National Hockey League: Difference between revisions

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The National Hockey League is a professional [[Ice Hockey]] league in North America. Founded in 1917, it is composed of 30 teams: 23 in the [[Useful Notes/The United States|United States]] and seven in [[Canada Eh|Canada]]. The [[Stanley Cup]] represents the league's championship, and is the oldest challenge trophy in North America; traditionally, each member of the championship team gets possession of Lord Stanley's Bowl for a day, and it has had [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditions_and_anecdotes_associated_with_the_Stanley_Cup#Misadventures some odd misadventures] in its time.

The National Hockey League is a professional [[Ice Hockey]] league in North America. Founded in 1917, it is composed of 30 teams: 23 in the [[Useful Notes/The United States|United States]] and seven in [[Canada, Eh?|Canada]]. The [[Stanley Cup]] represents the league's championship, and is the oldest challenge trophy in North America; traditionally, each member of the championship team gets possession of Lord Stanley's Bowl for a day, and it has had [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditions_and_anecdotes_associated_with_the_Stanley_Cup#Misadventures some odd misadventures] in its time.

It is a member of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_professional_sports_leagues_in_the_United_States_and_Canada "Big Four" American and Canadian Sporting Leagues] along with the [[Useful Notes/American Football|National Football League]], [[Useful Notes/Baseball|Major League Baseball]], and the [[Useful Notes/Basketball|National Basketball Association]]...when it is not the butt of [[My Friends and Zoidberg]] jokes. ([[Don't Explain the Joke|In which they are referred to as]] ''"[[American Football|The]] [[Basketball|Big]] [[Baseball|Three]] Sports...and [[Butt Monkey|Hockey]]."''.)

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* ''[[Useful Notes/Boston|Boston]] Bruins'': Current [[Stanley Cup]] champs. First NHL team south of the border. Famous former players include Bobby Orr, Cam Neely and Ray Bourque. Current captain and defenseman [[The Big Guy|Zdeno Chára]] is the tallest guy ever to play in the league<ref> 6'9" (2.06m)</ref>. Have won the 2nd most titles among US teams, behind Detroit. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDpKx4w_NIc They don't like Montreal.]

* ''[[The Windy City|Chicago]] Blackhawks'': A team with both history (Tony Esposito, Bobby Hull) and rising stars (Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews). Known for the longest time of having an incredibly stingy owner who would place the bottom line over winning the [[Stanley Cup]]. Interestingly, as soon as said owner died ([[Zero Percent Approval Rating|to boos from the fans]] when asked for a moment of silence), his son took over and changed things. One of those things was finally allowing home games to be broadcast on Chicago TV. That has pushed CSN Chicago and WGN to their highest ratings ever. Even NBC and Versus have enjoyed some of the highest ratings they've had for playoff games. [[And the Fandom Rejoiced|Everyone was very happy]] and the team suddenly played very well. They really don't like Detroit and they don't like Vancouver much [http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago_sports_mob/2011/04/vince-vaughn-taunts-roberto-luongo.html either].

* ''[[Motor City|Detroit]] Red Wings'': Consistently good (have made the playoffs the last 21 years) within recent memory and therefore hated outside Detroit. The general dislike is newer than a lot of people think, since the post-expansion revival came after almost twenty years of being somewhat of a league [[Butt Monkey]] and a strenuous rebuilding process. Before then, there just weren't as many teams to pass the Cup around to, but they were the most dominant of the American-based teams. Fans have a habit of chucking [[~~Everythings~~ Squishier With Cephalopods|octopi]] onto the ice during the playoffs (in the Original Six days a playoff team needed to beat two teams in best-of-7, thus eight wins, to win the Cup). The feelings between them and Chicago are mutual, but Detroit fans tend to have [[Sarcasm Mode|more creative chants]].

* ''[[Motor City|Detroit]] Red Wings'': Consistently good (have made the playoffs the last 21 years) within recent memory and therefore hated outside Detroit. The general dislike is newer than a lot of people think, since the post-expansion revival came after almost twenty years of being somewhat of a league [[Butt Monkey]] and a strenuous rebuilding process. Before then, there just weren't as many teams to pass the Cup around to, but they were the most dominant of the American-based teams. Fans have a habit of chucking [[Everything's Squishier With Cephalopods|octopi]] onto the ice during the playoffs (in the Original Six days a playoff team needed to beat two teams in best-of-7, thus eight wins, to win the Cup). The feelings between them and Chicago are mutual, but Detroit fans tend to have [[Sarcasm Mode|more creative chants]].

