Giroux is the only active player on our top ten list and one of only two to play for the Ottawa Senators.
With Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson being inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame this week, we felt a little nostalgic about great local players from the past. So, we compiled a list of the ten greatest hockey players to come out of Ottawa in the modern era (post-1967 expansion).
1. Denis Potvin
Potvin was still just 14 when he began a five-year OHL ride with his hometown Ottawa 67's. In his final season in Ottawa, the star defenceman put up an astonishing 123 points and 232 penalty minutes in 61 games. Potvin was as tough as he was skilled and an easy pick as the number one overall selection at the 1973 Draft. Potvin captained the Islanders to five straight Stanley Cup finals, winning four consecutive times. Potvin played in two Canada Cups, earned three Norris Trophies, and a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
2. Larry Robinson
Geographically, we're categorizing the Winchester-born Robinson as "close enough." He played 17 of his 20 NHL seasons with the Montreal Canadiens. During that time, he won two Norris Trophies, two Canada Cups, and six Stanley Cups. Robinson was physical and highly skilled, finishing with 958 points in 1384 NHL games. He rarely fought because his reputation preceded him. Very few dared to poke the bear, and when they did, it rarely went well for them. In 1995, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The arena in Metcalfe was renamed the Larry Robinson Arena, as was a division of the CCHL.
3. Steve Yzerman
The other CCHL division is named after Yzerman, and rink 1 at the Nepean Sportsplex also bears his name. Yzerman moved from BC to Ottawa at age nine and played junior hockey for the Raiders in 1980-81, posting 92 points in 50 games as a 15-year-old.
After two OHL seasons in Peterborough, Yzerman was drafted fourth overall by the Detroit Red Wings, where he played his entire 22-year NHL career. He scored 50 goals five times and put up 155 points in 1988-89, an NHL record for guys not named Gretzky or Lemieux. In 2002, despite a bad knee, Yzerman helped Canada win its first Olympic hockey gold medal in 50 years. He then rested up for a few months before returning to help Detroit win its third Cup in five years. Yzerman made the Hall of Fame in 2009.
4. Claude Giroux
Giroux moved to Orleans at age 14, and Ottawa has been his hometown ever since. "G" was a walk-on with the Gatineau Olympiques, then led the team in scoring all three years he was there. In his final season, Giroux set a club record with 51 points in 19 playoff games en route to a Memorial Cup berth and league playoff MVP. Drafted by the Flyers 22nd overall in 2006 (with Bobby Clarke forgetting his name at the draft podium),
Giroux won gold medals for Team Canada at the World Juniors, the World Championships, and the World Cup of Hockey. Giroux is one of only two men on this list to play for the Ottawa Senators and the only active NHL'er. With 1066 points in 1182 NHL games – and no sign of slowing down yet at 36 – he'll be in the Hall of Fame someday.
5. Doug Wilson
Two years after Potvin left town, another local defenceman came along to put up crazy numbers for 67's. Doug Wilson had 79 points in 43 games en route to the 1977 Memorial Cup final. Wilson was drafted sixth overall by the Chicago Blackhawks, where he'd play the next 14 years, and still holds the club record as highest scoring defenceman. Wilson won gold at the 1984 Canada Cup and finished his NHL career with 827 points in 1024 NHL games. He was one of the last NHL players to play without a helmet and went to the Hall of Fame in 2020.
6. Bobby Smith
Born in Nova Scotia, Smith grew up in Ottawa and was another local star for the 67's. Smith had an epic scoring duel with Wayne Gretzky in the 1977-78 OHL scoring race. Being three years older, Smith won it by ten points, setting the league's single-season record with 192.
The Minnesota North Stars selected him as the first overall pick in the 1978 NHL draft, and Smith immediately won the Calder Trophy with 74 points. He had two long stints with Minnesota and another in Montreal in between, finishing with 1036 points in 1077 games. Smith made Cup final appearances with the North Stars in 1981 and 1991 and won a Cup with the Habs in '86.
7. Dan Boyle
Boyle is the only undrafted player on this list but carved out a very nice 17-year NHL career with Florida, Tampa, San Jose, and the New York Rangers. After four years at Miami University (Ohio), he signed as a free agent in Florida. From 2003-2012, Boyle emerged as one of the game's top offensive defencemen. His highlights include a 2004 Stanley Cup victory with Tampa Bay and a 2010 Olympic gold medal in Vancouver. Boyle retired in 2016 with 605 points in 1093 NHL games.
8. Marc Savard
After one season with the Metcalfe Jets (99 points in 36 games), Savard became the Oshawa Generals' all-time scoring leader and was a steal at the '95 NHL Draft for the New York Rangers at 91st overall. By 2006, Savard had emerged as a star – first in Atlanta and then in Boston. He was consistently among the NHL's top 10 scorers over the next four years until concussions cut his career short. Savard was hurt through most of Boston's Stanley Cup campaign in 2010-11, but the Bruins successfully petitioned to get their fallen star's name on the Cup. He finished with 706 in 807 NHL games.
9. Luke Richardson
You only last 1417 games in the NHL if you're doing something right. Impressed by his size and shutdown ability with the Peterborough Petes, Toronto selected Richardson seventh overall in 1987. His pro career wound through Toronto, Philadelphia, Columbus, and Tampa Bay before closing out with his hometown Senators. Richardson also represented Canada at the 1987 World Junior Hockey Championships (including the famous bench-clearing brawl against the Soviet Union) and the 1994 and 1999 World Championships.
10. Jeff Brown
Brown had a fine four-year OHL career with the Sudbury Wolves, logging 237 points over four seasons. Brown was selected by the Quebec Nordiques 36th overall in 1984 and became one of the game's top play-making defencemen. Due to various injuries, Brown began to bounce around the league and only played 61 games after his 30th birthday. Brown closed out a fine NHL career with 585 points in 747 games.
Narrowing down the field to just ten names wasn't easy. We considered closing here with honourable mentions, but that list could go on forever. Ottawa's hockey roots run too deep and too strong.
Any thoughts about omissions or rankings? I'd love to hear them. You can respond to the article here at The Senators Roundtable, our new Ottawa Senators fan forum