Three of the greatest players to lace up skates spoke as part of the All-Star Game festivities in Los Angeles on Friday.
Alongside Bobby Orr and Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky summarized the three greats with the perfect one liner.
"The three of us would have been pretty good at 3-on-3," Gretzky joked.
Player
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
Gretzky
1487
894
1963
2857
Lemieux
915
690
1033
1723
Orr
657
270
645
915
The trio are arguably the best to take the ice in the 100-year history of the NHL, with a host of combined accolades: Eight Stanley Cups, 18 Art Ross Trophies, 15 Hart Trophy wins, 10 Lester B. Pearson awards, and six Conn Smythes.
Mario Lemieux, above all, marveled at Howe's ability to play until he was 51 years old.
"That's pretty rare these days," Lemieux said, according to Puck Daddy's Greg Wyshynski. "Well, except for my buddy (Jaromir) Jagr."
Howe was named among the initial 33 names of the NHL's 100 greatest players ahead of the Centennial Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings on Jan. 1.
They are two players the hockey world is just waiting on to be dealt.
Marc-Andre Fleury's days in Pittsburgh are numbered with Matt Murray clearly becoming the team's goalie of the future and - over the past couple months - their goalie of today.
On the flip side, Kevin Shattenkirk has seen his name included in trade rumors over the last couple years. This time around, things could finally be coming to an end in St. Louis as the 27-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end and if not traded could leave for nothing.
As it stands, neither team wants to lose its star for nothing. So, could they help each other out? Would a swap in stars in this case work?
Blues goaltending in shambles
Lately it's been hard to find a team that gives up goals quite like St. Louis.
Heading into the All-Star break, the Blues have given up 151 goals in 46 games, good enough for an average of 3.08 goals per game - the fourth worst in the league - this, while rocking a league-worst .889 team save percentage.
Aside from the team's startling 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, the team has given up at least five goals in each of its last four games. Simply put, Jake Allen and Carter Hutton have both played terribly and something needs to change.
Enter Fleury.
While the Penguins netminder has been far from perfect, he has managed slightly better numbers than both Blues netminders and gives the club something it's lacked for years - a goaltender with valuable playoff experience.
Fleury has now won two Stanley Cups - sure, last year Murray owned the net - and he can still give quality starts and knows what it takes to win in the postseason.
Penguins could use a defense upgrade
It's really hard to critique a team that's coming off a Stanley Cup Championship and sits poised for another deep run.
That being said, the club's defense core is thin. Though Kris Letang is an elite defender, his health is a question mark to put it lightly, while the rest of the back end - despite its Cup win last year - remains largely inexperienced.
Shattenkirk would provide some needed experience and an added offensive flair. The Blues pivot sits tied for fifth in points by defensemen and is tied for first in his position in power-play points.
He's an insurance piece that could really make a Cup repeat possible.
Where the expansion draft comes in
In this case the expansion draft actually wouldn't impact either player very much.
Shattenkrik is set to become a UFA and chances are that barring a re-up by the Penguins, he is headed to free agency regardless. He is, in essence, a rental wherever he goes.
As for Fleury, he could be essential in helping the Blues pick up the pieces - or at least help mend the damage left by the team's other starters - so they can get back to the playoffs.
If he is plucked by the Vegas Golden Knights it wouldn't hurt the Blues too much, as the team still appears set on Allen in the long term and it would have lost Shattenkirk for nothing in free agency anyway. So, really, nothing changes there.
It makes sense, but ...
However you slice it, the deal at least marginally makes sense. As for one side sweetening the deal, salary retention, and things of that sort, we'll leave that to the general managers.
TSN's Darren Dreger voiced his opinion on the potential swap, noting he didn't believe it would be done due to the Blues' continued commitment to Allen.
That may very well be the case and the thought of both teams losing their players to free agency or the expansion draft could prove to be an issue. But with both clubs desperate to move assets and make a change, this deal could be beneficial to both.
You better come ready to play if you want to score on Ken Hitchcock's team.
That's been the hallmark of the clubs iced by the legendary bench boss, and certainly his story since arriving in St. Louis in 2011, as the Blues have finished no worse than fifth in goals against under Hitchcock's guidance.
