Alexei Zhitnik holds the distinction of being the first defenseman born in the former Soviet Union to play over 1,000 Games in the NHL.  Early in his career, Zhitnik was a member of the famed Red Army, and he would join his “comrades” in North America.  Zhitnik would go to two All-Star games and internationally would help the Unified Team win the Gold Medal at the Olympics in 1992.  He would win an Olympic Silver Medal with Russia in 1998.

Sylvain Cote may not seem like he belongs on this list at all, even if we were just talking about a “Hall of Very Good”.  However, this was a player who competed in 1,171 Games in the National Hockey League and was a steadying defensive presence for years in both Hartford and Washington.  In the latter team, Cote would put together back-to-back 50 Point Seasons, and he was named to play for Team Canada in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.  Any player who makes the Canadian team in a TRUE World Championship has to be pretty damn good!

The Calder Trophy winner in 1954, Camille Henry would stumble afterward and toiled in the AHL before coming back with a vengeance, earning Second Team All-Star honors along with the Lady Byng in 1958, where he accrued no penalty minutes.  In fact, the Centre had less than 100 Penalty Minutes over his 727 Game career!

Felix Potvin is best known in hockey for his run with the Toronto Maple Leafs, during which he backstopped the franchise to deep playoff runs in the early 1990s.  Known as “The Cat”, Potvin would go to two All-Star Games (1994 & 1997), but his best year took place in his rookie year, where he was the league leader in Goals Against Average and was third in Calder Trophy and fourth in Vezina Trophy voting.