* ''[[Montreal]] Canadiens'': AKA the Habs<ref>for "Les Habitants", an old term for French-origin inhabitants of Quebec</ref>. Older than the NHL; their history begins in the NHL's predecessor league, the National Hockey Association. Has won 24 championships, a feat surpassed only by the [[Useful Notes/Baseball|New York Yankees]]. Also the last Canadian team to win the Cup (1993). Goaltender Jacques Plante made the goalie mask regular gear after stopping an Andy Bathgate slapshot with his nose in 1959. Pretty much the team of French Canada with the departure of the Quebec Nordiques to Colorado in 1995. Their long, storied history includes some legendary French players: Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Jean Beliveau, Guy Lafleur and Patrick Roy. [[The Rival|They hate Toronto with a passion]], they surely don't like Boston, and they really don't like [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jimZ1tSdPY0 Zdeno Chara].

* ''[[Big Applesauce|New York]] Rangers'': AKA the Blueshirts. Name comes from the fact that the first owner was a guy named [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Tex]].<ref> "Tex's Rangers"</ref> Most recent year of glory was 1994, when the Curse of 1940 [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzq2AhbXSeY was broken] (the longest Cup drought in history at 53 seasons). The Rangers have a fierce rivalry with the Devils, which made Messier's Game 6 hat trick and Matteau's double OT goal in Game 7 of the 1994 Conference Finals that much sweeter. Has a recent history of overpaying for players, though management seems to be trying to change that. The team no longer plays [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaYm0wQtztU "Let's Go Band"] at home games because every time it's played, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epUWCHxrdSQmany diehards will chant "Potvin sucks!"].

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** ''Dallas Stars'': Formerly the Minnesota North Stars. One of the teams created in the 1967 Expansion. Faced several ownership issues in Minnesota, including a merger with another failed team in 1978 (the Oakland Seals/California Golden Seals/Cleveland Barons), and a threat to move the team to San Jose before the merger was dissolved with the formation of the Sharks. Despite leaving a hockey-rich market in 1993, the Stars have surprisingly thrived in Dallas, winning the Cup in 1999 (although the nature of the Cup-winning goal remains a [[Berserk Button|point of contention, especially in Buffalo]]).

** ''Los Angeles Kings'': One of the teams created in the 1967 Expansion. The team traded for Wayne Gretzky in 1988, a move which probably saved the Kings but almost caused the Canadian government to interfere ([[Serious Business]] doesn't begin to describe hockey in Canada). Was the NHL's first team in a warm-weather city. Has a rather large and loyal fanbase.

** ''Phoenix Coyotes'': Formerly the original Winnipeg Jets. The team's currently in the discussion for relocation, mainly due to their last owner filing the team for bankruptcy. Maybe to Hamilton, Ontario; maybe Quebec City, maybe Kansas City, who the Hell really knows at this point. Two things are for sure; they won't be moving back to Winnipeg since that position's already been filled, and [[Well Intentioned Extremist|the league seems Hell-bent on keeping them in Phoenix]]. Surprised everybody in 2009/10 as [[Ensemble Darkhorse|one of the best teams in the league]], finishing second in their division with 50 wins. They'd then do it again 2 years later by winning their first ''ever'' divisional championship... for '''both sides of the franchise'''! This marks the third time in a row that they'd make it to the playoffs, which would make Phoenix all the more disappointed if the Coyotes move.

** ''Phoenix Coyotes'': Formerly the original Winnipeg Jets. The team's currently in the discussion for relocation, mainly due to their last owner filing the team for bankruptcy. Maybe to Hamilton, Ontario; maybe Quebec City, maybe Kansas City, who the Hell really knows at this point. Two things are for sure; they won't be moving back to Winnipeg since that position's already been filled, and [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|the league seems Hell-bent on keeping them in Phoenix]]. Surprised everybody in 2009/10 as [[Ensemble Darkhorse|one of the best teams in the league]], finishing second in their division with 50 wins. They'd then do it again 2 years later by winning their first ''ever'' divisional championship... for '''both sides of the franchise'''! This marks the third time in a row that they'd make it to the playoffs, which would make Phoenix all the more disappointed if the Coyotes move.

