As a rookie in 2005-06, Cam Ward backed up Martin Gerber.  The Hurricanes made the playoffs, and Gerber struggled, prompting Ward to take over between the pipes.  He proceeded to go on the greatest run of his life, where he won 15 Games with a 2.14 GAA.  Carolina won the Stanley Cup, and Ward would win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the best player in the post-season.

Brooks Orpik played college hockey at Boston College, where he would lead the Eagles to an NCAA Championship in 2001.  Orpik was drafted the year before by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the 18^th Overall Pick, and late in 2002-03, he was a fixture on the main roster.

Mike Cammalleri stood at only 5’ 9”, but time after time, he would be described as a player who on the ice acted like he was 6’ 4”.

Dennis Seidenberg was a part of the wave of NHL caliber German hockey players, who reinvented what people thought of German hockey.