Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky, nicknamed "The Great One", is considered by most as the greatest hockey player of all-time. Identified as a hockey prodigy at a very young age, Gretzky regularly played at a level far above his peers. He became a full professional at the age of 17 in the World Hockey Association, leading to a long career in the NHL. He set 40 regular-season records, 15 playoff records, 6 All-Star records, won four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, and won 9 MVP awards and 10 scoring titles. He is the only player ever to total over 200 points in a season (a feat that he accomplished four times in his career). In addition, he tallied over 100 points a season for 15 NHL seasons, 13 of them consecutively. Along with his many awards and achievements, he is the only player to ever have his playing number, 99, officially retired across the entire National Hockey League. Gretzky was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 22, 1999.

Steve Yzerman

Steve Yzerman played his entire professional hockey career (1983-2006) with the Detroit Redwings, a rare feat in sports today. Yzerman led the Wings to three Stanley Cup championships (1997,1998 and 2002). At the age of 21, Yzerman was named captain of the Red Wings for the 1986-87 season, and continuously served as captain until his retirement nearly two decades later. Yzerman retired as the longest-serving captain of any team in NHL history. Yzerman won numerous awards during his career, including the Lester B. Pearson Award in 1989, the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 1998, the Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward in 2000, and the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance in 2003. He is a nine-time NHL All-Star, a First Team All-Star in 2000, and a member of the All-Rookie Team in 1984. On July 3, 2006, Yzerman retired, finishing his career ranked as the sixth all-time leading scorer in NHL history and on September 25, 2006 was named Vice-President of the Detroit Red Wings.