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Mark Messier—Fearless Leader

Mark Messier, the son of Doug Messier (the man who helped the minor-pro Edmonton Flyers win their last Western Hockey League (WHL) championship), was making headlines as a star centre for the St. Albert Saints of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.Mark Messier Knowing of his skill, the Portland Winter Hawks of the WHL plucked Messier from the Saints, but before he played a game with the Hawks, he signed as a 17-year-old with the Indianapolis Racers of the upstart World Hockey Association.

Messier played just five games with the Racers before the financial ills of owner Nelson Skalbania forced a move to Cincinnati. The Mark Messier17-year-old Messier did not play well for the new Cincinnati Stingers, and his one-goal season with the team did not impress many.

The Oilers decided to give Messier a second chance; Messier entered the NHL draft pool and the Oilers used their third-round selection to pick the Edmontonian. As a player he was known for his skating power and a bit of a mean streak.  He would quickly assume the role of second-line centre behind Wayne Gretzky, forming a lethal partnership with fellow speedster Glenn Anderson.

In 1981-82, Messier proved to the NHL that he was a true star in his own right with a 50-goal campaign.  He topped the 100-point mark in both 1982-83 and 1983-84; in the latter season he also sat in the penalty box for 165 minutes. Messier was the prototypical “power forward” before the term came into vogue in the NHL some time in the mid-1990s.

It was in the 1984 playoffs that Messier established his legend as a big-game-breaker. Messier earned 26 points in 19 playoff games and earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the post-season. Mark Messier

Messier would go on to enjoy a glorious Oilers’ career. He ranks second all-time in Oilers games played with 851 and is third on the team’s all-time points list with 1,034. He was a key part of five Stanley Cup wins, and was the natural choice to replace Gretzky as captain. In 1990, he won his first Hart Trophy as the League’s most valuable player with a 129-point season. While he won the Conn Smythe in 1984, it can be argued that Messier’s performance in the 1990 Stanley Cup win was his finest as an Oiler; he earned 31 points in 22 games, and had it not been for the heroic performance of Bill Ranford in net, would likely have taken his second Conn Smythe Trophy.

In his time with the Oilers, Messier also represented his country in three Canada Cups and a World Championships.

Mark MessierIn 1991, Messier left Edmonton for Broadway, where he would captain the New York Rangers. In a city where sporting icons are scrutinized, adored and reviled, Messier became a larger-than-life figure. He registered 107 points in his first season as a Ranger, and his play earned him the 1992 Hart Trophy as the League’s most valuable player. His most glorious season as a Ranger came in 1993-94. That season, general manager Neil Smith assembled a cast of players from the Oilers dynasty who were led by Messier, and included Kevin Lowe, Glenn Anderson, Jeff Beukeboom, Adam Graves, Esa Tikkanen and Craig MacTavish.

During that Cup run, Messier became a folk hero. The Rangers trailed the New Jersey Devils three games to two in the Eastern Conference finals. Rangers fans had long been used to seeing their team choke, and it seemed the New York papers already wrote the epitaphs. Messier then guaranteed a win; a move that grabbed headlines across North America. Messier backed it up with a hat trick that sparked a Rangers comeback and an eventual Cup triumph over the Vancouver Canucks.

Messier remained with the Rangers until 1997 and played in for Canada in the 1996 World Cup. However, before the 1997-98 season, he was signed by the Vancouver Canucks. Messier was seen as the veteran presence that would help build the Canucks into an elite franchise. In 2000, he returned to New York, and continued to play with the Rangers well into his 40s.

Over his career, Messier has been named to play in the NHL All-Star Game 15 times.

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