Who is the most inspirational player in NHL history?
Through thе years, wе аѕ hockey fans gear up fοr thе coming seasons, pick ουr top players, аnd delight іn thе ride. Bυt, thеrе іѕ one player whο beats thе odds. Thіѕ particular player wаѕ scouted аnd doubted bу thе league’s top talent evaluators аnd іn a career-sense, left fοr dead. Maybe thеу overcame a height disadvantage, a disability, tragedy, οr illness tο become nοt јυѕt a player іn thе NHL, bυt a noteworthy contributor. In small, whο іѕ thе mοѕt inspirational player іn league history?
Mario Lemieux – his Autism Foundation is wonderful
Is there a right answer? Or is this one of those opinionated questions where people pick their own answer?
How aboot a guy from Flin Flon,Manitoba who was diagnosed with diabetes.At 5’10 and 176 lbs with not alot of Hall of Fame skill ending up with 1,210 points and Captain of 2 Cups and winning 3 Hart Trophies along the way.
His name-Bobby Clarke
Lemieux’s comeback from Hodgkin’s lymphoma was the first business that came to my mind.
I’ll toss Willie O’Ree into the mix, for breaking the NHL color barrier.
His tale is not as beloved or well-renowned as Jackie Robinson.
He also played 1200 professional games (even if most not in the NHL) despite a ruined retina.
Wayne Gretzky.
Proved you can be a pansy, hide behind a goon and have a goon fight all your fights and still be fantastic.
Pansys fuse! LOL jk.
I go Lemieux hands down. Over came Hodskins to play at a high level once again .
The first ones that come to mind is Mario battling Hodgkin’s Disease and Gary Roberts coming back after a long layoff due to a broken neck. Doug Gilmour was told repeatedly he was too small to play.
3 guys I judge fit the spirit of the question.
I didn’t reckon I would ever do this, but I agree with Joe B(oo)bs
It helps that I have met Bobby Clarke and spoken with him even if ..
Gilmour too small to play? The babysitter should have dismissed charges then haha
It’s cool Joe .. as long as we’re not enemies, which I don’t see happening since you don’t root for Toronto nor me for Boston
James Kyte?, my terrible Lity – thanks for sharing that info on him for us
Oh guys .. you forgot Jim Kyte (d-man for the Jets, Sharks and a couple other teams) who was deaf + still played in the NHL honourable mention should go to Jordin Tootoo and being able to focus on his nhl career after his brother Terrence commited suicide
There is many like Lemieux, Kovalev, Clarke, Kessel, just to name a few.
But the first player that comes to mind is Saku Koivu…
He returned from cancer & suffered an eye injury.
And not to mention he is helping others fight this horrible disease…
http://sakukoivu.sympatico.ca/home.html
Koivu, is an inspirational player in my mind.
The whole Malarchuck and Zednik neck slicing, followed up by comebacks from near death on the ice.(not to mention they happened 10years from one another in the same city)
Pat LaFontaine — from being forced to retire with “post concusion syndrom” to making a foundation for seriously ill children. It doesn’t hurt that he is my all-time favorite player even if.
Saku Koivu is VERY inspirational to me. I judge I <3 Gonchar mentioned him too above me. But he is.
Lemieux without a doubt is the most in my opinion.
There can be a lot of answers for this and this is mainly just gonna be an opinion for people with no right answer. The first self that came to mind for me was the greatest player of all time is Mario Lemieux, his beating cancer and had some back problems. Also Saku Koivu comes to mind, with the battle of his cancer plus his eye injury by justin williams. Former player John Cullens comes to mind, he had cancer. There can be lots of players. So there is no real answer. Also this is for “6 days till i’m 16″, Mario Lemieux does not have a foundation for autism. His foundation is for cancer and they started a foundation for his son Austin called Austin Lemieux Neonatal Research Project.
I reckon there have been several who fit this bill
1. James Kyte. He had partial hearing loss, and was told at every level of hockey that he would never make it, his handicap would always leave him a tad slower than others when re-acting, etc. He had the size (6’5″, 215-225), he had the skill, but people questioned whether he had the faculties to know everything vacant on around him. He finished up drafted in the first round, and went on to play 600 games, frequently for Winnipeg.
2. Robert Earl Clarke. This man represents the tenacity level that certain hockey players can bring to the table. Another player who exhibited a fantastic work ethic, and fantastic level of skill, but who chose to go against two doctor’s advices and become a professional hockey player. He won at every level. He was a three time Hart Trophy winner, two time Stanley Cup winner.
In 1973, he won the Lester Pearson Award as best player in the NHL as voted by the NHLPA. He won the Hart Trophy as most valuable player in the NHL as voted by the PHWA…YET….he lost by 2 points to Phil Esposito for the First-Team Post Season All-Star team (In 1975 and 1976 this injustice was corrected).
In the 1970s, there was no forward feared more than Bobby Clarke. Not Phil Esposito, not Guy Lafleur, not Buffalo’s French Connection. Bobby was the man. Two Stanley Cup Rings, and a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the man Scotty Bowman called the greatest captain ever to play the game (said in 2005).
3. Gregory Neeld. Neeld never played in the NHL because there is an NHL rule that says a player cannot be legally blind in either eye (insurance liability $h!t). Neeld was a fantastic defenceman in the OHA and WCHL in the 1970s who was drafted by the Sabres in 1975 and played a few games in the WHA. Those who played against him in the minors have said that if they hadn’t renowned he was blind in one eye, they would never be able to tell because he played both sides of the ice equally well. There has been a lot of lobbying over the years to have this rule altered but so far to no aim.
There are the assortment of NHL players who have come back from honest ailments (Mario Lemieux, Saku Koivu, Phil Kessell, Clint Malarchuk, Mark Fitzpatrick, etc) who already had NHL careers underway.
Well, he never made it to the NHL..but Travis Roy. He worked his asss off to play division 1 hockey. Made it to the starting lineup for the first game of the year as a freshman, had a promising career ahead of him as he was on a line with Chris Drury and another NHLer..can’t reckon of who at the moment. Played 11 seconds and his whole life’s work came crashing down on him. The first business he says to his coach in the hospital is how did it take me 11 seconds to get from center ice to the corner…that’s a hockey player for you. Now he raises money for stem cell research and after his whole life got turned upside down, he went with the punches and is still living life to the fullest. He’ll never play hockey again but he’ll forever have his mark in the game.
Until LITY jumped in I was vacant to add Bryan Berard to the list. Although legally blind in his aptly eye when fitted with a corrective lens his vision was improved to 20/400 to meet the leagues minimum requirement. I know that he had to face a lot legal problems to play in the NHL again.
LITY thanks for reminding me of the Greg Neeld tale. I played OT with a teammate of his.
I like the Travis Roy pick there. Its a like a Tony C tale that breaks yr heart, but with a fantastic ending, unlike Tony’s tale.
NHLer, Mario Lemuix. Beat cancer, beat injuries, so damn excellent at hockey.
Mark Messier. Nothing beats guaranteeing a game 6 semi-final victory against the Devils in New Jersey… and then scoring a hat trick.
On a private note mine is Steve Rucchin when he played In the SCF even even if his brother was dying of cancer. My granny died of cancer ~1 week after Rooch’s bro died. It was tough for me to go through watching her die, seeing how strong [mentally] Rooch was inspired to to keep vacant to work.
Both Panthers who got cut verify that these guys really are tough. If you fall off that horse you get back on it.
Rocket Richard
Jiri Fischer
Detroit Red Wings Player who die at the Joe Louis Arena but God was with him through it all and he’s alive.. Not as well but still alive.. Many people don’t know that he had suffered 2 heart attacks while he was resting at home after the incident
He wants to make a comeback.. Mayb God will give him the chance again!
<3
Most Inspirational Player In Hockey
Drum roll please………………………..MARIO LEMIEUX
My private pick is Lemieux
But Nick Boynton is a excellent pick for a current player. He has diabetes, and he has to train himself so he eats aptly previous to games and doesnt get hurt or pass out while playing. There was an article on the Coyotes site a month ago about his fight to the NHL with diabetes.
i would have to go with mark messier because he was an incredible leader and one of the best captains the rangers have ever had! on game six of the final series he went out their and said they were GOING to win and they did thanks to him, in which he got a hat trick that game. he led the rangers to winning their first stanley cup in over fifty years!