Top 5 NHL Centers

Top 5 NHL Centers. You know the drill, not in any particular order. All stats gathered from nhl.com


Henrik Sedin

Henrik Sedin is a passing master, plain and simple. In his 11 year NHL career (missed one season due to the lockout), he has 165 goals, 534 assists for 699 points in 839 games. He averages 48.5 assists a year and averages .63 assists a game. Along with is twin brother, he is a force to be reckoned with on the ice. His on-ice vision is incredible and his ability to get a pass through nearly anything is unmatched. His best season was in 2009-10 when he finished with a career high in goals with 29, assists with 83, and in points with 112. Henrik won a goal medal in 2006 with Sweden and has also won the Hart Memorial and Art Ross Trophy both in 2010. One thing that will propel Henrik Sedin to greatness is if he can get his name on Lord Stanley's Cup.


Jonathan Toews

That's Captain Serious to you. Jonathan Toews my not be a major point producer like his teammates Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa, but what he "lacks" in point production, he makes up in leadership and clutch performances. Toews has won gold in nearly every major international tournament from the World Juniors to the World Championships and of course in 2010, the Winter Olympics. In the same year, he won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks becoming the youngest ever player to join the "Triple Gold Club." In 332 games he has scored 132 goals and has 167 assists for 299 points.  His responsibility on both ends of the ice has kept his plus/minus at a great +82 and he has never been a minus in the regular season.

Steven Stamkos

The first overall pick in 2008 by the Tampa Bay Lightning had a lot to live up to coming into his career and an underwhelming rookie season had people wondering if he was a bust. His next season proved everyone wrong. That season he scored 51 goals and had 44 assists for 95 points. That's a 49 point increase from his rookie year! Since then he as been a steady point producer reaching 91 points last season. Stamkos' 51 goals in 2009-10 gave him the Maurice Richard Trophy (Shared with Sidney Crosby) for the most goals in the NHL. Since his rookie season, he continues to improve in every stat. His plus minus has gotten better over the past couple years. Last season he and the Tampa Bay Lightning were 1 win away from making a Stanley Cup appearance, but were beaten in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals  by the eventual Champion Boston Bruins. Stamkos is going to be a major star in the NHL for years to come and will be a constant threat to score every time he is on the ice.
Sidney Crosby

Say what you will about Sidney Crosby, but he is an absolute world class player. In 420 games, he has scored 217 goals and has gotten 367 assists for 584 points (That is 1.39 points a game, by the way). Crosby is the youngest captain to win a Stanley Cup which he did in during the 2008-09 season. He has received many awards such as the Maurice Richard Trophy, Art Ross, Lester B. Pearson Award (Now the Ted Lindsay Award), Hart Memorial Trophy. In 2010 Crosby scored the game winning goal against Ryan Miller of the United States to give Canada the gold during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The major concern with Sid is the fact that he has never played a full 82 game season. The most he has played in an entire season is 81. Recently he has been been sidelined by a concussion that allowed him to only play 41 games in 2010-11. This year he made a comeback but is back off the ice due to concussion like symptoms. When healthy though, Crosby is a dynamic and amazing player to watch.

Pavel Datsyuk 

Even though he plays for the Detroit Red Wings, I can still say that he is one of my personal favorite players. Pavel Datsyuk is not just a scorer, he is easily one of the best two-way players in the NHL today. His uncanny vision and intelligence make him one of the hardest forwards to play against on both sides of the ice. He can burn you with a sweet move in the offensive zone, then strip you of the puck in the defensive zone. In 690 games, he has scored 229 goals, and has 450 assists for 679 points. While those are amazing stats, his plus minus is amazing. He is a plus 180 for his career! With his defensive prowess Datsyuk has been awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy 3 years in a row from 2008 to 2010. He has also won the Lady Byng Trophy 4 times in a row from 2006 to 2009. Along with the personal accolades, he has won 2 Stanley Cups with Detroit in 2002 and in 2008. The most mind blowing thing about Datsyuk is that he was the 171st overall pick in 1998.

-Colorado Cross Checker