** ''San Jose Sharks'': The first team of the 1990s expansion, born out of a failed attempt to relocate the North Stars to the Bay Area, and one of the more successful examples from a business perspective. They currently have a reputation of doing well in the regular season but [[Every Year They Fizzle Out|not so well come playoff time]]; in 2010 and 2011 they made it to the Western Conference Finals, but lost in 4 and 5 games, respectively. Of late, sports media and many fans seem to feel the "choker" label no longer applies (both teams they have lost to in the recent Finals were extremely potent), but popular opinion being what it is, they will likely be "chokers" until they win a Cup.

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*** His records are so dominating that, in the eleven years since he's retired, his career points (a point being a goal or an assist) is still completely untouched, more than ''1000'' points higher than second place. Besides scoring more goals than anyone in league history (894), even if you only count his assists, the amount still tops any other player's career point total.

*** Gretzky has finished his career with over 2800 points. The next one in the scoring lists is Mark Messier with 1800 career points.

** Gordie Howe - The man who held most of the league's records before Gretzky came along and smashed them. Also known as Mr. Hockey. The unofficial stat of a 'Gordie Howe Hat Trick' is named ofter him, indicating that a player has scored a goal, an assist, and a fighting major in one game, even though [[Beam Me Up Scotty|Howe himself rarely accomplished this feat]]. Howe came out of retirement to play alongside his sons in [[The Rival|the World Hockey Association]] before retiring again with the Whalers in 1980. He then came out of retirement ''again'' to play a shift with a minor league team in the 1990s for the sole purpose of becoming the only man ever to play professional hockey in six consecutive decades. Gretzky's hero growing up - the two would play on a line together at the 1980 All Star Game.

** Gordie Howe - The man who held most of the league's records before Gretzky came along and smashed them. Also known as Mr. Hockey. The unofficial stat of a 'Gordie Howe Hat Trick' is named ofter him, indicating that a player has scored a goal, an assist, and a fighting major in one game, even though [[Beam Me Up, Scotty|Howe himself rarely accomplished this feat]]. Howe came out of retirement to play alongside his sons in [[The Rival|the World Hockey Association]] before retiring again with the Whalers in 1980. He then came out of retirement ''again'' to play a shift with a minor league team in the 1990s for the sole purpose of becoming the only man ever to play professional hockey in six consecutive decades. Gretzky's hero growing up - the two would play on a line together at the 1980 All Star Game.

** Maurice "the Rocket" Richard - One of the greatest players in his generation and best goalscorers of any. First player to ever score fifty goals in fifty games. Not many have followed.

** Bobby Hull & Brett Hull - Father and son who, while never played during the same years, were both feared for their booming shot. Bobby stunned the hockey world in 1972 for jumping to [[The Rival|the World Hockey Association]] and the first million-dollar contract in hockey history. Between them, they've scored over 1300 NHL goals. "The Golden Jet" and "The Golden Brett".

** Stan Mikita - Along with Bobby Hull is considered one of the greatest Blackhawks of all time, having developed a distinct [[Red Oni Blue Oni]] playing style with Hull that proved highly effective<ref>and is somewhat mirrored with modern Hawk stars Jonathan Toews (blue) and Patrick Kane (red)</ref> and led to the team's 1961 Cup. The two were honored in 2011 with life-size bronze statues outside the United Center right by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jordan that one guy who tends to be associated with great Chicago atheletes.]

** Stan Mikita - Along with Bobby Hull is considered one of the greatest Blackhawks of all time, having developed a distinct [[Red Oni, Blue Oni]] playing style with Hull that proved highly effective<ref>and is somewhat mirrored with modern Hawk stars Jonathan Toews (blue) and Patrick Kane (red)</ref> and led to the team's 1961 Cup. The two were honored in 2011 with life-size bronze statues outside the United Center right by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jordan that one guy who tends to be associated with great Chicago atheletes.]

** Guy Lafleur - A dynamic offensive star for the Canadiens during theseventies. Known for his hair flying behind him as he zoomed down the wing. "The Flower".

** Mario Lemieux - Perhaps the only player who could rival Wayne Gretzky (Gretzky said Mario was actually better than he was) in skill, and points (1.88 points per game to Gretzky's 1.92), if his career wasn't plagued by injuries: chronic back problems (to the point he could hardly tie up his own skates), lots of hip issues and ''[[Crowning Moment of Awesome|freakin' cancer]]'', before finally retiring due to a heart issue. He retired once previously for three years, and took a full year off. Currently part of the ownership group of the Penguins. Wore #66.

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** Mark Messier - The [[Last of His Kind|last WHA-era player to retire after the merger]]. "The Moose". Won the Stanley Cup five times with Edmonton, but is better known for winning it with the Rangers in 1994 - he's the only player to ever captain two different teams to the Cup. He is often considered to be one of the greatest leaders to ever play hockey, sometimes nicknamed 'The Messiah' in New York for his legendary playoff performance with the Rangers in 1994. Second to Gretzky in all time points scored, though by a ''wide'' margin (1887 points to Gretzky's 2857).

** Sidney Crosby - [[Your Mileage May Vary|One of the best players playing today]], and the one most likely to be recognized by non-hockey fans. Scored the game winning goal for Canada in the 2010 Olympic finals. Also one of [[Americans Hate Tingle|most hated players outside of Pittsburgh, particularly in Washington, Philadelphia, and Detroit]]. When it comes to international hockey, pretty much all of the US hates him because of the aforementioned gold medal-winning goal, which came against the United States. Was sidlined with a concussion in consecutive games in early 2011<ref>the former of which being the outdoor Winter Classic</ref> and was out until Nevember when he returned for a couple weeks but was out once again until March. (Unintentially) the face of a string of high-profile concussions currently plaguing teams and players throughout the league.

** Mike Modano - Probably the best player in Stars history, so much so that even though he signed with Detroit, when he returned to Dallas they still cheered for him. Currently holds the scoring record among American-born players. Married to [[Friday the ~~13 th~~ (Film)|Willa Ford]].

** Mike Modano - Probably the best player in Stars history, so much so that even though he signed with Detroit, when he returned to Dallas they still cheered for him. Currently holds the scoring record among American-born players. Married to [[Friday the 13th (Film)|Willa Ford]].

** Dave "Tiger" Williams - The NHL's all-time leader in penalty minutes with a staggering 3966 in 962 games. A feared fighter who was also fairly productive offensively with several 20 goal seasons (and one with 35) compiling a very respectable 513 career points total. A colorful character in theseventies and eighties, (in)famous for his ride-your-stick-like-it's-a-broom goal celebration.

** Teemu Selanne - The Finnish Flash. Now in his forties and still going strong, an Anaheim Duck for the second time, he's one of the most prolific goal scorers in league history and holds the record for most goals and points in his rookie season. A mainstay on the Finnish national team, he's played in four Olympics and is considered a national hero.

** Pavel Bure - "The Russian Rocket" - one of the premiere goalscorers of thenineties. A dynamic talent, his career was ended prematurely by injuries. The last player to post back-to-back sixty goal seasons.

** Alexander Ovechkin - Captain of Washington, and one of the most electrifying players in the league today. [[Your Mileage May Vary|Fans either love his energy, or hate his showboating]]. Despite being one of the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e55muGzKK5o most eligible bachelors] in professional sports, he prefers [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wndsFyb2to the simple family life] and is an admitted [[~~Mommas~~ Boy]]. Of course his mother is an [[Cool Old Lady|two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner]] from the Soviet women's basketball team. He is also apparently BFFs with [[Jersey Shore|DJ Pauly D]].

** Alexander Ovechkin - Captain of Washington, and one of the most electrifying players in the league today. [[Your Mileage May Vary|Fans either love his energy, or hate his showboating]]. Despite being one of the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e55muGzKK5o most eligible bachelors] in professional sports, he prefers [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wndsFyb2to the simple family life] and is an admitted [[Momma's Boy]]. Of course his mother is an [[Cool Old Lady|two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner]] from the Soviet women's basketball team. He is also apparently BFFs with [[Jersey Shore|DJ Pauly D]].

