Detroit Red Wings’ 2001-02 Club Represented Heavily in NHL’s Top 100 Players List
Nine players from the Detroit Red Wings’ Stanley Cup-winning 2001-02 club were featured on the NHL’s top 100 players of all-time list.
Last night in Los Angeles, the NHL revealed the 67 remaining players in their top 100 of all-time list after releasing the first 33 on New Year’s Day; and of those 67, nine were on that Stanley Cup-winning 2001-02 Detroit Red Wings team.
That’s right: Chris Chelios, Pavel Datsyuk, Sergei Fedorov, Dominik Hasek, Brett Hull, Nicklas Lidstrom, Luc Robitaille, Brendan Shanahan, and Steve Yzerman.
Pavel Datsyuk is the only one not currently enshrined in the Hall of Fame, though everyone knows he will end up there some day.
The one Hall of Famer from that 2001-02 team who wasn’t represented on the top 100 list? Igor Larionov. Remember though, he spent a good chunk of his playing career in the Soviet Union before coming to the NHL.
This just confirms that the 2001-02 Red Wings were not only the greatest Red Wings team of all-time, but also one of the greatest NHL teams of all-time. Boy were we spoiled back then!
Here are the remaining 58 players, separated by decade (a few of these guys were former Red Wings as well):
1970s: Bobby Clarke, Yvan Cournoyer, Marcel Dionne, Ken Dryden, Phil Esposito, Tony Esposito, Bob Gainey, Bobby Hull, Guy Lafleur, Jacques Lemaire, Stan Mikita, Bobby Orr, Bernie Parent, Brad Park, Gilbert Perreault, Jean Ratelle, Larry Robinson, Serge Savard, Darryl Sittler.
1980s: Mike Bossy, Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr, Mike Gartner, Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Pat LaFontaine, Al MacInnis, Mark Messier, Denis Potvin, Borje Salming, Denis Savard, Billy Smith, Peter Stastny, Bryan Trottier.
1990s: Pavel Bure, Peter Forsberg, Ron Francis, Brian Leetch, Mario Lemieux, Eric Lindros, Mike Modano, Scott Niedermayer, Joe Nieuwendyk, Adam Oates, Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic, Scott Stevens, Mats Sundin.
2000s: Martin Brodeur, Chris Pronger, Teemu Selanne.
Current Players: Sidney Crosby, Jaromir Jagr, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Alex Ovechkin, Jonathan Toews.