Season
Goals Against
League Rank
2016-17
152
25th
2015-16
201
4th
2014-15
201
4th
2013-14
191
3rd
*2012-13
115
5th
*2011-12
165
1st
Hitchcock replaced David Payne in 2011-12, coaching the Blues in 69 games. The following season was shortened to 48 games due to the lockout.
Most impressive has been Hitchcock's ability to achieve such a feat with a slew of netminders over the years, from Jaroslav Halak, to Brian Elliott, Ryan Miller, a handful of games with Martin Brodeur for good measure, and returnee Jake Allen.
But the numbers haven't been nearly as strong this season, in what is Hitchcock's seventh and likely last season in St. Louis, on the final year of his contract with associate coach Mike Yeo promised the head role next season.
The Blues have plummeted to among the worst goals against in recent weeks, a result that now has the team's playoff chances at risk, with St. Louis grasping a playoff position by a single point. Only five clubs have performed worse in goal than the Blues, with the last spot Winnipeg Jets allowing just nine more goals than St. Louis.
It's a result that is almost foreign to Hitchcock, and one he hasn't seen since his final year in Columbus. Fired in February 2010, the Blue Jackets pulled the plug on Hitchcock with the team sitting second-to-last in the West, and having allowed a conference-worst 193 goals. Only the Toronto Maple Leafs, at 197 against, had fared worse.
No doubt it has been some troubling times in St. Louis this season, with backup Carter Hutton now getting the bulk of work as Allen works to find his game.
On a recent road swing to Winnipeg, Allen was left in St. Louis and didn't travel with the team, while Blues general manager Doug Armstrong insisted that Allen remains in the club's future plans. That night, farmhand netminder Pheonix Copley got the call against the Jets, allowing five goals in a losing effort.
"There's a lot in his head," Hitchcock said of Allen at the time. "He's kind of locked up mentally and he's going to have to fight through this."
More recently, with Allen promised the start Thursday against the divisional rival Minnesota Wild, that plan was quickly shuttered after Hutton posted a shutout two nights prior against the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
As for Allen, he hasn't finished a game since dropping a 4-2 decision to the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 5, pulled in three straight starts since, including twice in a 7-3 defeat to the Washington Capitals. That night, a dreadful performance saw Allen allow four goals on just 10 shots.
With 33 games left on the season, the Blues' poor play in the crease must be fine-tuned, not only to preserve the team's now precarious playoff chances, but potentially the swan song of one of the game's most decorated coaches.
The race for an Eastern Conference playoff spot is as close as it's ever been, and the Toronto Maple Leafs remain right in the mix heading into the All-Star break, sitting just one point out of a wild-card slot with a few games in hand.
But Toronto could be cruising near the top of the Atlantic Division if they could just figure out how to seal the deal in the shootout. The Leafs currently boast the most shootout losses in the league, having lost six of the seven times their games have progressed past overtime.
Points are at a premium in the East right now, with only a handful separating the wild-card clubs from the four teams tied for last place. With that being the case, those added points the Leafs left on the table could prove to be significant.
Of course, lasting past regulation time did give Toronto one point in each of those six shootout losses. Though, had they managed to come up with victories, the club would be sitting with 61 points right now - good for second in the division behind the Montreal Canadiens, and well above the wild-card chaos.
The poor shootout record is especially curious given the talent level among the team's newest crop of players. Young guns Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander have all showcased their exceptional hands on numerous occasions, but that highlight-reel skill hasn't yet translated to 1-on-1 action.
Marner's been the most proficient of the trio, tallying three times through seven attempts. Matthews sports a 1-for-6 shootout record, and no other Leaf has managed a shootout goal this season.
The Leafs' faithful likely aren't complaining, as the team's current position still represents a vast improvement over their 2015-16 performance. But as Toronto heads into the season's home stretch, finishing games through 65 minutes will be a key focus, as it's clear the shootout simply isn't their cup of tea.
The Arizona Coyotes' representative at the upcoming All-Star festivities in Los Angeles has revealed a special mask for the game, combining the glamour of Hollywood with dynamic desert elements.
Mike Smith's #HockeyGoesHollywood mask is straight 🔥. Recognize some familiar faces?
Smith is one of two netminders playing as part of the Pacific Division squad, alongside San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones.
