Throughout the month of September, James Bisson and a cast of editors from theScore will share their rankings of the greatest players, teams, and moments in the 100-year history of the National Hockey League. Our final list focuses on the greatest players:

100-81 | 80-61 | 60-41 | 40-21 | 20-1

Voter List

• James Bisson, National Sports Editor
• Joe Ross, Vice-President, Content
• Josh Wegman, NHL News Editor
• Sean O'Leary, NHL News Editor
• Esten McLaren, NHL News Editor
• Craig Hagerman, NHL News Editor
• Lanny Foster, Senior Social Media Editor
• Michael Amato, Senior News Editor
• Arun Srinivasan, News Editor
• Adam Sarson, Operations Lead

100. Johnny Bower

Bower is one of the most beloved players in Toronto Maple Leafs history, racking up 219 of his 250 career wins in the blue and white. His best year came in 1960-61, when the Saskatchewan native led the league in wins (33) en route to his first of two Vezina Trophies - he also finished second in Hart Trophy voting to Montreal's Bernie Geoffrion that season.

99. Max Bentley

Shown above with brothers Doug and Reg, Max Bentley was the most talented of the three. The skilled center won a pair of scoring titles, was a two-time All-Star, and captured the Hart Trophy in 1946 after recording 61 points in 47 games. He would later feature on a talented Maple Leafs team that won three Stanley Cup titles in a four-year span from 1948-51.

98. Ted Kennedy

Kennedy was a young stud on a star-laden Maple Leafs team that dominated the late 1940s and early 1950s, twice leading the postseason in goals and finishing with a league-best 14 playoff points during Toronto's run to the '48 Stanley Cup. Kennedy won five championships in total, while taking home the Hart Trophy with a 52-point campaign in 1955.

97. Red Kelly

Kelly was a consummate professional during his 21-year NHL career, earning All-Star nods in eight straight seasons while winning four Lady Byng Awards and the Norris Trophy in 1954. There's also the eight Stanley Cups - four with the Red Wings and four with the Maple Leafs. And sure, it was a different time, but just 327 penalty minutes in 21 seasons? Incredible.

96. Paul Kariya

Kariya peaked at an early age - finishing top 10 in Hart Trophy voting three times between ages 21 and 24 - then overcame injuries and a number of address changes to average exactly a point per game over his terrific 14-season career. One fact you might not know: The diminutive winger twice led the league in shots (1996-97, 1998-99).

95. Sid Abel

Before they had Gord, the Red Wings had Sid - and he was one of the most talented forwards of his generation, earning back-to-back first-team All-Star honors while capturing the Hart Trophy in 1949 on the strength of a league-best 28 goals. He helped guide the Red Wings to three Stanley Cups, the last coming in Abel's final season with Detroit in 1952.

94. Rod Gilbert

Consistency was Gilbert's calling card. He scored 25 or more goals 11 times in his career, while recording at least 75 points on eight occasions. He didn't have that one big season, and he didn't win a Cup - but as a rare player who spent his entire career on Broadway, you would have a hard time finding any Rangers fan who wouldn't rank him among the best in franchise history.

93. Patrick Kane

He won't turn 30 until November 2018, but Kane already has one of the most diverse trophy cases in league history. With a Calder Trophy, a Conn Smythe, a Hart, an Art Ross, a Ted Lindsay, and a Lester B. Pearson Award on his mantel, Kane has had a sensational start to his career. And let's not forget: He's also a three-time Stanley Cup champion.

92. Erik Karlsson

Karlsson's inclusion on the list might rankle some traditionalists, but it's hard to argue with the 27-year-old's credentials to date: Two Norris Trophies, four first-team All-Star nods and four top ten finishes in Hart Trophy voting. His current trajectory puts him on pace to finish with well over 1,000 points, which could make him a top-30 all-time player.

91. Marian Hossa

Hossa didn't dominate like the players listed ahead of him, but he was a consistently good player for the majority of his career. There's also the three Stanley Cup titles he won with Chicago - and it could easily have been five, as he wound up on the wrong end of Cup runs in 2008 with Pittsburgh and 2009 with Detroit.