** Daniel and Henrik Sedin - Identical twins that have played together for their entire lives, except for during the 2011 All Star Game, when they were [[They Changed It Now It Sucks|drafted]] by opposite teams. Considered to be two of the best players currently playing, in the past two years they have both each individually won the award for the league's highest scorer (along with various league MVP awards, Henrik with the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2009-10 and Daniel with the Ted Lindsay Award in 2010-11).

** Daniel and Henrik Sedin - Identical twins that have played together for their entire lives, except for during the 2011 All Star Game, when they were [[They Changed It, Now It Sucks|drafted]] by opposite teams. Considered to be two of the best players currently playing, in the past two years they have both each individually won the award for the league's highest scorer (along with various league MVP awards, Henrik with the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2009-10 and Daniel with the Ted Lindsay Award in 2010-11).

** Joe Thornton - Captain of the San Jose Sharks, called "Jumbo Joe" for his large size. Considered one of the best passers in the League (he consistently has some of the most assists in the entire League), has recently drawn some comparisons to Steve Yzerman (see below) for committing to the defensive side of the game at the cost of reduced offense. Also known as a very nice guy during interviews and off the ice, but recently has started to react to the media with snarl and a little condescension due to their continued insistence on trotting out the "choker" label whenever the Sharks start to do poorly.

** Steve Yzerman - The longest-serving captain in NHL history, wearing the "C" for Detroit for twenty years (19 seasons due to the 2004-05 lockout). Once an offensive superstar that approached Gretzky and Lemieux's scoring skills, Yzerman reinvented himself as a two-way player to help lead the Wings to three Stanley Cup titles. As GM for Team Canada, he put together the 2010 Gold-winning squad, and is the latest GM for the Tampa Bay Lightning (the position in Detroit not opening up any time soon).

** Paul Henderson - A very good player in the NHL and later WHA in thesixties and seventies but famous for scoring the [[Your Mileage May Vary|most dramatic and important goal in Canadian hockey history]] - the series-winning goal in the final game of the epic 1972 Summit Series vs theSoviets.

** Sean Avery - The most hated player in the league. He was traded from the Red Wings to the Kings as a result of his behavior. He was then traded from the Kings to the Rangers in 2006, and the New York fans fell in love with his attitude that culminated in introducing an ingenious but outlandish [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec_2oKWe2Gw tactic] against the rival Devils in the 2008 playoffs. He signed with Dallas after that year to make more money, but was suspended and ordered to enter anger management by the league after making a crack about Dion Phaneuf getting his [[Elisha Cuthbert|sloppy seconds]] before a game. He was waived and rejoined the Rangers later that year, and retired with them three years later because head coach John Tortorella notoriously disliked him, regularly demoting him without reason. Notably, he has [[Hidden Depths|different sides]] - he is very fashion-conscious (once interning with ''Vogue'' magazine one summer) and [[Jerk With a Heart of Gold|appeared in an]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGGH3M9NKBI ad publicly supporting gay marriage], leaving many detractors in the decidedly weird position of siding with him.

** Jonathan Toews - Captain of the Blackhawks and the youngest member of the Triple Gold Club. Known as [[Fan Nickname|Captain Serious]] for his somewhat cold demeanor that occasionally borders on [[Stop Having Fun Guys]]. Has a notable [[Heterosexual Life Partners|bromance]] with Patrick Kane.

** Jonathan Toews - Captain of the Blackhawks and the youngest member of the Triple Gold Club. Known as [[Fan Nickname|Captain Serious]] for his somewhat cold demeanor that occasionally borders on [["Stop Having Fun!" Guys]]. Has a notable [[Heterosexual Life Partners|bromance]] with Patrick Kane.

** Patrick Kane - The [[Red Oni Blue Oni|red to Toews' blue]]. Scored one of the more [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEuUXLFbV9A awkward] cup-clinching goals in recent years in overtime against the Flyers. It took several seconds for anyone else to realize the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH9gI-NRFxs puck was in the net]. A somewhat polarizing figure because of percieved arrogance, temperment, and [[Arson Murder and Jaywalking|unwillingness to pay 20 cents]].

** Patrick Kane - The [[Red Oni, Blue Oni|red to Toews' blue]]. Scored one of the more [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEuUXLFbV9A awkward] cup-clinching goals in recent years in overtime against the Flyers. It took several seconds for anyone else to realize the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH9gI-NRFxs puck was in the net]. A somewhat polarizing figure because of percieved arrogance, temperment, and [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|unwillingness to pay 20 cents]].