The veteran netminder has appeared in 30 games with Arizona this season, posting a .917 save percentage. Smith recorded his first shutout of the year on Thursday in a 3-0 defeat over the Vancouver Canucks.
Few teams face a trickier road ahead than the Minnesota Wild.
That's because the Wild, who sit atop the West at the All-Star break, will soon face the challenges that come with success.
Where the divisional rival Chicago Blackhawks have been hammered with keeping a winning group together under the salary cap, the Wild will face a similar difficulty ahead of the summer expansion draft.
That's when the incoming Vegas Golden Knights will have their pick of the litter from the NHL's current 30 clubs, with each team having to sacrifice one player to Sin City.
As a refresher, each club will have its choice of protection prior to the expansion draft: either seven forwards and three defensemen, or eight skaters of any combination. Each team can also protect a single goaltender.
For the Wild, the complication comes in owning arguably the league's deepest blue line. No doubt Minnesota will want to retain all of Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, Matt Dumba, and top defender Ryan Suter, who is automatically protected given his no-movement clause.
That leaves just three slots open under the second protection scenario, and it should come as no surprise that a team performing as well as the Wild has more than three forwards it will want to keep in the fold.
But the decision at the forward ranks is a difficult one for Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher, as three players hold full no-move clauses: captain Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, and Jason Pominville.
As a result, a handful of other useful players would be left exposed, including center Eric Staal, who is having a turnaround season in his first year in Minnesota, plus the likes of Charlie Coyle, Nino Niederreiter, and Mikael Granlund.
The last is Jason Zucker, and the 25-year-old has made himself part of the protection conversation given the career-best season he's currently having. Through 48 games this season, Zucker has tallied 14 goals and 19 assists, ranking fifth for points among his teammates.
One other wrinkle? Zucker is a native of Las Vegas, and it's tough to underestimate the appeal of a hometown player in a new market, particularly one that has proven to have a big impact on the game like Zucker.
For the Wild, this is just the tip of the iceberg for Zucker. The former second-round pick has already exceeded his previous career best, when he put up 26 points in just 51 games in 2014-15. This year, Zucker is on pace for more than double that number, projected to reach 56 points.
No doubt Fletcher and the Wild will want to keep Zucker around, and certainly won't want to lose him for nothing to the Golden Knights. That means somebody else will be on borrowed time in St. Paul.
In what has been the franchise's best season since joining the NHL in 2000, it's bright times ahead for the Wild, with the team a legitimate threat to win it all come June. But the challenges of that success won't be far behind.
The 24-year-old broke out with a two-goal performance against the New Jersey Devils last night, earning his first multi-goal effort of the season.
But Kuznetsov's return to elite production extends far beyond his most recent display. After posting just nine points through the first 23 games of 2016-17, the young Russian has been dominating since early December.
He's amassed 28 points over his past 26 games, righting the ship in a significant way while the Capitals have surged.
The past month heading into the All-Star break has been particularly kind to Kuznetsov. Over that span he's tied Brad Marchand for the second-most points in the league - 20 in 17 games - topped only by his captain Alex Ovechkin's 21.
Kuznetsov's 14 assists over the past month are tied for first among all skaters, level with teammate Nicklas Backstrom.
Washington has undoubtedly benefited greatly from Kuznetsov's sharp turnaround. After losing seven of 12 games before he rediscovered his offensive skill, the Caps have won 20 of their past 26 games with the young star rolling.
He's certainly getting help as Ovechkin, Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, and Justin Williams have all posted at least 17 points over the past 17 games as well, but there's no denying the Capitals are a different team with Kuznetsov firing on all cylinders.
The young pivot finished among the top-10 scorers in the league last season with 77 points to his name. If he keeps scoring at the rate he's shown over the past month (1.18 points per game), he'll tally another 39 points over the final 33 games of the year, leaving him with 76 by year's end.
After an outpouring of well-wishes from his peers, Tortorella wanted to clarify that he wasn't dealing with an emergency - instead, one of his dogs is sick, he told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch.
"I appreciate so much the number of messages I have received since the announcement," Tortorella said. "But this absolutely is not an emergency. I want to clear that up.
"I needed a few days during the All-Star break - not having to go to the All-Star Game - to take care of something very important to my family and my son."
In response to missing All-Star festivities, the NHL - just like they do with players who can't make it - made Tortorella miss a game, so he did not coach Thursday against Nashville.
The 58-year-old owns five dogs, and it's his son Nick's 10-year-old pitbull, Emma, that is in ill health. Nick, a U.S. Army Ranger, is stationed abroad.
This would have been the second All-Star Game of Tortorella's career.
Full disclosure: This was very difficult. Damn near impossible.
With the NHL set to reveal its full list of the 100 Greatest Players at the All-Star break, in celebration of its centennial season, we took a crack at our own top 10.
So many incredible talents have played in the NHL over the years. Here are the best of the best:
10. Patrick Roy
Going with Roy over Martin Brodeur was the first of many very difficult decisions, but here's why Roy gets the edge: He was a Stanley Cup winner in different eras, with two teams, and won three Conn Smythe trophies to Brodeur's zero.
Brodeur deserves all the praise in the world. His 691 regular-season wins will never be matched, he's first all time with 125 shutouts, and bests Roy in save percentage .912 to .910.
But Roy won Cups in 1986, 1993, 1996, and 2001. Three decades. Two of them in hockey-mad Montreal, one as a rookie, and while it's unfair to credit all of Brodeur's success to the systems employed by the New Jersey Devils, there's no denying their impact on Brodeur's success.
Hell, let's call it a tie, how about that?
9. Alex Ovechkin
"The Great Eight" comes in at No. 9, because there hasn't been a sniper like him since Mike Bossy and Mario Lemieux.
Among players with at least 500 regular-season games to their name, only Bossy, Lemieux, and Pavel Bure averaged more than Ovie's 0.617 goals per game. And Ovechkin's done all his damage when goalies have never been better in the history of the league.
Ovechkin's 1.139 points per game ranks 17th all time, but he's on this list because of the era his body of work falls in. And he ain't done yet.
8. Mark Messier
It's crazy for Gordie Howe not to be on this list. He's Mr. Friggin' Hockey - his career spanned five decades, his final season at age 51. But, like we said, difficult decisions had to be made, and Mark Messier's inclusion - and Howe's exclusion - was one of them.
But Messier, a key member of the Edmonton Oilers' dynasty, won six Stanley Cups - two without Wayne Gretzky. In fact, it's Messier's postseason exploits that land him on this list. Only Gretzky and Mario Lemieux were better in the playoffs.
Player
Playoffs P/PG
GP
Gretzky
1.837
208
Lemieux
1.607
107
Messier
1.250
236
Just three players played for the Cup more than Messier: Chris Chelios, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Roy. "Moose" was the ultimate leader, and it's impossible to forget his reaction as he waited for the Stanley Cup in 1994 as the New York Rangers' drought ended after 54 years.
There's never been a happier person than Stanley Cup winner Messier.
7. Jaromir Jagr
Longevity counts for something - for a lot, actually - and that's why Jagr is on this list, and he's representing Howe while he's at it.
Jagr, turning 45 on Feb. 15, ranks third all time in goals with 758, and should he play a couple more seasons - he talks about going until he's 50 - he'll pass Howe (801) and finish second to only Gretzky's 894. Had No. 68 not left North America in 2008 to play in Russia for three seasons, he'd be chasing Gretzky, not Howe.
There's more: His 134 game-winning goals rank first all time, his 1,139 assists fifth, and after recently passing Messier, only Gretzky has more points than Jagr's 1,887. He did some of his best work in the dead puck era, and is still going, leading his team in scoring last season (!), at a time when players are faster, bigger, stronger, and train harder than ever.
While Jagr's 1.130 points per game rank 20th all time, there's no denying his name deserves to sit amongst the top 10 greatest to ever lace them up.
6. Dominik Hasek
Dominik Hasek was before his time. He changed goaltending - period.
Season
NHL AVG SV%
Hasek SV%
1993-94
.895
.930
1994-95
.901
.930
1995-96
.898
.920
1996-97
.905
.930
1997-98
.906
.932
1998-99
.908
.937
Hasek has the highest save percentage in history among goalies who have played at least 700 regular-season games: .922. His 81 shutouts rank sixth all time.
