The 2000s were a golden era for the NHL. Let’s take a look at the best first overall picks in the NHL Draft from the decade.
As we continue to go by in this time of no sports, the hockey world continues to try and create content for fans to try and get by. I decided to start a series of the top three first overall NHL Draft picks of each decade, starting last week with the top three of the last decade. This article will review the top three overall picks of the 2000’s decade.
One quick thing to note is how much more difficult to rank this list was than the 2010s. It may be because the first list included younger players who have not yet reached their full potential, but the 2000’s list of first overall pick is jam packed with superstars.
Regardless, here are the top three.
Patrick Kane
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In many decades, Patrick Kane could easily be the best player picked first overall. The American born forward is a winner. He has played a huge part of the Chicago Blackhawks, winning three Stanley Cups since he joined the team, proven by his Conn Smythe Trophy win during the 2013 playoffs in which he scored nine goals and added 10 assists in 23 games.
On top of those three Stanley Cups and the Conn Smythe Trophy, the now 31-year-old also has a Calder Trophy, an Art Ross Tropy, a Hart Trophy, and a Ted Lindsay Award. The last three mentioned came during the 2015-16 season, which saw Kane put up a career high 46 goals as well as a then career high 106 points.
Kane has already posted 1,022 points in his 973-game career. The scary thing is he is appearing to still get better each season. Last season saw him post a new career high in points with 110, despite playing for a Blackhawks team which has struggled the past few seasons. This season was much of the same, as Kane had a real shot to hit 100 points for the third straight season if not for the NHL pause.
For the Blackhawks, this pick along with the Jonathan Toews pick turned this franchise around. They were able to win three Stanley Cups in a five-year span, which is absolutely incredible, especially in the salary cap era. As for Kane, he has been everything and more anyone could have hoped for. By the time his career his said and done, he will likely be regarded as the greatest American born hockey player of all-time.
Alex Ovechkin
Alex Ovechkin took the league by storm from the second he entered the league. The Russian forward burst onto the scene with 52 goals and 106 points in his rookie season, which helped him win the Calder Trophy. He made it clear very early on that he was going to be one of the all time greats, as he had over 100 points in four of his first five NHL seasons.
Despite being 34 years old, the great eight shows no signs of slowing down. Just last season he captured his eighth Rocket Richard Trophy with 51 goals. On top of the Rockets and Calder, he also has three Hart Trophies, two Ted Lindsay Awards, and an Art Ross Trophy.
The one critique of Ovechkin was the fact he had not been able to get it done in the playoffs, as he and his Capitals teammates had never been able to get past the second round through his career. He was able to erase that narrative, as he led the Capitals to a Stanley Cup Championship in 2018. On top of the Cup win, he was also awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy with 15 goals and 27 points in 24 games.
With 706 goals in his career, Ovechkin has pretty well cemented his status as the greatest goal scorer of all time. He currently sits 188 goals behind Wayne Gretzky for first all time, which he still has a shot at cracking, although the NHL pause does hurt that quest. Regardless of whether or not he beats it, Ovechkin will go down as one of the most electrifying hockey players of all time. Capitals fans should feel very fortunate for this pick.
Sidney Crosby
This pick is a complete no brainer. Despite their being many talented first overall picks from the 2000s, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby is in a class of his own. As mentioned in the previous article regarding McDavid, Crosby has been talked about in the hockey world long before he ever played a game in the NHL.
Though he had enormous hype coming into the league, he has lived up to it and then some. The Penguins captain has done it all. He has three Stanley Cups to his name, the final two coming in back to back seasons. He also has two Olympic Gold Medals, including the 2010 Vancouver Olympics in which he scored the golden goal.
Like Ovechkin, the 32-year-old Crosby is showing no signs of slowing down. Last season saw Crosby hit 100 points, which marked the sixth season he has hit the century point mark. Although he isn’t as skilled as some other superstars in the NHL, he has a work ethic and incredible IQ which allows him to dominate every single time he is on the ice. In 984 career games to this point, he has put up an incredible 462 goals and 1,263 points.
Although he isn’t known as a goal scorer, Crosby still has two Maurice Richard Trophies to his name, along with two Hart Trophies, two Ted Lindsay Awards, and most importantly, two Conn Smythe Trophies. Despite beginning to get up there in age, it remains very likely that the Cole Harbour Native will add more trophies to his collection before his career is over.
The Penguins organization has been very fortunate in that they were able to have a team in the past with players such as Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux, and now Evgeni Malkin and Crosby. Already considered one of the best to ever play the game, Sid the Kid has a very strong chance to go down as one of the top three NHL players of all time.