Lester Patrick Trophy recipients

Wayne Douglas Gretzky is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One", he has been called the greatest ice hockey player ever by the NHL based on surveys of hockey writers, ex-players, general managers and coaches. Gretzky is the leading career point scorer and assist producer in NHL history and has more assists than any other player has total career points. He is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season, a feat he accomplished four times. In addition, Gretzky scored more than 100 points in 15 professional seasons. At the time of his retirement in 1999, he held 61 NHL records: 40 regular season records, 15 playoff records, and six All-Star records.

Canadian ice hockey player and team owner

American cartoonist, known for creating the comic strip, "Peanuts" (1922-2000)

Canadian ice hockey player (1928–2016)

Canadian ice hockey player (1939–2023)

Canadian ice hockey player

Canadian ice hockey player

Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

Canadian ice hockey player

The "Miracle on Ice" was an ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was played between the hosting United States and the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men's ice hockey tournament. Although the Soviet Union was a four-time defending gold medalist and heavily favored, the United States achieved an upset victory, winning 4–3. The Soviet Union had won the gold medal in five of the six previous Winter Olympic Games, and were the heavy favorite to win another gold in Lake Placid. Olympic rules at the time prohibited professional athletes from competing, but the Soviet government circumvented this by employing professional athletes in symbolic university or military positions, allowing them to focus full-time on sport. As a result, the Soviet team consisted of veteran players with significant experience in international play. By contrast, the United States team, led by head coach Herb Brooks, was composed mostly of amateur players; only four players had any experience beyond that level, and even then all four had only minimal, minor-league experience. In addition, the United States had the youngest team in the tournament and in U.S. national team history. In the group stage, both the Soviet and American teams were undefeated; the U.S. achieved several surprising results, including a 2–2 draw against Sweden, and a 7–3 upset victory over second-place favorite Czechoslovakia.

Canadian ice hockey player

Slovak-born Canadian ice hockey player

American commissioner of the NHL

American Hall of Fame Ice Hockey Defenseman

Canadian ice hockey coach

Canadian ice hockey player (1918–2017)

Canadian ice hockey player

Canadian ice hockey player (1925–2019)

Canadian ice hockey player

Canadian ice hockey player

Canadian ice hockey player (1929–1970)

American ice hockey goaltender

American ice hockey player and coach

Canadian ice hockey player

Canadian hockey player (1886-1964)

American ice hockey player

American ice hockey player and coach

Canadian ice hockey player (1902–1985)

Canadian ice hockey player, coach and executive (1932–2015)

American ice hockey player

American-Canadian hockey defenseman

ice hockey player

Canadian professional hockey player (1894-1968)

Herbert Paul Brooks was an American ice hockey player and coach. His most notable achievement came in 1980 as head coach of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team at Lake Placid. At the Games, Brooks' American team upset the heavily favored Soviet team in a match that came to be known as the "Miracle on Ice".

Macedonian-American entrepreneur and owner of the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers, founder and owner of Little Caesars Pizza

American sports businessman (1905–1964)

Canadian ice hockey player (1941–2021)

Canadian ice hockey player

Canadian ice hockey player (1901–1977)

American ice hockey player, coach, college athletic administrator

American amateur athlete (1892-1918)

American ice hockey player

American ice hockey player

Canadian ice hockey player/coach/executive (1936–2026)

Canadian ice hockey player (born 1935)

Canadian sports executive (1905-1984)

American ice hockey player

American ice hockey player

Canadian ice hockey player, coach, general manager, and league executive (1924–2005)

American ice hockey player

former ice hockey player and coach (1925-1990)

Canadian ice hockey player

American ice hockey executive and coach

Canadian ice hockey player and executive, businessman (1897-1987)

Canadian ice hockey defenceman (1923–2014)

American ice hockey player and coach (1926–2017)

Canadian ice hockey player (1904-1985)

American ice hockey executive (1934–2018)

American ice hockey player

Canadian ice hockey player