The Top Ten European NHLers of All Time

Originally published in Rinkside in 2005

By Lucas Aykroyd

The invention of the airplane. The fall of the Berlin Wall. The emergence of the Internet. Some events irrevocably change the way we experience the world. Over the last 40 years of hockey history, we’ve seen a comparably huge change in the NHL’s attitude toward European-trained talent. Without that, we wouldn’t even be contemplating an all-time Top Ten list of European NHLers.

Consider this dismissive quote about one of Europe’s top stars: “The Swede has talent but is shy in the muscle department. He has the size but either neglects or refuses to capitalize on it. Body contact is frowned upon in Europe, and Ulf’s biggest trouble since turning pro is getting used to the banging around that North American skaters take.”

That was veteran sportswriter Red Foley’s evaluation of Ulf Sterner when the two-time Olympian joined the New York Rangers in 1964-65. The skilled left winger was the first European-trained player ever to appear in the NHL. But Sterner had little impact, going scoreless in four career games.

For decades, NHL teams remained skeptical about adding Europeans to their rosters. Many, like Sterner, seemed to lack a physical game. By NHL standards, they passed too much and paid scant attention to defensive duties. And scouts thought European goalies played too deep in their nets for the NHL game and had difficulty handling the puck.

But by the 1970’s, the League was into a full-fledged expansion phase, creating new jobs that had to be filled. Slowly at first, the influx of Europeans began. It was mostly Swedes and Finns, plus the occasional defector from Communist Czechoslovakia. By the early 1980’s, Europeans comprised about 8 percent of NHLers. The demise of the Soviet Bloc in the early 1990’s would truly open up the floodgates of talent from the Old World.

Now, Europeans are appreciated for both their talent and their hard work. Last season, about 30 percent of the League’s 700-plus players hailed from overseas. Nearly every team has its European-trained superstar, and the NHL Entry Draft sees its share of European #1 overall picks like Roman Hamrlik and Ilya Kovalchuk.

So it’s no simple task to pick the Top Ten European NHLers of all time. That’s especially true if you’re basing your analysis strictly on the accomplishments of these players during the period of their NHL careers. To illustrate, look no further than the great Soviet teams of the 1980’s. Igor Larionov and Viacheslav Fetisov would unquestionably be mentioned in any discussion of Europe’s best hockey talent, but despite winning multiple Stanley Cups, they did not dominate as much in their Detroit years as they did in their youthful prime in international competition.

Assembling a list like this always involves excluding some worthy names. A different commentator might well cite Teemu Selanne, Peter Bondra, or Pavel Bure. In years to come, stars like Markus Naslund, Milan Hejduk, or Zdeno Chara could be included. The growth of hockey in countries like Germany and Switzerland may enable some of their homegrown products to crack the list.

But for now, here’s this writer’s countdown of the Top Ten, many of whom arguably rank among the NHL’s all-time greats.

#10: Mats Sundin

Consistency has been the hallmark of the stylish Toronto Maple Leafs center, who became the first European ever drafted first overall in 1989. Sundin entered the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques the following year, and scored a career-best 114 points in 1992-93. The Bromma native was traded to Toronto in a blockbuster 1994 draft day deal, and initially controversy reigned because the wildly popular Leaf captain Wendel Clark was sent the other way. But that soon died down in view of Sundin’s tremendous skating, puckhandling skills, and leadership ability. The 6-4, 228-pound powerhouse has averaged close to 80 points per season in the blue-and-white colors. Captaining the Leafs since 1997, he’s the highest-scoring Swedish NHLer of all time (52nd overall) and the only one to crack the 1,000-point barrier. Sundin regularly represents Toronto at the NHL All-Star game, and his play seems to get even better in international competition. After starting his NHL career, he keyed Sweden to IIHF World Championships in 1991, 1992, and 1998, and he’s also been named a tournament all-star at the Olympics and World Cup. He could move up this list if someday he leads Toronto to its first Stanley Cup since 1967.

#9: Alexander Mogilny

Igor Larionov, in his 1990 autobiography, described Alexander Mogilny as “explosive, ambitious, and sometimes unpredictable in his decision-making.” That description has largely held true throughout the talented winger’s 15-year NHL career. After the 1989 World Championships in Stockholm, he became the first Soviet player to defect to the West. He signed with the Buffalo Sabres, who had drafted him in the fifth round the year before. An amazing stickhandler with one of hockey’s quickest wrist shots, Mogilny’s output increased steadily through his first three NHL seasons. In 1992-93, he demonstrated that Pat LaFontaine was his on-ice soulmate, as the American center helped him score a League-best 76 goals. Mogilny would never top his 127 points that season, but he had plenty of offense left to give. Traded to Vancouver in 1995, he exploded for 55 goals and 107 points, seemingly unstoppable on breakaways. The enigmatic Russian would be dealt to New Jersey in 2000 after several seasons of diminished production, but it was with the Devils he won his lone Stanley Cup to date. Since signing with Toronto as a free agent in 2001, he’s had two major highlights, winning the Lady Byng Trophy in 2003 and hitting 1,000 career points in 2004.

