Paul Coffey was the most gifted offensive Defenseman of the 1980’s. Five times that decade, he would hit the 100 point mark, including four 30 goal seasons. His dominance would show in his trophy room with a pair of Norris Trophies (he would win a third in 1995) and seven All Star Team selections, with again another in that 94-95 campaign. Coffey was most known for his initial run with the Edmonton Oilers, where he won the Cup three times with the dynamic Oilers squads.

Although Larry Murphy is a four time Stanley Cup winner and one of only a handful of Defenceman with over 1,000 points (he actually has 1,216), he never seemed to get his due. It is not hard to understand why, as Murphy played at a time when Paul Coffey and Ray Bourque won multiple Norris Trophies and were scoring at a Bobby Orr like rate. Murphy was also a member of Cup teams where he was not considered among the top three players on the team; or at least that was the perception. What also worked against Larry Murphy was that his career was not associated with any one team, as he played for six different ones, never longer than six years.

Cliff Fletcher may have only won one Stanley Cup, but he brought a brilliant hockey mind to various clubs and brought them a lot closer to the dance than they would have had without him. Fletcher first arrived in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues as he worked his way from Scout to General Manager, and a lot of his work in the background helped the Blues become a contender and reach the Finals three times. Later, he took over the reins in Atlanta and helped to organize the move to Calgary, where they became a top team in the 1980’s, and he won his Stanley Cup in 1989.

Pat LaFontaine arrived at the New York Islanders a year too late. He joined the Isles in 1984, the year their dynasty ended at the hands of another one (Edmonton) set to begin. Still, LaFontaine became the bright spot of an aging team and hit the 100 point mark (along with the 50 goal total) in the 1989-90 season. However it was a move to the west of the state where he had his best season as he finished second in points with 148 as a member of the Buffalo Sabres in 1992-93. Unfortunately a knee injury took him out the following season and he had to fight his way back. His perseverance in returning was rewarded with the Bill Masterton Trophy in 1995, but concussions would prevent him from reaching the period in his career where he would have accumulated some breathtaking career statistics. Still his 1,013 career points are very good, especially considering his very healthy point per game average.