Top United States-born player debated by NHL.com writers

Hockey Week Across America comes to a close Sunday with Hockey Day in America, a celebration of the game in the United States at every level.

The celebration will include a nationally-televised doubleheader featuring the Tampa Bay Lightning at the New Jersey Devils (1 p.m. ET; MAX, MSGSN, TNT, SN1, TVAS), followed by the Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins (3:30 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT, S1, TVAS).

It will also see Chris Chelios, one of the greatest United States-born defensemen in NHL history, having his number retired by the Chicago Blackhawks before a game against the Detroit Red Wings (6 p.m. ET; BSDET, NHLN, NBCSCH, SN). That same game will see forward Patrick Kane, one of the greatest U.S.-born players in NHL history, returning to Chicago for the first time as a visiting player.

All totaled, 13 U.S-based NHL teams will be in action.

To mark the occasion, the American portion of the NHL.com staff was asked to pick their favorite U.S.-born player of all-time. This was not an exercise in who was the best, but rather a quest to name the player most enjoyable to watch for whatever reason cited.

Here, in alphabetical order, are the staff’s answers.

Chris Chelios

The defenseman is another miracle on ice for the United States. He thought his career was over at 17, when he got cut by United States International University in San Diego. But he got a tryout for a junior team in Canada and made it as a defenseman, even though he had been a forward. He ended up playing 1,651 NHL regular-season games, more than any other defenseman at the time of his retirement, and 266 Stanley Cup Playoff games, more than any other player to this day. He was the first player born in the United States to captain the Montreal Canadiens and to win the Norris Trophy, voted as the NHL’s best defenseman. He won the Norris and the Stanley Cup three times each. He represented the United States several times internationally, winning the World Cup of Hockey in 1996 and an Olympic silver medal in 2002. Not until he was 48 did he retire, 22 years after the USIU program folded. No one older has played in the NHL but Gordie Howe, who finished at 52. Chelios will have his No. 7 retired by his hometown Blackhawks on Sunday. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

Jim Craig

The goalie played only 30 NHL games with the Atlanta Flames (four games), his hometown Boston Bruins (23) and the Minnesota North Stars (three) from 1980-1984, but this isn’t a debate about who is the best American NHL player. The “Miracle on Ice” gold medal at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics was not only a foundational moment for USA Hockey in terms of inspiring generations of players, it was also a formative one for me during my childhood in sparking my love of the sport. And as the goalie behind a lineup filled with college players, Craig, a Boston University product, was one of the main reasons the U.S won that tournament by upsetting the powerful Soviet Union 4-3 in the first game of the medal round before clinching the gold with a 4-2 victory against Finland. Craig was at his best against the Soviet Union, making 36 saves to negate the Soviets’ 39-16 dominance in shots on goal. And who could forget the image of Craig, standing on the ice draped in an American flag while searching for his father in the stands following the win against Finland? In seven games in the Olympics, he went 6-0 with one tie, a 2.14 goals-against average and .916 save percentage. -- Tom Gulitti, Staff Writer

Bill Guerin

The feisty forward wasn’t going to play second fiddle anywhere he played. He joined the New Jersey Devils in 1991-92 as the team was finding its way. Three seasons later, the Devils were Stanley Cup champions for the first time with Billy G providing clutch goals and a physical presence. The next year, he was named to the United States team that was going to play in the World Cup of Hockey. In most minds, it was a tournament Canada would win easily. Not in Guerin’s. He and a young core of teammates were brash and proud, telling anyone who would listen it was the United States’ time, and it was. The Americans won the best-of-3 final, taking each of the final two games in front of a hostile crowd in Montreal. After several stops throughout the NHL, he went to the Pittsburgh Penguins via trade during the 2008-09 season to give a supremely skilled team with championship aspirations a healthy dose of grit. He did it and the Penguins raised the Cup that spring. Guerin was rarely the best American player wherever he went, but he was plenty good and he always brought that steady confidence and steely determination that became his trademarks. For that, he was a joy to watch. -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

Val James

He didn’t play in the NHL long -- seven games with the Buffalo Sabres in 1981-82 and four with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1986-87, and did not register a point. But for me as a fan growing up, James epitomized the American hockey dream of persevering against all odds to accomplish a goal. A 16th-round pick (No. 184) in the 1977 NHL Draft, he became the first Black player born in the United States to reach the NHL, and he did it the hard way. He endured racist abuse from fans and opposing players in the minor leagues, particularly south of the Mason-Dixon line. Born in Ocala, Florida, and raised in suburban New York, James was a rink rat whose father, as the operations manager, had the keys to the old Long Island Arena, where the minor-league Long Island Ducks played. James developed into a player known more for his power more than his skill, but he scored the game-winning goal for Rochester in the 1983 American Hockey League Calder Cup championship. James’ NHL career was short, but he opened the door for a generation of Black American players like Mike Grier, Kyle Okposo, K’Andre Miller, Seth Jones, Jordan Harris and Dakota Joshua. -- William Douglas, staff writer

