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Who are the top defensemen in NHL history? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Red Kelly: though he played the latter part of his career as a winger, Kelly was the inaugural winner of the Norris Trophy and won more Stanley Cups (8x) than any player not associated with the Montreal Canadiens.
9. Chris Chelios: one of the NHL’s all-time iron men, Chelios was a 3x Norris Trophy winner who played more career games than any other defenseman and appeared a record 24x in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
8. Paul Coffey: a 3x Norris Trophy winner and one of the greatest offensive defensemen of all-time, Coffey holds the record for most goals scored in a season by a blue-liner (48) and is second only to Ray Bourque in career goals, assists, and points at the position.
7. Denis Potvin: taking over the mantle of best defenseman in the NHL upon Bobby Orr’s retirement, Potvin won three Norris Trophies while leading the New York Islanders to four consecutive Stanley Cups, and retired with the most career goals and points by a defenseman.
6. Larry Robinson: a key part of the Canadiens dynasty of the 1970s, Robinson was a 2x Norris Trophy winner who holds the NHL record for best career +/- rating (+722), including an astounding +120 during his Norris-winning 1976-1977 campaign.
5. Eddie Shore: one of the top players of the NHL’s early days in the 1920s and 1930s, Shore played before the days of the Norris Trophy, but was recognized with four Hart Trophies as league MVP, a record for a defenseman.
4. Nicklas Lidstrom: the greatest European-born blue-liner of all-time, Lidstrom is tied with Doug Harvey for second-most Norris Trophies (seven), and was the first European-born Conn Smythe winner as well as the first European-born captain of a Stanley Cup-winning team.
3. Doug Harvey: arguably the greatest defenseman in NHL history pre-Bobby Orr, Harvey led the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup 6x and is second all-time with seven career Norris Trophies (all won in an eight-year span during his 30s).
2. Ray Bourque: over his long and illustrious career, Bourque won the Norris Trophy 5x while finishing top-three an incredible 15x, and is the career leader in goals, assists, and points for a defenseman and the NHL’s all-time leader in shots on goal.
1. Bobby Orr: though his career was shortened by injuries, Orr is widely acknowledged as a revolutionary defenseman and one of the top five players in NHL history – in addition to a record eight straight Norris Trophies, he also won three consecutive Hart Trophies and is the only defenseman ever to win the Ross Trophy for top scorer (2x).
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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