5 - Maurice Richard - The Rocket was a no-brainer for a top 5 spot on the list of the greatest hockey players. Perhaps the most popular player in the history of the game, his suspension by Clarence Campbell in 1955 caused fans to revolt in what is called The Richard Riot. One of the most determined players to ever pick up a hockey stick, Maurice Richard was all but unstoppable from the blueline in. He was the first player to ever score 50 goals in a single season, accomplishing the feat in 50 games. He was the first player to score 500 goals in a career, finishing with 544, the most ever by a Habs player. He only won 1 Hart Trophy and never led the league in scoring, but he did help his team capture an incredible 9 Stanley Cups.

4 - Mario Lemieux - If I was basing this list on pure athletic ability alone then I would have put Mario the Magnificent right at the top of the list. No player before or since had the pure skill set, the effortless ability with the puck, and the ability to dominate his peers one on one that Mario did in his prime. If he hadn't spent years with chronic back problems, battling cancer, and even in retirement he would easily be second on the all time list of points, and would likely be first in goals. Despite all the time he spent away from the game, or playing hurt he still scored 690 goals and 1,723 points. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP both times the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup. He won 6 Art Ross Trophies, 3 Hart Trophies, and the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, and he did all this in just 915 regular season games. Simply...magnificent.

3 - Gordie Howe - When the term power forward is mentioned people who follow the sport of hockey immediately think of guys like Cam Neely and Wendel Clark. However, long before these guys ever picked up a hockey stick the man they call Mr. Hockey was defining the term "power forward". Howe was as mean and nasty as he was talented as anyone who felt the brunt of his elbow will tell you. He could fight with the best of them, but rarely had to as few were stupid enough to challenge him. However, ultimately it was on the score sheet that Howe carved his legend. Until Gretzky came along Howe was the all time leader in goals (801), assists (1,049) and points (1,850). To this day he remains the leader in games played with (1,767), and these are just his NHL numbers. Howe also spent several seasons in the rival WHA. He won 6 Art Ross Trophies and 6 Hart Trophies during his career, and hoisted the Stanley Cup on 4 separate occasions. Despite all this possibly his most unbelievable feat came in the 1979-80 season when he suited up for the Hartford Whalers to play with sons Mark and Marty. He was 52 years old at the time and still scored 18 goals that season!

2 - Bobby Orr - Trust me when I tell you that Bobby Orr came within a whisker of taking top spot on this list, and had his brilliant career not been cut far too short because of chronically bad knees there is a very good chance he would be the consensus choice of the hockey world as the greatest player ever. He helped the Bruins to 2 Stanley Cups in the 1970s, he won 8 consecutive Norris Trophies, and captured the Hart Trophy 3 times. He even led the NHL in scoring on 2 separate occasions, as a defenseman! He holds the single season record for points by a defenseman with 139, and had he enjoyed a career as long as Ray Bourque did you can rest assured he have eclipsed Bourque's 1,579 points by a country mile.

1 - Wayne Gretzky - With Orr at number 2 there really wasn't any mystery left to who would grab the title of the best hockey player of all time. Gretzky shattered the record book during his career, and is the leader in all major offensive categories in both the regular season and the playoffs. He was blessed with extraordinary vision on the ice and was one of those rare athletes who had the ability to make every one of his teammates better. With 894 goals, 1,963 assists and 2,857 points there is a good chance that Gretzky's records will last as the NHL does. It is little wonder that he is called "The Great One".