An intense workout machine whose gym work likely granted him twenty NHL seasons, Rod Brind’Amour was not just a physical anomaly, but one hell of a hockey player.

Now we have a real test of the reduced scoring totals of the new millennium as the career tallies of Markus Naslund do not approach many of Hockey Hall of Fame inductees, but were among the best of his time.

It is curious how a player who was often amongst the top points producers for defensemen and played for good big market teams flew under the radar, but outside of the teams he played for, most fans barely gave Sergei Zubov a second thought.

In the mold of a player he grew up watching (Cam Neely), the Massachusetts born Keith Tkachuk become the American power forward of his generation.