Who are my top 5 favorite hockey players?
1. Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky wasn’t the fastest skater and didn’t have the best shot. However, Gretzky’s vision helped him become the greatest goal scorer and playmaker in NHL history. Gretzky’s NHL record in career points is unlikely to ever be broken. The player with the second most points in NHL history (Mark Messier) has 970 fewer points (as Gretzky finished his career with 2,857 points while Messier finished his career with 1,887 points).
2. Jarome Iginla. Iginla was a dominant power forward for the Flames throughout his career. Iginla led the Flames offensively as they made it to game seven of the Stanley Cup finals in 2004.
3. Miikka Kiprusoff. Kiprusoff was the best goalie I’ve ever seen in a Flames uniform. Without Kiprusoff, the Flames wouldn’t have made the playoffs in 2004.
4. Gary Roberts. I started watching hockey in 1992. Roberts was a power forward who was consistent offensively for the Flames from 1989 to 1996. After Roberts retired, he became a fitness instructor. In the past few years, Roberts’ biggest success story as a trainer was when he worked with Steven Stamkos.
5. Craig Conroy. Conroy had a terrific attitude, as he was someone who was always positive when he played for the Flames. Conroy was excellent defensively, and had his best offensive year with Iginla in 2004. One of my favorite memories about Conroy was when he called the radio during the 2004 playoffs, as he was extremely excited after a win.