#8: Borje Salming

“He was the first Swedish player to really have a great career over here. I can’t speak highly enough about him.” That’s how Vancouver blueliner Mattias Ohlund reacts when Borje Salming’s name comes up, and few would disagree. The trailblazer gained tremendous respect in the Canadian-oriented NHL of the 1970’s and 80’s. Former Toronto teammate Gary Nylund considers the Kiruna native “one of the greatest defensemen ever to play the game,” and Dave “Tiger” Williams said he’d pick Salming for his personal NHL all-star team. Through 17 NHL seasons, Salming did it all, nullifying opponents in the defensive zone, rushing the puck, and running the power play. He was the first European-trained player to hit 1,000 NHL games. A perennial Norris Trophy candidate, he was selected to the NHL Second All-Star Team five times and the First All-Star Team once from 1975 to 1980. But Salming’s years in Toronto regrettably coincided with the club’s decline. Former Leafs GM Gord Stellick said: “I think he would have achieved more if he had played side by side with other great defensemen like Larry Robinson and Denis Potvin.” Even though Salming’s final NHL season was with Detroit, he will always rank among the most beloved of Leafs. Today, the Hall-of-Famer runs a clothing company in Sweden.

#7: Nicklas Lidstrom

“Nicklas Lidstrom’s the best player I’ve ever played with,” said legendary Detroit captain Steve Yzerman. Coach Scotty Bowman concurs about Lidstrom’s value. If you don’t want to take their word for it, check out the three Norris Trophies (2001-03) that adorn the savvy Swedish rearguard’s mantelpiece. He was also a finalist for that trophy in each of the three preceding years. The 6-2, 185-pounder doesn’t hit like Scott Stevens or shoot the puck like Al MacInnis. Yet without his mobility, endurance, on-ice vision, and uncanny stick skills, it’s unlikely the Red Wings would have won the Stanley Cup in 1997, 1998, and 2002. Lidstrom’s brand of mistake-free hockey made him the first-ever European-trained Conn Smythe winner after that latter triumph. He’s so clean and effective that he’s even been the Lady Byng runner-up four times, which is unheard-of for a defenseman. But that’s Lidstrom’s quiet greatness for you.

#6: Sergei Fedorov

Once upon a time, Sergei Fedorov was slated to play center on the USSR national team’s new top line. But that storyline ended when he defected just prior to the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle to join the Detroit Red Wings. Since then, he’s never been far from the spotlight. Some of that attention related to off-ice matters like his relationship with Anna Kournikova or his 1997-98 salary of $28 million, which surpassed the entire Nashville Predators payroll. But mostly, it was about the CSKA Moscow graduate’s stunning hockey skills at both ends of the rink. His most prolific season was 1993-94, when he scored 120 points and won the Hart, the first European to do so, along with the Selke and the Pearson. Yet Fedorov’s best was yet to come. He tallied 20 or more points in four consecutive playoff runs from 1995 to 1998, which no one had done since Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier with the New York Islanders. In 2003, Fedorov left Detroit with three Stanley Cup rings. After joining the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, he topped their scoring derby in 2003-04 and became the first Russian to score 1,000 points in the NHL.

#5: Peter Stastny

His fighting spirit made him one of the best centers in NHL history. It was the same spirit that gave Peter Stastny the courage to defect from his Communist homeland of Czechoslovakia in 1980 and suit up for the Quebec Nordiques. His brothers Anton and Marian would join him in Canada, but they couldn’t match his production. He was the highest-scoring player of the 1980’s after Gretzky. To this day, no one has had more seasons of 100-plus points except Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Marcel Dionne, and Stastny was the fourth-fastest player ever to reach 1,000 points. He always starred in the famous Battles of Quebec between the Nordiques and the Montreal Canadiens. Like Dale Hawerchuk, he likely would have won a Stanley Cup if he hadn’t played in the era of dynasties like the New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers. Stastny’s spirit also came through in his affection for his roots. “I care about Slovakian hockey,” he said. “We have a great hockey country, and I believe we can compete with the best in the world.” One of his post-career highlights was serving as the GM of Team Slovakia when it captured an IIHF World Championship for the first time in 2002.

