Icons on Ice: Hockey Players Who Changed the Game

Every sport has legendary players who have changed the game. Players who, through their talent, skill, hard work, and attitude have elevated their sport, setting records or creating new rules in the process. Soccer has Pelé and Johan Cruyff; Football has Joe Namath and Deacon Jones; Baseball has Babe Ruth and Willie Mays; and then there's ice hockey, a sport that has been transformed into the game it is today because of several icons, hockey players who changed the game.

These hockey players, some through their prowess on the ice, and others with their combative style, have resulted in an elevated level of play as well as game-changing rules that transformed the sport. (Check out this list of the 20 things even hockey fans didn't know about the NHL.)

To determine the icons on ice: hockey players who changed the game, 24/7 Tempo sourced many sports and history sites, including ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Britannica, and more. We think you'll be impressed by these old-school athletes and how they changed the sport as we know it.

Our first of the hockey players who changed the game is the legendary Bobby Orr. He was a defensive player, but he changed how all defensive players carried themselves during the game. Before he came along, most defensemen just hung around their net and tried to keep the puck away.

While that was effective, Bobby Orr changed the name by getting out there and becoming the first offensive defenseman. He joined the offensive players and helped to score goals, and it changed everything. Orr was so successful that he won the Art Ross Trophy twice and eight consecutive Norris Trophies.

Many revolutionary hockey players did something that drove the creation of new rules. When Bob Ray got into fights on the ice, he often lost his sweater and his pads.

Seeing that this could be dangerous, the league created the "Bob Ray Rule," which stated that a player who loses part of their uniform (sweater or pads) during an altercation would be subject to a game misconduct. You can find this rule in the rulebook in the paragraph called "Rule 56: Fisticuffs."

Like in all sports, hockey players often flop or dive. It's exaggerating or over-embellishing a foul, making it seem like a hit they took was harder than it was. One of the early pioneers of big dives was Bill Baber. He made an art out of convincing the refs to give other players penalties.

The league caught on and created "The Bill Barber Rule," which states that a dive is considered a minor penalty. It was the first rule of its kind.

One of the European hockey players who changed the game was Borje Salming from Sweden. He was one of the first players from Europe who was considered to be tough enough to make it in the league and he opened the floodgates to many other players.

Before him, the league didn't give folks from outside of America much of a chance, thinking of them as weaker players. Salming changed all that. He came and played all 16 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and earned a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Many consider Terry Sawchuck to be the greatest goalie of all time, and he certainly revolutionized the game with his engaging play. During an incredible 21-year career, he helped teams win four Stanley Cups. Throughout it all, he earned 447 career wins, including 103 shutouts. It was an incredible record that was in place until 2009.

Sawchuck was a player who put everything he had into every game. During his career, he received over 400 stitches, and that was all before he decided to start wearing a face mask. He was a tough player that will be truly missed.

Jean Beliveau was one of the best hockey players to play the position of center. He helped his team win 10 Stanley Cups from 1956-1971, and all of them were with the Montreal Canadiens. He also was named the league's MVP twice and he scored 507 career goals, which was a record during his time.

However, the real reason that Beliveau changed the sport is that after he retired, he was voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame within three years, an incredible feat since it is customary for players to have to wait three years before they're even considered.

One of the early hockey players who revolutionized the game was Maurice Richard. He was a pioneer during the early years of hockey, playing during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, often as the team captain. His contribution to the game is that he's the first player to ever score 50 points during a season in 50 different games.

Richard's work helped the Montreal Canadiens win a stunning eight Stanley Cups. Before then, players simply didn't score that many points. Today, they score a lot more.

Don Cherry is considered one of the greatest hockey broadcasters of all time, and one of the best people in general (he was once voted as one of the greatest Canadians of all time). Cherry revolutionized the game of hockey from up in the booth and during his famous "Coach's Corner" segments.

He was never afraid to speak his mind, and whether you loved or hated him for it, he stuck to his guns. Cherry was a former defensive player who was highly knowledgeable in his field. With his commentary and flashy outfits, he was a real joy to watch.

Howe is one of the best hockey players of all time—even Wayne Gretzky looks up to him. It's no wonder since he played for 26 years and set a plethora of records for games and seasons played. He also won many awards, including being a six-time MVP, and he also helped his team win four Stanley Cups.

He was also amongst the league's top scorers for 21 seasons, a record he held until Wayne Gretzky surpassed them. But it was Howe who first set the bar.

Jacques Plante revolutionized hockey differently: He was the first goaltender to wear a face mask regularly. Before that, it was considered macho to not wear a mask. However, Plante recognized the danger, and now it's standard and enforced that all goalies wear masks.

Plante is also the first to leave his net to help his defensive players, which is regular practice now. His skill in the goal helped the Montreal Canadiens win six Stanley Cups.

The incredible Mario Lemieux revolutionized hockey because he showed what a player could do when he was going against all odds. During his early years with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he helped the team win two Stanley Cups. Then, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, but still, he came back and played for the Penguins again.

After he retired in 1997, he would return as a majority owner and helped the team climb out of bankruptcy. He then returned as a player and was there for several more seasons. Throughout it all, he scored 690 points.

Our final superstar on this list of hockey players who changed the game is the amazing Wayne Gretzky. His major accomplishment was scoring a ton of points and setting many records. He scored 100 points in a single season, which is a feat that few accomplish.

He's also the only player ever to score 200 points in a season, which he did four times. Gretzky also won nine Hart Trophies during his tenure. With so much winning, it's no wonder why "The Great One" is one of the best athletes ever to play hockey.