"The Dominator" did it in the playoffs, too. His .925 postseason save percentage is highest all time among goalies who played at least 100 games in the spring, better than Ed Belfour (.920), Brodeur (.919), and Roy (.918).
5. Mike Bossy
No player in NHL history scored goals at Bossy's 0.762 clip. Only Lemieux (0.754) comes close.
Bossy's 1.497 points per game rank third to only Gretzky and Lemieux. He may have only played 752 games, but they were something.
In fact, in only one of Bossy's 10 seasons did he not hit the 50-goal mark. He scored 38 in 63 games in 1986-87, his final campaign at only 30 years old. He scored 60 or more five times.
Part of the New York Islanders' dynasty, Bossy certainly did his part. In winning four Stanley Cups in a row from 1980 through 1983, Bossy scored a ridiculous 61 goals in 72 games.
4. Sidney Crosby
You better believe it.
Crosby's 1.326 points per game ranks fifth all time. And he's done it in an era when goalies actually stop the puck. With 749 regular-season games to his name, the sample's big enough. "The Kid" has lived up to the hype.
No. 87 has won everything there is to win in hockey, and his 1.105 points per game in the playoffs ranks 12th in history.
3. Bobby Orr
Hall of Fame goalie Ken Dryden said it best in his book "The Game" about Bobby Orr:
Then there was Orr ...
He was the rare player who changed the perceptions of his sport. Until Orr, defensemen had been defenders, usually stocky and slow-footed, their offensive game complete when the puck had cleared the defensive zone.
Even so-called "rushing defensemen" in pre-Orr times ... rarely went much beyond the center line, moving up only as a forward moved back, dropping out of the play as soon as they made their first pass. It was Orr who broke down the barriers separating offense and defense.
Lining up as a defenseman, when the puck dropped, he became a "player," his game in instant and constant transition, until with no real transition at all, neither defenseman nor forward, both defender and attacker, he attacked to score and keep from being scored against; he defended to prevent goals and create chances to score. It was what soccer commentators would call a "total" game, what we knew as hockey of the future, and it became the model for all defensemen to follow.
Knee injuries limited Orr to only 657 regular-season games - practically a crime. But he won two Stanley Cups, and his 1.393 points per game ranks fourth all time. He's one of only two defensemen (Paul Coffey's the other) in the top 50 with respect to that statistic.
Orr literally changed his position. There's no denying his place in history.
2. Mario Lemieux
Only one player averaged more points per game in his career than "Super Mario" - that Gretzky dude.
No. 66 and No. 99 stand alone. They're the only two players in NHL history, spanning now a century, to average more than 1.50 points per game in the regular season and the playoffs.
Lemieux
Statistic
Gretzky
1.883
P/GP
1.921
0.754
G/GP
0.601
1.129
A/GP
1.320
915
GP
1487
690
G
894
1033
A
1963
1723
P
2857
Injuries and a cancer diagnosis cut Lemieux's career far too short. Between 1989 and 1994, Lemieux played only 231 of a possible 408 regular-season games. Remarkably enough, he scored 496 points over that span, winning the Art Ross Trophy in 1992-93 with 160 points in only 60 games after returning to the ice from cancer treatment.
1. Wayne Gretzky
Gretzky's numbers speak for themselves.
It's often said in sports about a player: "There will never be another." It's usually hyperbole. In Gretzky's case, it's not.
A four-time Stanley Cup champion with the Oilers, Gretzky averaged 2.40 points per game in nine seasons in Edmonton. Sure, the game was different back then, and you have to watch video to believe goalies were actually in the crease, but in a five-season span from 1981-86, Gretzky scored 200 or more points four times. He finished with career bests in 1985-86: 215 points and 163 assists.
There's a reason why 99 is the only number retired NHL-wide.
Notable Omissions
Marcel Dionne belongs on this list, his 1.314 points per game average ranking sixth all time. He scored 50 or more six times, his 0.542 goals per game coming in at 11th among those who played at least 700 games.
We're seriously very sorry, Mr. Brodeur.
Only one defenseman on the list, and he produced like a forward. That'll upset some folks. Ray Bourque and Coffey definitely deserve some more love, that's for sure.
Peter Stastny, Phil Esposito, Steve Yzerman, Joe Sakic, Guy Lafleur, Peter Forsberg. The list goes on and on and on.