#4: Peter Forsberg

If injuries weren’t a factor, the dynamic center from Ornskoldsvik, Sweden might well lead this list. Concussions, season-ending foot surgery, and a ruptured spleen are among the grueling tests Forsberg has faced during his 10-year career with the Colorado Avalanche franchise. But “Foppa” has still achieved numerous superhuman feats in the NHL. Twice he led the playoff scoring derby without even appearing in the finals (1999 and 2002), which hadn’t happened since Doug Gilmour and Bernie Federko of St. Louis tied with 21 points in 1986. Forsberg became the first Swede to win the Hart and Art Ross Trophies in 2003 with a 103-point campaign. Widely viewed as hockey’s best playmaker after the retirement of Wayne Gretzky, he also employed one of the toughest, grittiest approaches in the NHL, hammering opponents and proving virtually impossible to knock off his skates. He’s been named to the NHL First All-Star Team three times and won the 1995 Calder Trophy, but he takes greatest pride in his contributions to Colorado’s two Stanley Cups. And here’s an interesting point: Sidney Crosby has been touted as the next great NHL superstar, and his favorite player is Peter Forsberg.

#3: Jaromir Jagr

When the kid broke in at age 18, people chuckled about his fondness for Kit Kat bars and fast cars. They rearranged the letters of his first name to spell “Mario Jr.,” an allusion to his superstar mentor with the Pittsburgh Penguins. But Jaromir Jagr would ultimately forge his own identity as the League’s top offensive force after the heyday of Gretzky and Lemieux. With long dark hair streaming from under his helmet, the 6-2, 210-pound right wing won five NHL scoring titles and the 1999 Hart Trophy. Strength, speed, stickhandling, and shooting power were gifts he possessed in equal measure. Even though the Czech wizard couldn’t lead the Penguins to the Promised Land by himself, he took pride in his Stanley Cup rings from 1991 and 1992. Jagr always seemed to be having fun, and still put up enviable numbers when he moved on to Washington and New York in a more somber mood. With 1,309 career points, he sits 26th overall in NHL scoring, and one more good season could make him the highest-scoring European NHLer of all time.

#2: Jari Kurri

The only European to outpoint Jaromir Jagr is this always-underrated Finn, whose hair-trigger shot and defensive conscience made him the ideal linemate for Wayne Gretzky in Edmonton. Oilers coach Glen Sather once quipped that a fire hydrant could score 40 goals playing with Gretzky, but Kurri made an art out of burning opposition netminders. He even wound up with one more Stanley Cup than the “Great One,” capturing his fifth championship in 1990 and proving he was a great player in his own right. The Helsinki-born right wing still co-owns the record of 19 goals in one playoff year (1985) with Philadelphia’s Reggie Leach (1976). An NHL First Team All-Star in 1985 and 1987, he also claimed the Lady Byng Trophy in 1986, and his old teammates will tell you he should have gotten the Selke several times. Kurri was a less prolific scorer with Los Angeles in the 1990’s, and he mostly focused on defense with the New York Rangers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, and Colorado Avalanche before retiring in 1998. Today, he is a member of the Finnish national team coaching staff.

#1: Dominik Hasek

What makes Dominik Hasek the number one European NHLer of all time? Simply put, no other Old World star has dominated and redefined his position to the degree that Hasek did. In Hasek’s late 1990’s heyday, Wayne Gretzky called the Czech goalie the best player in the NHL. Hockey writers agreed, voting Hasek to two Hart Trophies in 1997 and 1998. NHL general managers agreed, voting him to six Vezina Trophies between 1994 and 2001. With his Gumby-like flexibility, his unorthodox flopping style, and his unparalleled ability to psych out opponents, Hasek twice carried modestly gifted Buffalo Sabres squads much deeper into the post-season than they could have otherwise expected, including the 1999 finals against Dallas. He had two major showdowns with his netminding archrival, Patrick Roy, and he won both of them. The first was in 1998, when the NHL fully participated in the Winter Olympics for the first time. Hasek outdueled Roy in the shootout of the Canada-Czech Republic semi-final and led his nation to gold. The second time, Hasek posted a 7-0 shutout over Roy’s Colorado Avalanche in Game Seven of the 2002 Western Conference finals, and the Detroit Red Wings went on to capture the Stanley Cup. At his best, Hasek belonged to an elite group of hockey artists like Jacques Plante, Wayne Gretzky, Valeri Kharlamov, and Bobby Orr.

Forces of the Future

When these European-trained youngsters secure NHL jobs–watch out!

Alexander Ovechkin: Washington awaits the second coming of Ilya Kovalchuk.
Kari Lehtonen: Atlanta’s got the highest-ranked Finnish goalie prospect ever.
Rostislav Olesz: He’s a big, skillful forward you’ll love to Czech out with Florida.
Henrik Lundqvist: This Swedish goalie might become Mike Richter’s heir in New York.
Andrej Meszaros: The hard-hitting, smart Slovak D-man should fit in nicely with Ottawa.
Thomas Vanek: Buffalo’s Austrian ace has excelled at the NCAA and AHL levels.