Arguably the first superstar in baseball history, Cap Anson joined the then-named Chicago White Stockings in 1876 and would become one of the greatest hitters of the game for years.  In the 22 years he played in Chicago, Anson batted over .300 in 19 of them including a 15-year streak (1876 to 1890), and he would win three Batting Titles and four second-place finishes in that stretch.  Anson would find other ways to get on base as the superstar was also a three-time leader in On Base Percentage and finished second in that statistic four times.  His hits were also timely as he would lead the league in Runs Batted In eight times and to this day is fourth all-time in that metric.  He was also considered to be an above-average fielder at the time of his peak.

Jan Hrdina was chosen in the 5^th Round in 1995 by the Pittsburgh Penguins, and after playing in Junior for another year and the minors for two, he was ready to debut in the NHL in 1998.

Petr Nedved arrived in Pittsburgh with a lot of baggage.  The former second overall pick was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks, whose fans appreciated his skill, but not his soft play.  A contract dispute would see him dealt to St. Louis, where he played for part of a season, and then he went to the New York Rangers, where he failed to live up to expectations.  Still, there was so much talent in the Czech Center, that the Penguins traded for him before the 1995-96 season.