** Joe Sakic - One of the longest serving and most revered player and captain in the National Hockey League when he played for the Quebec Nordiques and Colorado Avalanche. Is known best for [[The Ace|his amazing all around play, amazing maturity]], and for what is known as probably one of the classiest acts in sports history, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-adnOYdqJg defying tradition by handing the Stanley Cup over to Ray Bourque (who has waited 22 years to win the cup) instead of lifting it himself].

** Bob Probert - Considered one of the greatest enforcers ever to play the game. But he was far from a one dimensional fighter, averaging around 15 goals a year in his early seasons and once putting up 29 to go with 62 points and 398 penalty minutes. A member of the fairly exlusive 3000 career penalty club in the NHL with 3300 in 935 games.

** Jarome Iginla (Full name - [[Awesome McCoolname|Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla]]) - [[But Not Too Foreign|Half-Canadian, half-African]] captain of the Calgary Flames. [[Lightning Bruiser|One of the most recognizable power forwards currently playing]] and recognized as [[Officer and A Gentleman|being one of the kindest individuals around despite having a bruising and physically punishing play style]]. Also, the Golden Goal Sidney Crosby socred to win gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics? Iginla made the pass. Has two Olympic golds, but is still gunning for his first Stanley Cup.

** [[Troll|Dave Bolland]] - Center for the Blackhawks and definite [[Ensemble Darkhorse|fan favorite]] due to being a central figure in the Hawks' current rivalry with Vancouver. One of the few players in the league known for being exceptionally good at shutting down the Sedins and their [[Creepy Twins]] play style. Was injured with a concussion in a game against the Lightning in March 2011 and didn't return until game 4 of the first round of the playoffs. He did so in dramatic fashion, preventing a sweep and changing the momentum of the series to eventually force game 7. This combined with certain personality [[Cloudcuckoolander|quirks]], such as never smiling after a goal only to [https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-oLWZknQ1EOg/TgmqOj16RhI/AAAAAAAAArI/F1WWHQ-sApI/s576/bolly.jpg laugh hysterically all the way to the penalty box] has earned him great [[Memetic Badass]] status of the [[Crazy Awesome]] variety. [[Wild Mass Guessing|Suspected]] [http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsrt0yBKI01qd6oq7o1_500.jpg of being] a [[Time Lord]].

*** It's Bolly, [[This Is for Emphasis Bitch|bitch]].

*** It's Bolly, [[This Is for Emphasis, Bitch|bitch]].

** Steven Stamkos. Centre for the Tampa Bay Lightning, known for his speed and scoring ability. His career started off with an unremarkable rookie year (which he blamed on improper off-ice training), but [[Growing the Beard|quickly improved]], winning the Rocket Richard trophy the following year. Took a puck to the nose in the 2011 Eastern Conference finals, [[The Determinator|only to reappear]] minutes later with a face cage, impressing pretty much everybody.

** Paul "BizNasty" Bissonette - Enforcer for the Coyotes who is more notable for his [[Twitter]] account than his his playing. Aside from frequently [[Defying the Censors|bringing the league PR team to tears]], he revels in [[Self Deprecation]] about being a perennial fourth-liner and/or "healthy scratch" and has built up a solid fanbase in doing so. May be the reason the league has now instituted a social media blackout for players on gamedays. You can (and should) follow him right [http://www.twitter.com/biznasty2point0 here].

** Paul "BizNasty" Bissonette - Enforcer for the Coyotes who is more notable for his [[Twitter]] account than his his playing. Aside from frequently [[Defying the Censors|bringing the league PR team to tears]], he revels in [[Self-Deprecation]] about being a perennial fourth-liner and/or "healthy scratch" and has built up a solid fanbase in doing so. May be the reason the league has now instituted a social media blackout for players on gamedays. You can (and should) follow him right [http://www.twitter.com/biznasty2point0 here].

** Dan "CarBomb" Carcillo - BizNasty's former partner in crime who, having bounced around several teams became a very [[Your Mileage May Vary|polarizing]] figure among said teams' fanbases, most recently in Philadelphia. For the 2011 season he signed with Chicago who's fans, after some initial skepticism<ref>there was still some bad blood from the 2010 Cup Finals</ref> very quickly [[Breakout Character|welcomed him with open arms]]. His original twitter accout was deleted after an infamous tweet about a girl who just wanted her Daddy to be proud that may have been the reason for [[Rescued From the Scrappy Heap|his favorable reception by Hawks fans]]. His new (slightly more SFW) account is right [http://www.twitter.com/carbombboom13 here].

*** [[Memetic Mutation|turn on or no?]]

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** Ron Hextall - Best known for his years in Philadelphia, Hextall changed the way goalies played by his willingness to come out of the net (''way'' out of the net) and aggressively pass the puck forward instead of stopping it or guiding it to the side for a teammate to pick up. He was the first goaltender in NHL history to [[Crazy Enough to Work|deliberately score a goal]] (instead of getting credit for the goal by being the last player to touch the puck before the opposing team screwed up and scored on their own net). Also well known for using his stick as an axe on opposing players' legs and even fighting.

** Marc Andre Fluery- Goalie for the Penguins, known for being very flexible and able to make amazing saves, particularly the save on Alex Ovechin during game 7 of the 2009 Eastern Semifinals which was a major turning point in the game that led to the Pens absolutely dominating the Caps. He also had a memorable save in the final seconds of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, literally jumping to the side of the net ala a Secret Service man taking the bullet for the President.

** Henrik Lundqvist - [[Fan Nickname|King Henrik]], goalie for the Rangers. Hails from Sweden and led the national team to Olympic Gold at the 2006 Torino games. Well known amongst fans [[In Universe|and throughout the league]] for being not only be really [[The Ace|really good]], but being really ''really'' [http://images.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1600&bih=799&q=henrik+lundqvist&gbv=2&oq=henrik+lundqvist&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=746l4299l0l4883l16l12l0l6l6l0l172l741l1.5l6l0 attractive], to the point that few fans [[Even the Guys Want Him|and even other players]] haven't fallen into moments of [[Stupid Sexy Flanders]] upon seeing him without a mask, including a [[~~Everythings~~ Better With Princesses|Swedish Princess]] if rumors are true. Naturally, it's led to great amounts of [[Memetic Sex God]] status.

** Henrik Lundqvist - [[Fan Nickname|King Henrik]], goalie for the Rangers. Hails from Sweden and led the national team to Olympic Gold at the 2006 Torino games. Well known amongst fans [[In Universe|and throughout the league]] for being not only be really [[The Ace|really good]], but being really ''really'' [http://images.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1600&bih=799&q=henrik+lundqvist&gbv=2&oq=henrik+lundqvist&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=746l4299l0l4883l16l12l0l6l6l0l172l741l1.5l6l0 attractive], to the point that few fans [[Even the Guys Want Him|and even other players]] haven't fallen into moments of [[Stupid Sexy Flanders]] upon seeing him without a mask, including a [[Everything's Better With Princesses|Swedish Princess]] if rumors are true. Naturally, it's led to great amounts of [[Memetic Sex God]] status.

** Ilya Bryzgalov - Russian-born goaltender for the Flyers who previously won the Cup with Anaheim in 2007. Became the [[Breakout Character]] in the 2011-12 edition of [[NHL 247 (TV)|24/7]] which showed the entire hockey world his [[Cloudcuckoolander|happy-go-lucky, philosophic self]], at least [[It Got Worse|until his play started hitting a slump]] at which point the world also saw a much more [[Beware the Nice Ones|jaded and cynical]] side that led to league-wide [[The Woobie|woobie]] status. It's not hard to drawn comparisons between him and a [[Axis Powers Hetalia|certain Russian well known on this very wiki]].

** Tom Barrasso - American-born goaltender that while he had a good start with the Buffalo Sabres, [[My Real Daddy|his stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins is more well-known]]. Stepped up into the big leagues [[Jumped At the Call|''at the age of 18'']], a feat that has hardly been equaled ever since and proved to be one of the best marquee goalies of his time thanks to his impressive agility and stick handling skills and became the first American goalie to amass 300 wins. [[The Mentor|He's currently mentoring Cam Ward]] as the Carolina Hurracanes' goaltending coach.