Top 12 Veteran Players in the National Hockey League at the moment –Part 3
Up until now, we have been discussing the more widely known players just due to the exposure they have received overtime, but there are those who perform at nearly the same level if not better, but fly a little under the radar.
It might be due to their declining nature regarding performance, but even in the veteran stages, they remain top contributors for their respective franchises, which in the end, is the most valuable characteristic a player could have for his team.
We still have eight players remaining on the list of top 12 veteran players in the National Hockey League (NHL) at the moment, and some upcoming names could be those which should have been mentioned earlier, but as another reminder, this list is not a rank,
but a mention of all those who deserve to be reviewed due to their performance last season.
5. Teemu Selanne (Right Wing, Anaheim Ducks)
Teemu Selanne is a name that all hockey fans, whether old school or new age, should always have in their minds when discussing hockey greats and legendary players. The unique thing about him is that he is still playing, and just might be for another season.
After the 2010-2011 regular and postseason ended, Selanne emotionalised the entire hockey world with speculations about how he might be retiring. The rumours were later confirmed to be true, but fortunately, his retirement was conditional, that he would
play another season, only if it was with his long time team, Anaheim Ducks.
At the age of 41, Selanne, a 10th overall pick during the first-round of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft by the then Winnipeg Jets has played 18 seasons in the major league. His career will certainly add him to the hall of fame hands down.
Last season, Selanne put up extremely impressive numbers by scoring 80 points (31 goals, 49 points) in 73 games, which just added to his already humongous career stats of 1,259 games played and 1,340 points (637 goals, 703 assists) scored.
6. Ray Whitney (Left Wing, Phoenix Coyotes)
With age comes maturity, and for Ray Whitney, Phoenix Coyotes left wing game maker, it comes consistency. Still one of the highest ranked forwards in the league at the age of 39, Whitney makes some of the younger players look like fools with his abilities.
He might not have remained as consistent with teams like some of the other worth mentions in this list along with not even being one of the top 10 picks in previous drafts, but Whitney certainly knows how to score when he has the puck under control.
Last season, with Phoenix Coyotes, a team which he joined after five straight seasons with Carolina Hurricanes, put up 57 points (17 goals, 40 assists), in 75 games, only a point less than last season, which only goes to show that changing teams does not
affect how he performs on the ice.
Drafted as 23rd overall during round-two of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by San Jose Sharks, Whitney has spent nearly 18 seasons in the major league with teams like San Jose, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings
and Carolina.
He might have the same experience as players like Selanne, but one thing is for sure, the Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada native, still has a good number of playing years left in him.
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