Along with Ulf Nilsson, Anders Hedberg became one of the first European stars in North America when the pair joined the Winnipeg Jets of  the World Hockey Association.  Hedberg would be named the Lou Kaplan Trophy winner as the WHA’s version of the rookie of the year and was a Second Team All-Star who scored 53 Goals and an even 100 Points.  Hedberg would go on an incredible run as a Jet as their top goal scorer, putting the puck in the net 50, 70, and 63 times over the next three years, with the 70 being league-leading.  The Swedish sensation would be a First Team All-WHA selection all three of those years, and he is the all-time leader in the World Hockey Association in Goals per Game.

A fifteen-year veteran of the National Hockey League, Keith Primeau probably would have had a few more had it not been for post-concussion syndrome.  Primeau was known as a player who was good at almost every aspect of his game (not necessarily great, just very good), and he was a two-time NHL All-Star who had four 60 Point Seasons.  Primeau would also represent Canada in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and the 1998 Olympics.

Though the focus on the 1970s Buffalo Sabers lay with the French Connection line, Danny Gare showcased a few seasons that matched what any sniper was doing at the time. Gare enjoyed a pair of 50-goal seasons and was even the co-goal-scoring champion in the 1979-1980 campaign. The scrappy star’s game tailed off after being traded to Detroit, but Gare had enough impact to have his jersey retired in Buffalo. It is unlikely, though, that he can receive a similar accolade in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

One of the few stars left yet to be enshrined from the “old time hockey era”, Larry Aurie was a master of the penalty kill and was dubbed “The Little Rag Man” for his entertaining puck handling while shorthanded. Famed Red Wings owner James Norris dubbed the diminutive (he was only 5 ft 6) as the heart and soul of the Red Wings. He may have been one of the smallest NHL players, but he was also one of its toughest. Had Aurie not suffered a severe leg injury in 1937, his career totals would have likely been much higher, as he never did recover properly. His number #6 was retired by the Red Wings but has been inconspicuously omitted from the rafters in Detroit’s home arena. Perhaps, if he was posthumously honored in Toronto, he would properly be honored in Detroit as well.