Who are Your Top 6 Americans Ever Ranked?

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Nailed the skaters. I would argue that, if Hull is considered an American, he just has to be #1. Top 5 all time in goals.

Hull is American. Raised in America. Played for USA.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Benjamin Franklin
George Carlin
Teddy Roosevelt
Willie Nelson
Steve Rogers
Weird Al

 

[PaulD]

Man the late 90’s to early 00’s were a great time to be an American hockey fan. So many iconic players.

World Cup Champs 96
Best team they ever iced.

 

[Divine]

Hull is American. Raised in America. Played for USA.

Born and developed in Canada though.

The only thing that makes him American is he had an American parent which allowed him to play for the USA. His father, Bobby Hull, was a Canadian who played in the NHL for Chicago and ended up marrying an American woman.

It's like saying Auston Matthews is Mexican and not American if he choose to represent Mexico.

Hull is basically the reason everyone says "American born" instead of American, because he is American simply because one parent was American and not by birth.

 

[Mike8]

1. Chelios
2. Kane
3. Hull
4. Leetch
5. Modano

 

[QJL]

Can't believe I am seeing LISTS without Brian Leetch.

 

[jetsforever]

Chelios and Kane are the ones I usually think of (and Hull if he counts but probably shouldn't)
Modano, Leetch, Matthews even getting up there

 

[Bounces R Way]

can only really speak to the players I've watched in their primes
Not sure if Brett really can be counted as a American hockey player but I can see arguments the other way.

1) Patrick Kane
2) Brian Leetch
3) Mike Modano
4) Chris Chelios
5) Jeremy Roenick
6) Auston Matthews

hm : Joe Pavelski

 

[FoxyClean]

Leetch
Kane
Chelios
Modano
Matthews
LaFontaine

(Hull, Howe not counted)

HM: Brimsek, Roenick, K. Tkachuk, Richter, Miller, Quick

 

[Kezghan]

No love for Joey Mullen?

 

[karltonian]

A lot of people might be surprised how Joe Pavelski compares to some of the names mentioned.

 

[Gordon Lightfoot]

I don't count Hull. To each their own.

I used to have Chelios as #1. Now I can't decide him and Kane.

Matthews is not there yet but has an excellent chance to be #1, lots of his career left.

 

[lipstickjunkie]

Matthews will be #1 by the time his career is done

 

[Drake1588]

Brett Hull is Canadian and he is American. He played his international hockey for the US. He certainly, by every available metric (citizenship, international play), qualifies as an American hockey player.

If you wanted to say "Brett Hull is the Xth greatest Canadian hockey player," then that would also be accurate, since he is a Canadian citizen.

There are many dual citizens. You don't get to tell them they have to choose one nationality.

 

[Crosby2010]

I don't know if I consider Hull to be American. So if that is the case here is the list.

Chelios
Brimsek
Leetch
Kane
Modano
Lafontaine

Almost certainly going to be someone like Matthews in the future being on this list.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

The Hull stuff annoys me. He is an American citizen who played for the U.S. internationally. Of course, he should count. My top six (no real order)

* Chris Chelios
* Brett Hull
* Mike Modano
* Pat Lafontaine
* Brian Leetch
* Patrick Kane

 

[Unspecified]

Wow, the OP left off the highest scoring American ever.

 

[WingsFan95]

Mixture of being great and then representing US Hockey development no?

In the later regard Brett Hull being American is kind of a joke to me. It's certainly not fair to call him a Canadian in disguise and of course plenty of Team USA representation but......weird hybrid.

Rod Langway is the historical marker but growing up when I thought of American hockey players it was Chris Chelios and Mike Modano. Of course Brian Leetch has those amazing peak years and then got goaltenders you got Richter and Beezer. I think Kane has fit himself in that group and Auston Matthews now pretty well in too.

I could go either way with LaFontaine.

But the OP is asking for a ranking of the top 6....

1. Chelios
2. Modano
3. Langway
4. Kane
5. Leetch
6. Beezer

 

[WarriorofTime]

Kane is ahead of B. Hull and Modano. Can’t see an argument outside of nostalgia bias for those two. Lower scoring era, less powerplay dependency, bigger winner.

 

[Russian_fanatic]

Hughes
Miller
Demko
Boeser
Kesler

 

[WarriorofTime]

Canada loses one tournament every 30 years and still can’t get over who played for which team or understanding dual citizens are a thing. Hull is an especially bad case for a fake national compared to what you see in a lot of Olympic/International sports as he spent a lot of time in the U.S. and his siblings were born there. He also played college hockey at Minnesota-Duluth prior to the NHL. He was also much closer to his American mother than his Canadian father.

He’s as dual-citizen as it comes.

 

[Hoek]

Canada loses one tournament every 30 years and still can’t get over who played for which team or understanding dual citizens are a thing. Hull is an especially bad case for a fake national compared to what you see in a lot of Olympic/International sports as he spent a lot of time in the U.S. and his siblings were born there. He also played college hockey at Minnesota-Duluth prior to the NHL. He was also much closer to his American mother than his Canadian father.

He’s as dual-citizen as it comes.

You don't see this problem in soccer. People just accept whatever country they actually played for.

 

[Lt Dan]

It's like saying Auston Matthews is Mexican and not American if he choose to represent Mexico.

or a Mexican American!

 

[ilothecat]

No Roenick?

 

[Divine]

Canada loses one tournament every 30 years and still can’t get over who played for which team or understanding dual citizens are a thing. Hull is an especially bad case for a fake national compared to what you see in a lot of Olympic/International sports as he spent a lot of time in the U.S. and his siblings were born there. He also played college hockey at Minnesota-Duluth prior to the NHL. He was also much closer to his American mother than his Canadian father.

He’s as dual-citizen as it comes.

No one's denying he's a dual citizen.

Most people view nationality by birthplace though.

Hull's father is a retired Canadian NHLer. Hull was born and raised in Canada.

Hull is both Canadian and American - but most people identify nationality from birthplace - otherwise lots of players on Team Canada wouldn't actually be Canadian.

He spent a lot of time in America because his Canadian dad played in the NHL for the Blackhawks. If his mom wasn't American - would anyone consider him American? He's American by ancestry alone.