This week’s NHL power rankings look at the best left wings.
Following the top three greatest centers of all-time, today’s NHL power rankings article is breaking down the top three left wings of all-time. Of course, these lists are highly subjective as there are plenty of arguments to be made about who was left off, and possibly the ranking of the three players who made this list.
Regardless of anyone’s opinion however, no one can deny that the three players on this list were some of the greatest this game has ever seen. With that being said, here are the three greatest left wingers to ever play the game.
3. Luc Robitaille
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It seems to often that when all time greats get brought up, long time Los Angeles Kings forward Luc Robitaille doesn’t get enough attention. The Montreal, Quebec native spent plenty of time on a line with Wayne Gretzky during his time with the Kings, though he was much more than just a passenger. He was dominant even before Gretzky joined the team, posting an incredible 53 goals and 111 points in just his second season in the league.
That turned out to be the first of four 100-point seasons for Robitaille, including a career high 125 during the 1992-93 season. That season also saw him put up a career high in goals with 63.
Unfortunately for Robitaille, he doesn’t always get the credit he deserves because he played in an era with so many other great players. As a result, the only personal hardware Robitaille has for himself is a Calder Trophy, thanks to his 84-point rookie campaign.
Though Robitaille spent most of his career with the Kings, he also had stints with the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, and the Detroit Red Wings. During his time with the Red Wings, he was able to win his first and only Stanley Cup in 2002.
At that point in his career he was beginning to slow down, however he still played a big role for the team, posting 50 points in the regular season and another 9 in 23 playoff games.
As of today, Robitaille still sits first in Kings history with 557 goals during his tenure with the team, and second in points with 1,154. Those numbers are even more impressive when paired with the fact it came in just 1,077 games.
His overall career numbers finished with him playing in 1431 regular season games, posting 668 and 1,394 points, and another 127 points in 159 playoff games. To this day, he is still one of the best left wingers the NHL has ever seen.