SOUTHEAST DIVISION
Washington Capitals- Peter Bondra
There is no doubt in my mind that one day Alexander Ovechkin will be the Caps all-time leader in just about every major statistical category. Until then, Bondra will be known as the face Washington's club. With the most points in franchise history, the five time all-star and two time scoring champ tops the team's list.
Atlanta Thrashers- Ilya Kovalchuk
Not much to say for this one.
Carolina Hurricanes- Ron Francis
Francis played 1186 games for the Hurricanes/Whalers. His 1175 points dwarf everyone else on the list (Kevin Dineen is second with 544) and he was one of the top centerman in the NHL for many many years.
Florida Panthers- Scott Mellanby
A tough choice between him and Olli Jokinen, Mellanby gets the nod because he led Florida to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1995-96.
Tampa Bay Lightning- Vincent Lecavalier
Vinnie is tops in the franchise's record book in games played, goals, assists, points, power play goals, even strength goals, and game winning goals. And he was the captain of the 2003-04 Cup winning team.
ATLANTIC DIVISION
New York Rangers- Mark Messier
While many players put up better numbers for the blueshirts, none had the impact of Messier. Who can forget his guarantee before game six of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals against the Devils? He backed it up with a hat trick and led the Rangers to their first title in 54 years.
New York Islanders- Mike Bossy
The first player to score 50 goals in 50 games since Rocket Richard, Bossy is the franchise's all-time scoring leader and won four straight Cups on Long Island.
New Jersey Devils- Martin Brodeur
He has played 14 seasons in New Jersey (so far) and won three Stanley Cups. Brodeur has won the Vezina Trophy four times, the Jennings four times, and his 544 wins put him second in NHL history.
Pittsburgh Penguins- Mario Lemieux
No debate here. Lemieux was one of the best players to ever lace 'em up and won back to back cups in 1991 and '92. His career stats are simply remarkable.
Philadelphia Flyers- Bobby Clarke
The longtime captain of the Broad Street Bullies is the franchise's all-time leader in games played, assists, and points. He accumulated 1,453 penalty minutes in his career, and was a plus-546 in his 15 seasons in Philadelphia.
NORTHEAST DIVISION
Ottawa Senators- Daniel Alfredsson
Alfredsson has played for the Sens since the club's second year of existence (1995). He tops the franchise in pretty much every major category, and has captained Ottawa for the last decade or so.
Buffalo Sabres- Gilbert Perreault
The first overall pick by Buffalo in 1970, Perreault spent 17 seasons in western New York, and leads the organization in goals, assists, points, and games played.
Toronto Maple Leafs- Mats Sundin
Sundin narrowly edged out Darryl Sittler (even though he never had a 10 point game) because he has more goals, assists, points, power play goals, shorthanded goals, and game winners. That, and he was a plus-99 in his 981 games as a Toronto Maple Leaf.
Montreal Canadiens-Guy Lafleur
While it was difficult to go against Jean Beliveau or Rocket Richard, Lafleur is number one for the Habs. First in assists, points, and game winning goals, Lafleur won five Cups in Montreal, plus two Hart Trophies and was named to six all-star games during his time with the Canadiens.
Boston Bruins- Bobby OrrIt was so hard to pick against Ray Bourque, one of my all-time favorites, but Orr is the logical choice here. Despite retiring early because of recurring injury problems, Orr won eight Norris trophies, three Hart trophies, and two Conn Smythe trophies as the playoff MVP. Widely regarded as the greatest player of all-time, Orr's series winning overtime goal against St. Louis in 1970 is one of the most famous images in the history of the NHL.
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