90. Chris Pronger

With Pronger out of hockey for five years and counting, it might be hard to remember just how dominant he was. It all came together in 1999-00 when he won the Hart and Norris Trophies, but he was pretty good the rest of the time, too - earning seven top-five Norris showings before concussions eventually ended his career.

89. Scott Stevens

Stevens will forever be known as one of the hardest hitters in the history of the game - but he was so much more than that. Stevens was a five-time All-Star, three-time Stanley Cup champion, and the 1999-2000 Conn Smythe Award winner. He's also the answer to the trivia question, "Who was awarded to the Devils as compensation for St. Louis signing Brendan Shanahan in 1991?"

88. Ed Belfour

From undrafted free agent to the Hockey Hall of Fame, Belfour's career trajectory is one of the most inspiring in NHL history, and the accolades are many. Belfour won the Vezina Trophy twice, the Jennings Trophy three times, and was a three-time All-Star. He was the top rookie in 1991 - finishing third in Hart voting in the process - and won a Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999.

87. Norm Ullman

Ullman split his 20 NHL seasons between the Red Wings and Maple Leafs. While he didn't win a Stanley Cup with either team, he still forged a really good career, finishing top five in Hart Trophy voting twice while making a pair of All-Star teams. He was also one of the most durable players in the league in his prime, not missing a game from 1959-60 to 1962-63.

86. Borje Salming

It's no stretch to label Salming as the best defenseman never to win the Norris Trophy. Boy, did he come close though, finishing top five in voting each of his first seven NHL seasons. Salming's achievements were overshadowed by just how bad the Maple Leafs were in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and he just wasn't the same player after age 31. But in his prime, he was an all-timer.

85. Newsy Lalonde

Lalonde's NHL playing career didn't last long, but it was spectacular. He won a pair of scoring titles in five seasons with Montreal, and led the league in goals in its second season in existence. An accomplished lacrosse player prior to his time in hockey, Lalonde served as player-coach with the Canadiens and led the team to the 1919 NHL championship.

84. Michel Goulet

A handful of players who excelled in the 1980s - including Goulet - were ultimately overshadowed by Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. The 1979 first-round pick posted four 100-point seasons that decade, earning five All-Star nods but cracking the top 10 in Hart Trophy voting just once. Goulet led the NHL in game-winning goals (16) in 1983-84.

83. Pierre Turgeon

Turgeon was a truly gifted forward, and one of the most sportsmanlike of his era, finishing top 10 in Lady Byng voting 11 times - winning in 1993. He placed fifth in Hart Trophy balloting that season, racking up a career-high 132 points in a sublime effort that would have generated more attention were it not overshadowed by career years from several other players.

82. Syl Apps

Apps arrived in the NHL with much fanfare after dominating the OHA and didn't disappoint, leading the league in assists as a 22-year-old, and repeating the feat the following season. Apps went on to earn five All-Star nods while saving his best for last, leading the Maple Leafs to consecutive Stanley Cup titles in 1947 and 1948 before hanging up his skates.

81. Joe Nieuwendyk

Nieuwendyk's NHL debut was a memorable one, as he racked up 51 goals en route to the Calder Trophy. He wasn't done there, scoring 45 or more goals in each of his first four seasons. He picked up King Clancy and Conn Smythe trophies along the way, while winning Stanley Cups with three different teams. His 158 playoff games rank 73rd all-time among skaters.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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Auston Matthews won't be taking a knee during "The Star-Spangled Banner" anytime soon.

The American-born Toronto Maple Leafs star told reporters Monday he's not the type to kneel during an anthem, saying he considers it a "dishonor" to those who "fight for that flag."

Here's Matthews' full answer, via TSN's Kristen Shilton:

However, Matthews clarified that he believes in the right to freedom of speech.

"Isn't that one of the Amendments? You have the right to say what you want," he said, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

On Sunday, dozens of NFL players kneeled, locked arms, and remained in the locker room during the anthem in a widespread protest of police brutality and racial inequality given new life by the president's vulgar criticism of the movement.

