NHL: The Best Player at Every Jersey Number, 81-90

As an offensive hockey player in the NHL, one has the license to be a great passer, one who makes things happen in the offensive zone. There are your elite passers like Wayne Gretzky and then you have everyone else.

The key to being a good passer is getting the puck to a teammate that you know will finish.

Hockey players like to get creative. Whether it is a deke inside the offensive zone or any other way that will stand out or make the highlight reel. The key to any play is finishing and scoring that goal.

The player can be as dominant inside the offensive zone but unless he has a finisher on that line, the odds of scoring a goal are not as great.

These are the best NHL players at every jersey number, 81-90.

In the world of hockey, there are some of the best finishers in hockey. Some players just know where to be and you have others who are parked in front of the net looking for that garbage goal.

The great passers in history, other than Gretzky, rarely get noticed, with all of the glory on the players who finished. It is a team sport, and all the players should be recognized when a goal is scored, but fans like flash and highlight-reel goals.

Imagine being the goal scorer who scored to clinch a playoff spot, win a playoff game, or even the one who wins the Stanley Cup.

Being a finisher can have its pressures, especially when everyone, including the other team, knows your role. The greatness is in those who battle through that and still get the job done, regardless of when that goal occurs.

The pure joy of knowing you did your job and the team was successful because of the goal that you scored.

In jerseys #81-90, we look at some players who finished games better than anyone and players who set them up for success. This is a very intelligent group of hockey players listed below and ones who made their mark in the game.

Here are the best players in NHL history based on jersey numbers 81-90.

#83: Ales Hemsky, Forward

Ales Hemsky had played for the Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators, Dallas Stars, and Montreal Canadiens. Playing in 845 games, he scored 174 goals and 398 assists for 572 points.

Hemsky was a big prospect coming into the league and made an impact right away. He was contributing in all areas of the ice and looked like he could have a promising career. Since his days in Edmonton, he had cooled off a bit offensively but still had a productive career.

Hemsky was a solid top-six forward who was not flashy but instead was a blue-collar player. He was not elite by any means, just getting the job done through hard work and dedication.  Hemsky was always a threat on the power play because of his accurate shot.

#84: Mikhail Grabovski, Forward

Mikhail Grabovski played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers. He scored 125 goals and 171 assists for 296 points in 534 games.

Grabovksi was a talented forward who never seemed to play to his full potential but was a good, serviceable NHL forward. He had a 12.5 shooting percentage in his career, mainly playing in the middle six.

Grabovksi played well in all three zones, using his speed to be an effective forward.

Although he never received a lot of power-play time, he did well offensively. Grabovksi had a sneaky wrist shot that he used often and in any situation. Grabovski also had an edge to his game which helped him play a physical style that players his size usually do not play.

#85: Petr Klima, Forward

Petr Klima played for the Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He would go on to play 786 games in his NHL career, scoring 313 goals and 260 assists for 573 points.

Klima would also play in 95 playoff games, scoring 28 goals and 24 assists for 52 points. Klima scored 9 hat tricks and had a shooting percentage of 16.9%. He won a Stanley Cup in 1990 with Edmonton.

Klima was most known for the tape job on his stick and for his goal-scoring. He is one of a few players who have scored over 300 goals to have more goals than assists. Another consistent player, he relied more on his offensive talents than his defensive play.

#86: Nikira Kucherov, Forward

Nikita Kucherov has only played for the Tampa Bay Lightning. His career totals include 246 goals and 370 assists for 616 points and a +129. He is even better in the playoffs, playing in 135 games and scoring 52 goals and 102 assists for 154 points.

Kucherov led the NHL in playoff points during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 playoffs. He also led the  NHL in power-play goals during the 2016-17 season, scoring 17 power-play goals.

He has 4 hat tricks in his career and played in 3 all-star games. In the 2018-19 season, he won the Art Ross Trophy, Hart Trophy, and Ted Lindsay Award. He is a 2-time Stanley Cup champion.

Although Kucherov is a top-line player who contributes offensively on a nightly basis he is even more dangerous in the playoffs.

#87: Sidney Crosby, Forward

Sidney Crosby has only played for the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the regular season, he has scored 517 goals and 892 assists for 1,409 points in 1,108 games, along with a +202. In the playoffs, he has played 180 games, totaling 71 goals and 130 assists for 201 points.

Among his accomplishments are leading the league in scoring twice, posting a career faceoff winning percentage of 52.7%, 15 hat tricks, and appearing in 4 all-star games. The awards include 2-time Art Ross Trophy, 2-time Hart Trophy, 2-time Ted Lindsay Award, 2009-10 Mark Messier Leadership Award, 2-time Rocket Richard Trophy, 2 Stanley Cups, and 78 game-winning goals.

When he retires he will go down as the best player in the modern era. There is nothing left for him to accomplish as he has dominated since his arrival in the NHL during the 2005-06 season.

#88: Eric Lindros, Foward

Eric Lindros has played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs, and New York Rangers. He played in 760 games, recording 372 goals and 493 assists for 865 points, 1,398 penalty minutes, and was a +215.

In the playoffs, he had 24 goals and 33 assists for 57 points in 53 games.

His career includes 14 hat tricks, 2-for-2 on penalty shots, 6 all-star games, 1994-95 Ted Lindsay Award winner, and a shooting percentage of 16.1%.

During the 1990s there was no better big man in the game than Lindros. He fought, he scored goals, he hit people, and he controlled the game when he was on the ice.

He was big, he was mean, and he could not be stopped until he had concussion issues, which decided his career for him.

#89: Alex Mogilny, Forward

Alex Mogilny played for the Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, and Toronto Maple Leafs. He finished his career with 473 goals and 559 assists for 1,032 points in 990 games. He also had a career of +81.

He led the league in goals scored during the 1992-93 season with 76 goals. Mogilny played in 4 all-star games, recorded 18 hat tricks, and won a Stanley Cup with New Jersey in 2000.

A future Hall of Famer, Mogilny was an underrated goal scorer. He scored in many different ways, keeping the defense and goaltenders guessing.

His speed was top-notch but not elite, that speed causing issues for opposing players trying to slow him down. He was a top player during his time and a player that should have received more recognition.

#90: Joe Juneau, Forward

Joe Juneau played for the Boston Bruins, Phoenix Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, and Montreal Canadiens. He played in  828 games in his NHL career, scoring 156 goals and 416 assists for 572 points.

In the playoffs, he had 25 goals and 54 assists for 79 points in 112 career games. He was part of some good Bruins teams that unfortunately did not get the job done. A fierce competitor who played every game like it was his last.

Juneau was voted to the 1992-93 NHL all-rookie team. During his career he was a gifted passer, patiently holding onto the puck to create an offensive chance.

He could find a seam that no one else could find to get the puck to an open teammate. Solid first-line player.  He ultimately retired on May 1, 2004.