Forwards

Wayne Gretzky #99

Born: January 26, 1962
Nationality: Canadian
Teams: Indianapolis Racers, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers
NHL Stats: 894g-1963a-2857p in 1487 games played; 1.92 points per game
His nickname is "The Great One," and there's a good reason for that. He's regarded as the best player to play hockey, ever. He was only the tenth player to have the three-year waiting period waived to enter the Hall of Fame, and the only NHL player to have his number retired league-wide (Jackie Robinson is the only other player in any league to have that honor). He's the only player to record over 200 points in a single season, and he did it four times. He owns virtually every scoring record. His trade from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings was one of the most shocking events in NHL history, and it helped the growth of hockey in California and other southern markets.
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Mario Lemieux #66

Born: October 5, 1965
Nationality: Canadian
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL Stats: 690g-1033a-1723p in 915 games played; 1.88 points per game
"Super Mario" is considered the second best forward after Gretzky. Some argue that he would have been better than Gretzky if he didn't have Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Mario Lemieux is the only player to score five goals in five ways, what is now known as a Mario Lemieux hat trick. After he retired he became part-owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, even coming out of retirement to be a player-owner to help his struggling club. He is responsible for preventing the Penguins from moving to Kansas City by getting the city of Pittsburgh to build the Penguins a new arena.
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Gordie Howe #9

Born: March 31, 1928
Nationality: Canadian
Teams: Detroit Red Wings, Houston Aeros, New England Whalers, Hartford Whalers
NHL/WHA Stats: 975g-1383a-2358p in 2186 games played; 1.08 points per game
Gordie Howe, also called Mr. Hockey, was a great player, but what people will know him most for is his longevity. He played for 34 seasons, from 1946 to 1980. Eight different presidents had held office during the course of his career, starting with Harry Truman and ending with Ronald Reagan. During the latter portion of his career, he was even able to play with his son Mark Howe on the Whalers. Besides his longevity, he is known for being a slightly dirty player, notorious for elbowing players without getting called.
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Alexander Ovechkin #8

Born: September 17, 1985
Nationality: Russian
Team: Washington Capitals
NHL Stats: 269g-260a-529p in 396 games played; 1.34 points per game
Alexander the Gr8, as he is sometimes called, is one of the two young phenoms in the NHL currently. At only 25 years old, he already has two Hart Trophies naming him the MVP of the league, two Rocket Richards naming him the top goal-scorer, an Art Ross naming him the top point-getter, and two Lester Pearsons naming him the MVP of the league as voted on by the players. He is the captain of the Washington Capitals, and one of the most outgoing players in the league. He plays with a bit of an edge, however, having been suspended multiple times.
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Sidney Crosby #87

Born: August 7, 1987
Nationality: Canadian
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL Stats: 183g-323a-506p in 370 games played; 1.37 points per game
Sid the Kid has also been dubbed "the Next One," as people believed he is the one who could break Gretzky's records. While he has not been at Gretzky level, he is still one of the best, if not the best player in the game today. At 23 years old, he has already won a Hart trophy and a Rocket Richard. He has also captained the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup when he was 22, making him the youngest captain to win the Cup. Some of his notoriety comes from the fact that he lives with team owner Mario Lemieux because, as an 18 year old entering the league, he didn't feel comfortable living on his own.
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Defensemen

Bobby Orr #4

Born: March 20, 1948
Nationality: Canadian
Teams: Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Stats: 270g-645a-915p in 657 games played; 1.39 points per game
Bobby Orr is considered the third greatest skater to ever play in the NHL, after Gretzky and Lemieux. Despite playing a relatively small number of games, Orr managed to get almost a 1000 points as a defenseman. To put it in perspective, there are not many forwards - whose job it is to score goals - who average over a point per game in their careers. That Orr did so as a defenseman is absolutely amazing. He played so few games because his knees would not physically allow him to skate anymore. The famous photograph of him flying in the air after scoring a Cup-winning goal is one of the most iconic hockey photographs of all time.
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Ray Bourque #7

Born: December 28, 1960
Nationality: Canadian
Teams: Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche
NHL Stats: 410g-1169a-1579p in 1612 games played; .98 points per game
Ray Bourque's career was mostly in Boston, but in order to win a Stanley Cup, he was traded to the Avalanche for one a half seasons. His last NHL game was his Stanley Cup winning game. In an iconic moment, Avalanche captain forewent raising the Cup first, as is custom, and gave it immediately to Bourque. He still holds the records of having the most goals, assists, and points as a defenseman in the NHL, which speaks to both his scoring prowess and his longevity in the league.
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Nicklas Lidstrom #5

Born: April 28, 1970
Nationality: Swedish
Team: Detroit Red Wings
NHL Stats: 237g-809p-1046p in 1412 games played; .74 points per game
Nick Lidstrom is 40 years old and still considered one of the best shut-down defensemen in the game today. He is offensively gifted - a .74ppg while playing most of your career in the Dead Puck Era is nothing to sneeze at - but the combination of offense and shut-down defense is why he is regarded as the third-best defenseman to ever play the game. He is the first non-North American captain to lead their team to a Stanley Cup.
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Goalies

Ken Dryden #29

Born: August 8, 1947
Nationality: Canadian
Team: Montreal Canadiens
NHL Stats: 258-57-74, 46 shutouts, 2.24 GAA
Ken Dryden's career started out with him winning the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP. The next year, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year. While his outstanding record was helped by him playing for a Canadiens dynasty team, he still is one of the greatest goalies of all time. But what makes him unique is that during a contract hold-out, he decided to study for the Bar exam so he could become a lawyer. After his retirement, he wrote the book The Game, which is considered the best book about hockey ever written. Currently, he is a member of the Canadian Parliament.
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Patrick Roy #33

Born: October 5, 1965
Nationality: Canadian
Team: Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Avalanche
NHL Stats: 551-315-131, 66 shutouts, 2.54 GAA
Until recently the holder of the wins record, St. Patrick is known for his play in the playoffs and his attitude. He won a Conn Smythe with the Canadiens in his rookie season, and later led the Colorado Avalanche to both of their Cups. After a game where he had given up five goals in 17 shots in the first and the coach refused to pull him, he demanded a trade and was traded to Colorado. Other infamous moments of his included the Statue of Liberty goal, where he was showing off a save and put the puck into his own net, and his retort to Jeremy Roenick where he famously quipped, "I couldn't hear Jeremy because I have my two Stanley Cup rings plugged in my ears."
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Dominik Hasek #39

Born: Junary 29, 1965
Nationality: Czech
Teams: Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings
NHL Stats: 389-223-82, 81 shutouts, 2.20 GAA, .922 SV%
The Dominator is known for two things: his bird cage style mask, and his, let's call it "unconventional" playing style. As opposed to other great goalies who play butterfly, stand up, or a hybrid goaltending style, Hasek's style was to flop around in his crease, stopping the puck by any means necessary. The thing was, it worked. His great flexability and reflexes allowed him to make saves that nobody thought was even possible; thus, his style has never been copied effectively. One great moment of his came during his last year in the NHL, when he was playing for the Detroit Red Wings. Marion Gaborik was on a breakaway, so Hasek skated out and slid, causing Gaborik to flip over in the air.
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Martin Brodeur #30

Born: May 6, 1972
Nationality: Canadian
Team: New Jersey Devils
NHL Stats: 602-324-105-29, 110 shutouts, 2.21 GAA, .914 SV%
Martin Brodeur is the winningest goalie in NHL history, and has the most shutouts in league history - and he is still playing. He does not look like an athlete, which prompted adgitator Sean Avery to dub him "Fatso," yet he has been one of the most durable and consistent goalies in the league, usually playing over 70 games per season. Brodeur is the backbone of the Devils's sucess over the years, benifitting partially because of the Trap they employed (although some argue that it was because of Brodeur that the Devils were able to play the Trap so effectively). He is one of the best puckhandling goalies in history, and was so good that the NHL instituted the trapezoid rule that limits his ability to play the puck.
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There have been many great players to play the game of hockey. From Rocket Richard to Stevie Yzerman, from Vladislav Tretiak to Mats Sundin. Here I have listed twelve of the best, most well-known players in the game, mixing in former greats with ones that are still playing today. These twelve players aren't the be-all, end-all of great players, not even close; just the ones that you should probably know.

Here is a list of everyone inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF), for even more browsing.