Brian Leetch

The defenseman had 1,028 points (247 goals, 781 assists) in 1,205 regular-season games, but if you had to pick one highlight from his brilliant NHL career, it’s his goal in Game 7 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Final against the New Jersey Devils. A few hours before Stephane Matteau would send the New York Rangers to the Cup Final with his legendary double-overtime goal, Leetch scored a jaw-dropping goal, appearing to be taking the puck behind the net, then stopping on a dime, doing a full spin-o-rama and backhanding the puck off Martin Brodeur’s pads and into the net at 9:31 of the second period to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Leetch was a joy to watch and was unquestionably the MVP of the Rangers’ Cup run in 1994 and, in my opinion, the greatest American defenseman and the greatest American player I have seen in my lifetime. -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

J.T. Miller

Choosing my favorite American-born player is tough just because the thing that resonates with me when it comes to players I've covered and written about are personal conversations that, on occasion, stop me in my tracks. J.T. Miller has become an unbelievable hockey player and has the numbers to back it since being selected No. 15 by the New York Rangers in the 2011 NHL Draft. I didn't want to put any emphasis on statistics for this exercise, however, and instead choose a memorable story. I wrote about J.T. prior to the draft and was there at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, when he made his NHL debut for the Rangers against the Devils on Feb. 5, 2013, my sixth season with NHL.com. Following the morning skate prior to his big night, I asked J.T. what he did with the gold medal he won as a key member of the United States at the 2013 World Junior Championship. "I actually put the medal in the coffin with my great grandfather. Not many can say they had a special relationship with a great grandparent, but that was something very special to me," he said. It's a moment I'll never forget and one of the most heartfelt gestures I ever had an athlete tell me. -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

Mike Modano

When I started covering hockey in Texas, it was during Modano’s prime years with the Dallas Stars. What better way to help sell hockey in an unconventional market (at the time, anyway), than to have Modano as the face of the franchise? Modano was approachable, affable and obviously incredibly talented. The speedy center’s jersey flapping behind him was memorable. He helped the Stars win the Stanley Cup in 1999 and just about got them there again in 2000. He had 1,374 points (561 goals, 813 assists) in 1,499 games with the Stars/Minnesota North Stars and Detroit Red Wings. He was named one of the 100 greatest NHL players in 2017 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014. It was a pleasure to watch a good part of his career firsthand. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Zach Parise

We can go back to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and the game-tying goal Parise scored for the United States in the epic gold-medal game against Canada with 24.4 seconds left in the third period. That was maybe his signature moment. It was pure Parise, hunting around the net, knowing where to go to score, grinding for a goal. Parise has made a career out of being that type of player. He’s who you want on the ice when the game is on the line, because he will go to the net. He ranks third in points per game (0.82) among the 26 players who have played in at least 500 games with the Devils and totaled 410 points (194 goals, 216 assists) in 502 games with New Jersey. He went to the Minnesota Wild, and playing at home was a dream come true for him; Parise is third in Wild history with 400 points (199 goals, 201 assists) in 558 games. He has since made an impact with the New York Islanders and now he’s trying to do the same with the Colorado Avalanche. But the reason I chose Parise is because of how he plays the game, carving out a remarkable career with work ethic, grind, physicality and skill. If I were a coach, I’d want him on my team and I’d be using him as an example all the time because Parise has never cheated the game. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

Matthew Tkachuk/Brady Tkachuk

I know we're supposed to pick one, but much like their parents, it's really tough for me to pick my favorite Tkachuk brother. Each has shown how great he can be; Matthew was a key piece to the Florida Panthers reaching the Stanley Cup Final last season, and Brady is developing into a great captain for the Ottawa Senators. They have played in the NHL All-Star Game, and they'll certainly be key parts of the U.S. team that plays in the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. But it's more about how each carries himself. Each understands how much of a privilege it is to play in the NHL, and each understands how much fun it's supposed to be to play the game. Each brings a certain swagger to the ice, and isn’t afraid to let an oversized personality shine through. Each shows every shift in every game how much fun he is having, and that feeling can become contagious to teammates, and to the next generation of fans. Any game there's a Tkachuk playing, I know I'll get full value for my entertainment dollar. -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor