Sep 30, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (37) is congratulated by teammate Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) after scoring against the New York Islanders during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
The Sports Network (TSN) announced its annual list of the top fifty players in hockey, and once again the Boston Bruins were well represented. TSN’s Top 50 ranking was determined by a selection of NHL coaches, general managers, and industry experts. To no surprise, Penguins forward Sidney Crosby was chosen as the best player in hockey. This is his fifth consecutive year in the number one slot. It’s kind of hard to disagree. He’s still pretty amazing to watch on the ice.
This year, the Boston Bruins have five members in the top fifty, thanks to the inclusion of Tuukka Rask (at #30). This ties them with the Chicago Blackhawks for the most top fifty players in the NHL. David Krejci has the highest increase among the Bruins, moving up thirteen spots from #46 to # 33. That thirteen point jump is equal to Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings, and only eclipsed by Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars (who moved up twenty four ranks from last year). Bruins captain and defenseman Zdeno Chara had the biggest drop of all players in the top fifty. He fell seventeen slots from number six to number twenty three.
Patrice Bergeron led all Bruins in ranking (#13). Bruins forward Milan Lucic stayed in the top fifty as well (#48).
I’m sure there will be people on this list that you love to see up here, and those that you have to wonder why they’re here. From a personal standpoint, it’s good to see all three of my fantasy leagues are well represented by players the industry leaders believe are the best in the NHL.
1. Sidney Crosby
2. Jonathan Toews
3. Steven Stamkos
4. Ryan Getzlaf
5. Anze Kopitar
6. Evgeni Malkin
7. Drew Doughty
8. John Tavares
9. Shea Weber
10. Patrick Kane
11. Claude Giroux
12. Alex Ovechkin
13. Patrice Bergeron
14. Corey Perry
15. Jamie Benn
16. Henrik Lundqvist
17. Pavel Datsyuk
18. Duncan Keith
19. P.K. Subban
20. Jonathan Quick
21. Ryan Suter
22. Erik Karlsson
23. Zdeno Chara
24. Carey Price
25. Tyler Seguin
26. Matt Duchene
27. Henrik Zetterberg
28. Zach Parise
29. Alex Pietrangelo
30. Tuukka Rask
31. Ryan McDonagh
32. Taylor Hall
33. David Krejci
34. Nathan MacKinnon
35. Marian Hossa
36. Joe Pavelski
37. Logan Couture
38. Phil Kessel
39. Nicklas Backstrom
40. Ryan Johansen
41. Joe Thornton
42. Gabriel Landeskog
43. Jeff Carter
44. Patrick Sharp
45. Eric Staal
46. Alexander Steen
47. Oliver Ekman-Larsson
48. Milan Lucic
49. Semyon Varlamov
50. Kyle Okposo
More from Bruins News
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- Bruins bringing back familiar forward on tryout contract
- The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
- NHL Network lists Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league
- The Lasting Legacy of David Krejci
This list should make a lot of Bruins fans happy. We’re often called a bunch of ‘shameless homers’ (that’s the nicest way of saying what is usually said about us). This year’s roster gives us another reason for us to be loud and proud. People from all over the league looked at the Black and Gold and saw enough excellence to put a quarter of the squad on the list.