Mark John Douglas Messier.
That's what the glass plaque will say when it is mounted in the Great Hall two years from now at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
A place among hockey's enshrined legends hasn't been this much of a sure bet since Messier's longtime friend and former teammate Wayne Gretzky was inducted back in 1999.
Messier has spent a quarter of a century in the NHL, and while fans have affectionately nicknamed him 'Moose' and 'Mess', it's difficult to argue 'LEADER' as a more definitive moniker.
He has stood the test of time as one of the greatest leaders the game has ever seen, as well as one of its greatest scorers and champions. He is the only player to captain two different franchises to Stanley Cup victories, and captured six championships in total.
He also ranks second on the all-time regular season scoring list with 1,887 points (694 goals and 1,193 assists), but he will always be remembered best for his playoff successes.
It was Messier who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP when the Oilers captured their first Stanley Cup in 1984.
It was Messier who led the Oilers to a 1990 Stanley Cup victory - their fifth in seven seasons and just two years after the team traded Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings.
It was Messier who guaranteed a Game 6 victory in the 1994 Eastern Conference Final when the Rangers were down 3-2 in their series against the rival New Jersey Devils. And it was Messier who scored a natural hat trick to win the game, the series, and eventually the team's first Stanley Cup in 54 years.
Gordie Howe |
- |
Mark Messier |
26 |
Seasons |
25 |
801 |
Goals |
694 |
1,049 |
Assists |
1,193 |
1,850 |
Points |
1,887 |
4 |
Stanley Cups |
6 |
If it was the playoffs, IT WAS MESSIER.
Even after a three-year tenure with the Vancouver Canucks, Messier wasn't ready to hang it up just yet. In a tearful and emotional moment, he re-signed with the New York Rangers and returned to Madison Square Garden, the place that fans have often called 'The House that Mark built'.
While Messier left hockey just eleven games shy of Gordie Howe's record of 1,767 NHL regular season games played, there is no doubt in anyone's mind that his legacy is already complete.
Thanks for the memories. See you in Toronto in 2007.
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