-2005, 553 games, 273 points)
Slovakia: Michal Handzus, C (2011-2013, 95 games, 26 points)
Czech Republic: Tomas Hertl, C (2013-present, 453 games, 280 points)
Russia: Evgeni Nabokov, G (1999-2010, 563 games, .912 save percentage)
Best of the rest of the world (Latvia): Sandis Ozolinsh (1992-96, 2007-08, 212 games, 132 points)
Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau? Patrick Marleau or Joe Thornton? Either answer has a strong case, but Jumbo is one of the NHL's greatest passers and has a Hart Trophy to his credit. That gives him the edge here, despite Marleau being the epitome of Canadian politeness.
Pavelski is clear choice among Americans, while Nabokov is the winningest Russian goalie in NHL history. While goalie Antti Niemi had a case for top Finn, he has Teemu Selanne blocking the way. Douglas "Crankshaft" Murray was one of the best defensive defensemen among NHL Swedes. Sturm's 128 goals gets him above Christian Ehrhoff, while Hertl just edged Milan Michalek, who had 214 points in 317 games.
The closest call was in the wild-card spot, with current Shark Timo Meier of Switzerland, fan favorite goalie Arturs Irbe of Latvia and countryman Ozolinsh, who was our pick, thanks to 132 points in 212 games on the blue line.
St. Louis Blues
Canada: Brett Hull, RW (1987-98, 744 games, 939 points)
USA: Keith Tkachuk, C (2000-07, 543 games, 427 points)
Finland: Jori Lehtera, C (2014-19, 307 games, 111 points)
Sweden: Alexander Steen, C (2008-present 765 games, 496 points)
Germany: Jochen Hecht, C (1998-2001, 138 games, 78 points)
Slovakia: Pavol Demitra, C (1996-2004, 494 games, 493 points)
Czech Republic: Roman Turek, G (1999-2001, 121 games, .907 save percentage)
Russia: Vladimir Tarasenko, RW (2012-present, 507 games, 428 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Netherlands): Ed Kea, D (267 games, 61 points)
To restate the premise: It's about where these players were born, not where they claim citizenry. Which really complicates things for the Blues! Hull is an American citizen born in Canada. Hence, Tkachuk gets the USA spot while Hull slides in the Canadian category, which means franchise icon and Hall of Famer Bernie Federko gets snubbed. Granted, he's snubbed for a guy with 527 goals with the franchise.
Among the easy calls: Tarasenko, Steen, Hecht, Lehtera and the late Pavol Demitra, who was an absolute offensive star for the Blues. Turek was in St. Louis for only two seasons, but one of those seasons saw him earn a Vezina nomination. As for Kea, he spent the majority of his career with the Atlanta Flames, but finished his NHL career with the Blues. The uncle to both Jeff Beukeboom and Joe Nieuwendyk, Kea's career and life both ended tragically.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Canada: Martin St. Louis, RW (2001-2014, 972 games, 953 points)
USA: Ben Bishop, G (2012-17, 227 games, .921 save percentage)
Finland: Valtteri Filppula, C (2014-17, 292 games, 171 points)
Sweden: Victor Hedman, D (2010-present, 762 games, 473 points)
Germany: Randy Gilhen, C (1993, 11 games, 2 points)
Slovakia: Andrej Meszaros, D (2009-10, 133 games, 33 points)
Czech Republic: Pavel Kubina, D (1998-2012, 662 games, 243 points)
Russia: Nikita Kucherov, RW (2014-present, 515 games, 547 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Ukraine): Ruslan Fedotenko, RW (2002-07, 313 games, 144 points)
Choose your (Canadian) fighter: St. Louis, a Hall of Famer who leads the Lightning in points, owns two scoring titles and an MVP award; Steven Stamkos, with two goal-scoring titles and 1.01 points per game; Vincent Lecavalier, the franchise's first true superstar who had 874 points in 1,037 games; or Brad Richards, who had 489 points in 552 games, including a Conn Smythe?
St. Louis was our choice, but Stamkos being one of the best goal scorers of his generation was tough to dismiss.
Another razor-thin margin: Nikita Kucherov over Andrei Vasilevskiy. They both have won major awards, although Vasilevskiy has been a Vezina finalist for three straight seasons. We gave the slight nod to Kucherov as his run has been for four seasons, including that 128-point MVP campaign.
Hedman, Bishop, Filppula and Fedotenko were easy calls. Meszaros and especially Gilhen got the nod by default. Ondrej Palat had a claim for top Czech player, but Kubina was a defenseman whose presence spanned eras.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Canada: Dave Keon, C (1960-75, 1,062 games, 858 points)
USA: Auston Matthews (2017-present, 282 games, 285 points)
Finland: Leo Komarov, RW (2013-18, 327 games, 122 points)
Sweden: Mats Sundin, C (1995-2008, 981 games, 987 points)
Germany: Korbinian Holzer, D (2010-15, 58 games, 9 points)
Slovakia: Peter Ihnacak, C (1982-90, 417 games, 267 points)
Czech Republic: Tomas Kaberle, D (1998-2011, 878 games, 520 points)
Russia: Alexander Mogilny, RW (2001-04, 176 games, 166 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Kazakhstan): Nik Antropov, LW (1999-2008, 509 games, 477 points)
Oh, the twin pillars of Maple Leaf player debates. Dave Keon is usually found atop "greatest Leafs" lists, even as Darryl Sittler had him beat in points (916) and points per game (1.09). Borje Salming is one of the best two-way defensemen in the modern NHL, with 768 points in 1,099 with the Leafs. But Sundin leads the Original Six franchise in goals (420) and points (987). We opted for Keon and Sundin here, but really any combination of these Canadians and Swedes is going to be acceptable. It's like a perfect a la carte hockey menu.
Kaberle and Mogilny were easy calls. Ihnacak and Holzer were the only calls. Matthews has already surpassed Phil Kessel as the franchise's best American. The wild card went to Antropov, who was technically born in the USSR, but there's an argument for Denmark's Frederik Andersen in goal. While Komarov might not seem like an obvious pick, we certainly aren't going to inflict Vesa Toskala on Leafs fans here. They've been through enough.
Vancouver Canucks
Canada: Roberto Luongo, G (2006-2014, 448 games, .919 save percentage)
USA: Ryan Kesler, C (2003-14, 655 games, 393 points)
Finland: Jyrki Lumme, D (1989-98, 579 games, 321 points)
Sweden: Henrik Sedin, C (2000-18, 1,330 games, 1,070 points)
Germany: Christian Ehrhoff, D (2009-11, 159 games, 94 points)
Slovakia: Pavol Demitra, C (2008-10, 97 games, 69 points)
Czech Republic: Petr Nedved, C (1990-93, 222 games, 124 points)
Russia: Pavel Bure, RW (1991-98, 428 games, 478 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Denmark): Jannik Hansen, LW (2007-17, 565 games, 235 points)
We're usually proponents of the "Sedins as one entity" theory. For example, we'd be fine with seeing them on the same Hall of Fame plaque. But there can be only one Swede here, and instead of chickening out and picking Markus Naslund to avoid the decision, we will declare Henrik the best of the Sedins and give the dynamic playmaking center the spot.
Luongo is the all-time leader in wins (252) for the Canucks, giving him the advantage over franchise stalwarts Trevor Linden and Stan Smyl. Kesler is the clear choice for American players, and similar respective statements can be made for Demitra, Ehrhoff and our wild card Hansen, who had an underrated run in the NHL. Lumme has the slight edge over Sami Salo among Finns.
Finally, there are two players whose bitter contract squabbles are as memorable as their on-ice offensive mastery in Vancouver: Nedved and Bure, both obvious choices as their nations' reps.
