- Wendel Clark – Maple Leaf Legend
- Billy Smith – Hall of Famer & 4 Time Stanley Cup Champion
- Guy Carbonneau – Montreal Legend & 3 Time Stanley Cup Champion
- Shayne Corson – Montreal & Toronto Legend
- Chris Neil – Ottawa Legend
- Angela James – First Women inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010
- Mike Krushelnyski – 3 Time Stanley Cup Champion
- Geraldine Heaney – Gold Medalist & 3rd women inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013
- Matt Barnaby – Former NHL tough guy – Guaranteed Fan favourite
- Al Iafrate – Maple Leaf great & former holder of Hardest Slapshot for 15 yrs!
Clark was drafted First overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. His physical style of play and offensive talent built the foundation of a great career and later leading to Clark becoming the Captain of the storied Maple Leafs. He led by example and was the one working the hardest, scoring the big goals and doing whatever was needed to win. In 793 career NHL games Clark recorded 564 points and 1690 Penalty Minutes playing for Toronto, Quebec, NY Islanders, Tampa Bay, Detroit & Chicago. Clark also represented Canada in the ’85 World Juniors winning Gold. He currently resides with his family in Toronto and keeps busy as an Ambassador with the Leafs plus various charitable causes and has a restaurant chain and Meineke Car Care Centres.
A nasty opponent to anyone who would come near his crease, Billy Smith was one of the greatest goalies of his era. Drafted by Los Angeles in 1970, he only played five games for them before the New York Islanders took him in the 1972 Expansion Draft. In his first season there, he broke the record for penalty minutes by a goalie and actually fought some of the league’s enforcers! Paired with Chico Resch, both goalies supported a team that would go on to greatness. When Resch was traded to Colorado in 1980, Smith was the undisputed number one and helped the Islanders win their first of four consecutive Stanley Cups. He won the Vezina Trophy in 1982 and the Conn Smythe in ’83 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in ’93.
Drafted in the 3rd round by Montreal in 1979, Guy Carbonneau would spend another year in junior and then two years in the minors before making the roster of the legendary Canadiens. Part of that team’s rebuilding after an unusual gap between Cups, Carbonneau earned 47 points and was plus-18 in his rookie season. His two Cups in 13 seasons with Montreal were a direct result of his leadership and his incredible two-way play. In fact, he single-handedly shut down Wayne Gretzky in the 1993 Stanley Cup finals. He won three Selke trophies before being traded to St. Louis. After only one season there, he moved to the Dallas Stars, where he won a third cup in 1999. He spent five seasons in Texas but then returned to Montreal, this time in the front office. After Bob Gainey became GM in 2003, he made sure that Carbonneau, his old wingman, was behind the bench. In 2006, he became the Head Coach of his beloved Canadiens, a position he held until 2009.
Canadian ice hockey player Guy Carbonneau of the Montreal Canadiens on the ice during a game, February 1983. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images)
Drafted 8th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 1984, Shayne Corson would twice represent his country at the World Junior Championships, while playing in the OHL for the Hamilton Steelhawks, before turning pro with Montreal in 1986. He quickly established himself as a power forward and would spend parts of eight seasons with Montreal before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers. Shayne would spend the next three seasons with the Oilers before being dealt to the St. Louis Blues. He would spend just over a year with St. Louis before being dealt back to Montreal during the 1996-97 season. Shayne spent the next four seasons back with team that drafted him, representing his country on the Olympic stage in Nagano in 1998, before signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2000. He spent the next three years with the Maple Leafs before signing with the Dallas Stars prior to the 2003-04 season, his last year in the NHL. Throughout his NHL career, Corson played in 1156 regular season games, scoring 273 goals and adding 420 assists for 693 points along with 2357 penalty minutes.
Shayne Corson #27 of the Montreal Canadiens in action on January 18 1999 (Mandatory Credit: Robert Laberge /Allsport).
An enforcer who cut his teeth with North Bay in the OHL and the IHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, Chris Neil debuted for the Ottawa Senators in 2001. A regular part of the Senators line-up since his rookie season, Neil can be counted on for a clutch goal now-and-then and for some rough play is almost always expected. Neil is also a fixture in the Ottawa community taking part in many charitable endeavours. Neil, along with his wife, serves as honorary co-chairs of the Rogers House, an Ottawa paediatric hospice.
Angela James is a legendary name among Canadian women’s hockey. The decision to leave her off the roster of the 1998 Olympic Team was as controversial as the decision to leave Mark Messier off the men’s team that year. James was a member of Canada’s gold medal teams at each of the previous four Women’s World Championships. She was Canada’s leading scorer with eleven goals at the 1990 Women’s World Championship and was an All-Star forward in 1992. James had also been a top Canadian scoring threat at the 1994 and 1997 World Championships and represented her country at the Pacific Rim Championship in 1996. Since her retirement, James has become a sport coordinator for Seneca College. Angela James became one of the first two woman to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame alongside Cammi Granato in 2010.
Mike learned the fundamentals of the game in his hometown Montreal, that lead to a NHL career of almost 900 games. Drafted by Boston in 1979 he spent two years in the organization before joining full time in 1982-83. He scored 23 goals and 65 points in his rookie season and quickly became regarded as one of the best young players in hockey. Traded in 84-85 season to the Oilers where he recorded his career highs as well as the Stanley Cup. He even played in the 1985 All-Star Game. Krushelnyski was part of the biggest trades in NHL history, On August 9, 1988, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings with Gretzky and Marty McSorley. He played with the Kings before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs during 1990-91. He was with Toronto for four seasons before signing for one year with the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent. He finished his career in 1996-97.
Mike Krushelnyski of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates up ice against on November 1, 1990 at Maple Leaf Gardens (Photo by Graig Abel Collection/Getty Images)
A pioneer of women’s hockey, Geraldine Heaney was a veteran defenseman for the Canadian National team. By the time that she retired in 2003, she had won an Olympic gold medal, an Olympic silver medal and seven World Championships. She played the most games all-time (125) with Canada’s National Women’s Hockey Team, and leads all defensemen with 27 goals, 66 assists and 93 points. She is also the 5th top scorer of all-time. Working at several youth and prospect camps, Heaney served as head coach of the University of Waterloo Warriors women’s hockey team from 2006 to 2012. Heaney was the third woman ever inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, when she was inducted in 2013.
Matthew was the fourth round, 84th overall selection of the Buffalo Sabres in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, Barnaby is a graduate of the QMJHL. In his first full season in the NHL, with the Buffalo Sabres, Barnaby led the league with 335 minutes in penalties. Barnaby also played for Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks and the Dallas Stars. Everywhere he went Barnaby became a fan favorite with his feisty play and give all attitude. Unfortunately, his career was cut short due to concussion issues. He would finished with 834 games played and over 2500 penalty minutes.
Matthew Barnaby of the New York Rangers on March 30 2002. Credit: Eliot Schechter/Getty Images/NHLI
Al Iafrate was selected 4th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. He spent almost 7 seasons in Toronto where he was known as one of the best skaters in the game. Iafrate played in four All-Star Games and at the ’93 game set the record for the hardest slapshot at 105.2 MPH and held this record for 16 years. He played 799 career NHL games over twelve NHL seasons, scoring 152 goals and 311 assists for 463 points. He also compiled 1301 penalty minutes while playing in Toronto, Washington, Boston, and San Jose. HE is also well known for having one of the best hockey hairdo’s The Mullet!
Al Iafrate holds the puck behind the net in February, 1991 at the Maple Leaf Gardens (Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images).