Steve Yzerman - No doubt here Yzerman will lead the class of 2009 into Hall. Steve played his entire career with the Detroit Red Wings and led them to three Stanley Cups. Yzerman won many major trophies as an NHL player including the Lester B. Pearson Award, Conn Smythe Trophy, Selke Trophy and Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. Steve sits sixth all time in league scoring and has a better point per game average then great like Gordie Howe, Ron Francis and Mark Messier. If you put all the accolades aside, one thing every one will remember about Yzerman was his heart. He loved the game and played through a lot of major injuries, and was one of the best leaders in all of sports. Steve’s best individual season was in 1988 – 1989 when he recorded 155 points with 65 goals, and was voted by the players as the leagues MVP. He also represented Canada on the international scene, highlighted by Olympic Gold in 2002, playing on a line along side Mario Lemieux. No doubt Yzerman will be inducted next year and deservingly so, he is a true Hall of Famer.

Brett Hull - Son of Hall of Famer, Bobby Hull, Brett will be inducted when he is eligible next year. Hull was a pure goal scorer, with a lethal and fast one timer. Hull made his living on the power play and quite possibly was the best sniper of his generation. Brett sits third on the all time goals list with 741 goals, playing for five franchises, Calgary, St Louis, Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix. The biggest goal he ever scored was a controversial one, that won the Stars the Cup in 1999. Later in his career he won another cup in 2002 with the Red Wings, along side two other players that will be on this list Luc Robitaille and Steve Yzerman. Hull holds a dual citizenship, but played internationally for the USA, highlighted by a World Cup title in 1996 and an Olympic Silver in 2002. Hull’s best season was in 1990 – 1991 when he scored an amazing 86 goals, he scored 50 plus goals 5 times in his career. Brett Hull will not be over looked next and will go into the Hall, on his first year on eligibility.

Brian Leech – Leech is quite possibly the best American born player of all time, and becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame next year. He was a tremendous offensive defenseman, who could make something out of nothing on the ice. He won the Norris Trophy as the leagues top defenseman twice and the Conn Smyth as playoff MVP in 1994. He also was the rookie of the year in 1989 and is only one of a handful of defenseman to score 100 points in a season. Leech will always be remembered as a New York Ranger, he played 17 seasons with the blue shirts, before finishing his career with Toronto and Boston. His best season was 1991 -1992 when he recorded more then 20 goals and 102 points on the season. He owns multiple Ranger records including most goals by a defenseman, most career assists and most points by a defenseman. Leech was an 11 time all star and retired with 1028 points which will easily get him into the Hall on his first try. Brain Leech might be the best player to ever play for the New York Rangers.

Luc Robitaille - “Lucky Luc”, is one of the most under rated players in NHL history. Luc is widely remember for his 14 seasons he played for the Los Angeles Kings, but he also played in Detroit, Pittsburgh and New York. He is the highest scoring left winger in the history of the National Hockey League. Robitaille won the Calder Trophy as the leagues top rookie in 1987 when he scored more then 40 goals in rookie campaign. Luc went on to score 40 plus goals 8 times in his career, highlighted by 63 goals in the 1992 – 1993 season. Four times Luc had more then 100 points in a season and retired with more then 1300 for his career. He was an 8 time all star and won a Stanley along side many great Hall of Fame players in Detroit in 2002. Luc Robitaille was a great NHL player, and although he probably didn’t get the recognition of Yzerman, Hull and Leech he deserves to go in the Hall along side them.

Being enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame is a tremendous honor that can cap off a terrific career. All four of these players have earned the right to be along greats like Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe and Maurice Richard in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Yzerman, Hull and Robitaille all celebrated a Stanley Cup together in 2002, and now it is time for them to celebrate together again.

Sydney Crosby - Crosby might be the best player in the league and without a doubt the National Hockey League would love to have him play the entire season. Last year Sydney had injury troubles for the first time in his career, playing in only 53 regular season games. He still managed 72 points and came back in the playoffs to record more then a point a game. If Pittsburgh is going to repeat the success they had last year, they will need Crosby in the line up. Look for Syd to get back to being a 120 plus point player this year.

Simon Gagne - Concussions have been a problem for Simon in the past and only managed to play 25 games a year ago. Gagne plays in Philadelphia and may be there most talented player. If the Flyers get a productive full year out of Gagne they will become one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference. If the concussion problems are behind him look for Gagne to score 40 plus goals and record more then a point a game. Simon Gagne is a world class player and I hope he will get his career back on track.

Patrice Bergeron – Heading into last season it looked like Bergeron was ready to become a true NHL super star. Early in the year he suffered a serious concussion and never returned to the Boston Bruins. He only played in 10 games and suffered with post concussion syndrome for a lot of the year. Boston is improved and with Bergeron being healthy they should fight for a playoff berth. Hopefully Bergeron is back and healthy, because if he is the Bruins will be good. Patrice can easily be a point a game player this year.

Shawn Horcoff - Last year Horcoff took a big step to becoming a true number one center in the NHL. He recorded 50 points in 53 games before having a shoulder injury cut his season short. He had surgery and he is back healthy for this year and will be the number one center on the offensive talented Edmonton Oilers. Horcoff will play with Hemsky and Cole and will be expected to put up a lot of points. The Oilers need Horcoff this season to be a true star and lead them offensively into the playoffs.

Michael Nylander – Nylander is 35 years old now and has battled injuries of late, playing only 40 games last year. He is key to the success of the Washington Capitols, he can provide necessary secondary scoring behind the Ovechkin line. He has the ability to record 70 plus points and provide a lot of goals on the power play. Nylander makes Washington a deeper team and will help them take the next step and become true Cup contenders.

Manny Fernandez - Fernandez signed a free agent deal with Boston prior to last year and was a major disappointment playing only 4 games. Manny is a good goalie and will team up with Tim Thomas to create a good one two in net for the Bruins. Prior to last year Fernandez was considered a solid starting goalie in the league and he will look to return to form. Boston is going to need good goaltending and if Manny is healthy he should provide exactly that.

Martin Havlat - Injuries have always held Havlat back, he has all the talent in the world he just seems to get hurt every year. In two years with the Blackhawks he has only played 91 games including only 35 last year. Havlat is one of the most talented players in the league and if he can stay relatively healthy Chicago will be extremely happy. I don’t know if you can expect him to play a whole year, but if he does you never know how many goals this guy can score, the sky is the limit.

Rod Brind’Amour – Rod is one of the most under rated players in the NHL, but he is getting up there at 38 years old. He only played 59 games a year ago, but he did manage 51 points and leads the team in the face off circle. Rod is a leader on the team and he is always in great shape, if he is healthy, he will be a steady player this year. I don’t know if he is a point a game player any more, but he means more to the Hurricanes then just goals and assists.

Injuries are a part of sport and there will be more this year. We have already seen the Penguins lose all star defenseman Sergei Gonchar for up to six months this year. The key for all teams is to overcome these injuries, and find players who can fill in when a star goes down. Hockey is a physical game and it is impossible to go through an entire career with no injuries, they are inevitable. Players need to be in shape and have there bodies ready to take the punishment of an NHL season. Hopefully there are no major injuries this year, but we know there will be. If these players are healthy look for them to get there career back on track or just improve over last year.