Also on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced their intent to visit the White House. That revelation came one day after the NBA's Golden State Warriors confirmed they won't be going and two days after Warriors guard Stephen Curry said he hoped his team wouldn't make the trip.

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No member of the Tampa Bay Lightning will ever don the No. 4 ever again.

Vincent Lecavalier's number will be raised to the rafters at Amalie Arena on Saturday, Feb. 10, prior to a game against the Los Angeles Kings, the Lightning announced Monday.

Lecavalier was chosen first overall by the Lightning in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. He is the franchise's all-time leader in games played (1,038) and goals (383), and ranks second behind Martin St. Louis in both assists and points. St. Louis' No. 26 is the only other jersey the team has ever retired.

The center's career year came in 2006-07 when he netted 52 goals and tallied 56 assists for 108 points, winning the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy and finishing fourth in Hart Trophy voting.

Yet he made his most important contributions to the Bolts during the 2003-04 campaign. That year, he had 32 goals and 66 points during the regular season, and added nine goals and 16 points in 23 playoff games en route to a Stanley Cup.

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Though the NHL won't be heading to the 2018 Olympics, there's still excitement surrounding the men's and women's ice hockey tournaments that begin in less than five months, and the IIHF announced the groups and schedules Monday.

On the men's side, the teams have been split up into three groups:

The USA will open up the tournament Feb. 14 against Slovakia, while Canada gets started Feb. 15 against Switzerland. Each country will play every team in its group once during the preliminary round. The full schedule can be found here.

Over on the women's side, the groups are as follows:

Consider Group A "the group of death."

The marquee matchup between Canada and the United States will take place Feb. 15 at the Kwandong Hockey Center. The full schedule can be found here.

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

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Of the NHL's four divisions, the Metropolitan is tracking to be the tightest this season, with as many as seven of the eight teams being in the playoff conversation.

As a result, any attempt to rank these clubs should come with the caveat that while there may be some separation between the top five and the bottom three, the tight point margins could be slim enough to change a team's ranking by a spot or two either way.

All of that is to underscore that this will be a very competitive division, and here's our best guess as to how it will all play out.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Winners of the past two Stanley Cup championships, the Penguins lost a couple of key players (Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen), and are therefore looking to fill big holes at center.

Still, a roster that boasts Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Kris Letang and Matt Murray remains formidable, and emerging young guns up front will help keep this team rolling for the foreseeable future.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Few take this team seriously, and perhaps that's warranted considering the Blue Jackets have only won three playoff games in their 17-year existence, while their success last season was largely buoyed by a 16-game win streak.

On paper, though, this roster is deep and talented at all skater positions, and Sergei Bobrovsky proved he's still elite with a Vezina campaign in 2016-17. The addition of Artemi Panarin gives Columbus a much-needed gamebreaker, and these Jackets will look to sting early and often.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals were forced to make some salary cap sacrifices following another disappointing early playoff exit, and while the Cup window may have closed without a win, the roster remains in good shape for the time being.

Alex Ovechkin is still at the helm of a powerful offense and Braden Holtby is as solid as they come, meaning regular-season success is still in the cards.

Carolina Hurricanes

This southern squad was the belle of the offseason ball, adding Scott Darling in net and bringing back Justin Williams to help out an emerging group of talented young forwards.

General manager Ron Francis has also assembled one of the NHL's best rosters of defensemen, and the Hurricanes are primed to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

New York Rangers

The Rangers are quietly trending towards a younger and faster roster, and that certainly bodes well in today's NHL. The addition of Kevin Shattenkirk on defense and the ever-steady presence of Henrik Lundqvist in net will help this team's chances.

The latter, however, isn't playing as much as he used to, and if the Rangers have to rely on Ondrej Pavelec for any length of time, all bets are off.

Philadelphia Flyers

This team is somewhat in limbo, having amassed a wealth of young talent - particularly on defense, although Andrew MacDonald is their highest-paid defenseman - but they also feature an aging core, and are facing the same old question marks in net.

Brian Elliott was supposed to be the answer in Calgary last season but faltered, and he's now expected to replace an underappreciated Steve Mason, who jetted off to Winnipeg.

