(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
A few days ago I asked you guys about your favorite American hockey players. Man, you came up with some that I hadn't even thought about. Here's my top five, let me know what you think.
#5 - Pat LaFontaine
A solid player I grew up watching. He was exciting to watch, and even more so when legendary announcer, Rick Jeanneret would scream "LaLaLaLaLaFontaine!!!" when he scored.
#4 - Brian Leetch
The first American to win the Conn Smyth award, he was solid all around.
#3 Mike Modano
What a skater! This guy moved through the ice like there was a gust of wind pushing him. What a legend. I guess no one told that scumbag Mike Babcock, because he sat the Hall of Famer at 1,499 NHL games. What a total piece of crap. The highest scoring American of all time and he couldn't fit him in the lineup? Thrash!
#2 Chris Chelios
What a warrior. I had the good fortune to play with "Cheli" throughout the lockout in 2004/05. I was always on the white team, and he was on the dark, so I never got to know him very well, or feel like he cared for me at all. That all changed when I played an actual game with him on February 5, 2005 for the Motor City Mechanics of the United Hockey League. That's a story that would need a whole other post.
Anyway, he's won at every level. He battled, he fought hard, and he played till he was like, 87 years old, or something. What people don't know is that he lied to a coach as an 18 year old to play defense. He'd never played D before, but said he did....the rest is history.
#1 Patrick Kane
First ballot Hall of Famer, no question. Another guy who just wins. He's so smooth, sees the ice extremely well and does the little things at a high level. I've loved watching him over the years, even though he plays for Chicago.
I still think there's gas left in the tank if he were to get on a contending team. In the meantime, he's my favorite American born hockey player.