Vegas Golden Knights
Canada: Marc-Andre Fleury, G (2017-present, 156 games, .915 save percentage)
USA: Max Pacioretty, LW (2018-present, 137 games, 106 points)
Finland: Erik Haula, C (2017-19, 91 games, 62 points)
Sweden: William Karlsson, C (2017-present 227 games, 180 points)
Germany: None
Slovakia: Tomas Tatar, RW (2017-18, 20 games, 6 points)
Czech Republic: Tomas Nosek, C (2017-present, 202 games, 47 points)
Russia: Valentin Zykov, LW (2018-present, 25 games, 6 points)
Best of the rest of the world (France): Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, LW (2017-19, 148 games, 31 points)
With the franchise in its infancy, there were going to be some awkward calls here. Tatar, for example, was disastrous in Vegas ... and the only Slovak player the Knights have had. Zykov is one of only two Russians that played for Vegas -- the other is Vadim Shipachyov, who lasted three games and described his time with the team as "a terrible dream."
But there were some solid calls here, like face of the franchise Marc-Andre Fleury for Canada, Pacioretty for the U.S. and Karlsson for Sweden. Nosek and Bellemare were both strong role players for the Knights, while Haula was a star for Vegas in their first season. Not a bad list, considering this is a franchise that's had just 47 skaters and five goalies suit up in the regular season.
Washington Capitals
Canada: Dale Hunter, C (1987-1999, 872 games, 556 points)
USA: John Carlson, D (2009-present, 757 games, 478 points)
Finland: Timo Blomqvist, D (1981-85, 223 games, 55 points)
Sweden: Nicklas Backstrom, C (2007-present) 956 games, 927 points)
Germany: Stefan Ustorf, LW (1995-97, 54 games, 17 points)
Slovakia: Peter Bondra, RW (1990-2004, 961 games, 825 points)
Czech Republic: Michal Pivonka, C (825 games, 599 points)
Russia: Alex Ovechkin, LW (2005-present, 1,152 games, 1,278 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Taiwan): Rod Langway, D (1982-93, 726 games, 202 points)
Welcome to the National Hockey League of Nations, Taiwan! Hall of Fame defenseman Rod Langway grew up in Randolph, Massachusetts, but was born in Taipei.
Originally, we had Olaf Kolzig listed under Germany, forgetting he was born in South Africa. (Congrats Stefan Ustorf on the promotion.) Kolzig vs Langway is a tough call, and we're sure many fans would opt for Olie the Goalie here. But Langway won back-to-back Norris trophies with the Capitals, and was a Hart finalist as a defenseman in 1984. He gets the wild-card call.
Ovechkin, Bondra, Kolzig and Carlson were obvious calls here, with Carlson have surpassed the other top U.S. contender Kevin Hatcher to become the Caps' all-time leading scorer for defensemen. Blomqvist is one of only seven Finns to play for Washington, and we might have to alert the embassy about this apparent crime.
They had two strong Swedish candidates in Backstrom and defenseman Calle Johansson, but we'll give the outstanding two-way center the edge. Which brings us to Canada: We went with the particular set of skills -- scoring touch, brute force and nefarious acts -- possessed by Dale Hunter instead of the offensive stardom of Mike Gartner (758 games, 789 points with 397 goals). Hey, scoring goals is great; finishing your career with 1,020 points and 3,565 penalty minutes? Now that's special. Gartner might be in the Hall of Fame, but the Capitals even gifted Hunter the penalty box from their own arena when he retired. What would you rather have?
Winnipeg Jets
Canada: Mark Scheifele, C (2011-present, 519 games, 444 points)
USA: Blake Wheeler, RW (2011-present, 687 games, 634 points)
Finland: Patrik Laine, LW (2016-present, 305 games, 247 points)
Sweden: Tobias Enstrom, D (2011-18, 401 games, 137 points)
Germany: None
Slovakia: None
Czech Republic: Ondrej Pavelec, G (2011-17, 260 games, .907 save percentage)
Russia: Alexander Burmistrov, C (2011-17, 224 games, 61 points)
Best of the rest of the world (Denmark): Nikolaj Ehlers, LW (2015-present, 369 games, 257 points)
The Jets have more current players listed here than most franchises, which is a testament both to their relative newness in Winnipeg and just how good Scheifele, Wheeler, Laine and Ehlers have been for this team. Even without the Atlanta Thrasher years, Enstrom, Pavelec and Burmistrov make the cut here. The Jets don't have a German or Slovak-born player: The closest they came was Marko Dano, who was born in Austria but has Slovak citizenship.