They'll be a playoff bubble team, but the Flyers may be a year or two away from taking a big step forward with Nolan Patrick starring up front.

New York Islanders

Will he stay or will he go? Until John Tavares decides one way or the other, his contract situation will hang heavy over the Islanders.

There's impressive young talent up front waiting to take off, but the loss of Travis Hamonic, coupled with questions in goal, will keep this team from competing with the heavier hitters in this division.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils made impressive strides in the building process over the summer, adding Nico Hischier as the first pick at the draft and signing free agent standout defenseman Will Butcher.

Any team would want Cory Schneider and Taylor Hall on its side, but the pieces here just don't fit quite yet, meaning another lottery pick is in this team's future.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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Maybe Connor McDavid shouldn't be a slam dunk for the first overall pick in your fantasy draft.

Before you make the easy selection and take the reigning Art Ross Trophy winner, consider the value Brad Marchand can offer in fantasy.

Over the past couple of seasons, the Boston Bruins forward has truly emerged as an offensive talent, showing he can be more than just a pest.

Marchand has hit career highs in goals and points in the last two seasons. In 2016, he bested his 2012 numbers (28 goals and 55 points), tallying 37 goals and 61 points. He did even better last season, finishing tied for fourth in the league in goals with 39 and tied for fifth with 85 points.

Of his 39 goals, eight were game-winners, tying him for fifth among all skaters, and another three were scored shorthanded, which also placed him fifth league-wide (and just two shy of Viktor Arvidsson's league-high five).

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

He's also making significant contributions on the man advantage. Last season Marchand tallied 16 more power-play points (24) than the season prior, which had previously been his career high. This is largely thanks to the Bruins' power play, which ranked seventh in the league in 2016-17 with a 21.7 percent success rate.

Meanwhile, at five-on-five, Marchand had the second-most shot attempts for Boston, while his linemate Patrice Bergeron ranked No. 1. In all, he threw 226 shots at the opposition, ranking 31st among all forwards.

And discovering his scoring touch hasn't made Marchand any less salty on the ice. He still led the Bruins in penalty minutes with 81, which also ranked 24th among all forwards. To put that into perspective, only two other forwards who ranked in the top 50 in scoring had more penalty minutes than Marchand: Nazem Kadri and Ryan Kesler.

As crazy as it might sound, his overall strengths suggest that plucking Marchand first in your fantasy league - if you're lucky enough to have that selection - might be a smart move.

He ranks in the top five in almost every offensive category in the league. On top of that, he chips in on special teams, he racks up penalty minutes, and while he doesn't sit among league leaders, he'll also hit and block shots on occasion.

In most fantasy leagues, he'll get you points in nearly every category, something you can't necessarily say about usual first overall selections such as McDavid and Sidney Crosby.

Taking Marchand at No. 1 might be risky, but the payoff could be worth it.

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Do the crime, do the time.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Jake Dotchin has been held out of the team's preseason action after violating an in-house rule, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.

While Smith did not indicate the nature of Dotchin's rule-breaking, he added that the decision will not have an impact on the blue-liner's roster spot.

Dotchin made his NHL debut with the Lightning last season, registering 11 points in 35 games. The 23-year-old is expected to fill a role among Tampa Bay's top six defensemen this year.

The Lightning have played four exhibition contests thus far, posting a 2-2-0 record.

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Revisionist history is apparently real.

Montreal Canadiens legend Maurice 'Rocket' Richard has been credited with one more assist, nearly 72 years after he scored the point.

The correction comes after the NHL's official ledger realized its omission upon reviewing the scoresheet from a Nov. 4, 1945 contest between the Canadiens and Boston Bruins. In the game, Richard picked up an assist on a goal by Toe Blake, for which he's now receiving credit.

The added assist boosts Richard's career total to 966 points. He sits 93rd in all-time NHL scoring, now (an adjusted) six points behind the recently retired Shane Doan. The closest active player is Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg, who sits 107th with 904 career points.

Richard, whose name is honored in the award bestowed on the NHL's top goal scorer, spent 18 seasons with the Canadiens through the 1940s and 1950s, winning eight Stanley Cups, and the Hart Trophy in 1947.

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