In Canada, there is a strong interest in various types of sports. Throughout the year, you’ll see athletes from all over the world training and competing. Sport Canada, a division of the Department of Canadian Heritage, is responsible for promoting sports across the country. Ice hockey, on the other hand, is the most popular local sport. This simple game involves a group of players on an ice sheet attempting to score points for their team by shooting an opposing goaltender with a rubber puck. What is it about this that has made it so popular across the country? It’s a tradition that has lasted for decades. The sport’s era is also a part of the Canadian cultural influence.
- Maurice Richard
As the first player with 500 career goals and 50 goals in a season, Richard made history. Maurice Richard won eight Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens over the course of his 18-year career. It wasn’t just the way he played that made him stand out. He was considered an idol amongst French Canadians.
- Bobby Orr
In the eyes of many, Bobby Orr is hockey’s greatest defenseman. For the first time in NHL history, a defenseman was the league’s leading scorer in 1987, and he was awarded two Stanley Cups in 1971.
- Gordie Howe
It was Gordie Howe’s 801 goals in his career that set a new NHL record, and it was while playing for the Red Wings. “Mr. Elbows,” as he was nicknamed, was also widely recognized for his hard-nosed approach to the game.
- Steve Yzerman
He was responsible for reviving Hockeytown in Detroit by turning the Dead Wings into one of the game’s most dominant forces. In 2001, he led his team to three Stanley Cup victories as the NHL’s all-time leading captain. His class and quiet leadership earned him a reputation as an all-around player who could both score and defend, whilst also being a punters favorite in several online bookies such as Comeon in Canada.
- Jacques Plante
Face masks got their start thanks to the legendary Montreal Canadien goalie. His face was stitched up 21 times in 1959 after a slap shot. Montreal won five consecutive Stanley Cups in the 1950s thanks to Plante’s stellar goaltending. As a goaltender, he won the Vezina Trophy seven times during the 1980s, making him the league’s most dominant player in 1962.
- Alex Ovechkin
When it came to goal scoring, Alex Ovechkin was often the league leader, having won the Maurice Richard Trophy four times in a row (2008–09, 2013–16, 2018–19, 2020). He has also won the Hart Memorial Trophy three times (2008–09, 2013) for being the NHL’s most prolific scorer.
- Terry Sawchuk
Terry Sawchuk has been hailed as one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of the sport. During his 21-year career, he won four Stanley Cups and four Vezina Trophies (1952–53, 1955, 1965) with the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs. In addition to his 447 career victories, he had 103 shutouts, a record that he held until 1970. Unfortunately, Sawchuck passed away after battling with depression and alcoholism in the early 2000’s.
