Top 5 Greatest Goaltenders & Canadian Hockey Players
Welcome to the THW Hockey History Substack newsletter, with all the best from our extensive archives.
In today’s edition, we have a couple of “Today in Hockey History” posts, the top five greatest goaltenders and Canadian hockey players, bad free-agent signings made by the Edmonton Oilers since 2020, and more.
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Now on to the good stuff…
Today in Hockey History: Nov. 17
Nov. 17 saw the first-ever meeting between the two highest scorers in NHL history. This date has also been a memorable one in both Chicago and Boston and has seen a handful of franchise firsts throughout the decades. So, let’s take our daily trip back in time to revisit all the great moments.
The 5 Greatest Goaltenders in NHL History
Ranking goaltenders throughout the history of the NHL is an arduous task. Multiple factors must be considered: sheer dominance, longevity, impact on the sport, etc. For some, raw win and ring totals are more important than how those totals were achieved. With all of these factors in mind, let’s take a crack at ranking the five best goaltenders in NHL history:
5 Greatest Canadian Hockey Players Ever
Since the NHL was formed back in 1917, fans have seen a plethora of talent come and go. There have been many greats in the past, plenty of whom are still talked about to this day. There are lots of players in the league today who will one day be thought about in the same realm, such as Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and many more.
Both now and in the past, there have been many great players of many different nationalities. The United States has produced plenty of great talent, as have many European countries. With that said, many would argue that Canada leads the charge in terms of NHL legends, and looking at lists of the leagues all time leading scorers, it is hard to argue that claim.
Here are the top 5 Canadians to ever lace them up.
Today in Hockey History: Nov. 16
Nov. 16 has seen quite a few memorable moments in NHL history, including an “Original 6” franchise taking the ice for the first time. This was also a significant date for a Hall of Fame goaltender, an Anaheim Ducks legend, and for defensemen finding the scoresheet. The THW time machine is warmed up and ready to take us back through the decades to relive all the best moments this date has to offer.
The Bad: Ranking Oilers Poor Free Agent Signings Since 2020
by Jim Parsons
The Edmonton Oilers have used free agency (both restricted and unrestricted) as a major tool for building their roster. General manager Ken Holland has made some astute trades and the Oilers have found some keepers in the NHL draft, but much of the success or failures of any organization comes from a team’s ability to attract, retain, and sign good players to value contracts. Doing so gives the team flexibility when it comes to trades and making other moves.
Like many teams, the Oilers haven’t always nailed it. The team has some incredible deals on their books (Evander Kane, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) but there are also some questionable deals that either haven’t worked out as well as the team might have hoped or the jury is still out.
Let’s take a look at all of the bad deals the club has signed past, present, and future impact players to: