Hockey legend Bobby Hull wasted zero time getting acclimated to the NHL.

As just an 18 year old in 1957, Bobby Hull scored 47 points in 70 games when he was a rookie for the Chicago Blackhawks. The feat was outstanding for any player, nevertheless a teenager in his first year in the NHL.

Soon after his successful rookie season, Hull quickly became a hockey star. His incredible slapshot was bested by only his amazing speed. He earned the nickname “The Golden Jet” because of his blazing speed, good looks and blood hair. Hull frightened NHL goalies and defenders alike with his blend of skill and versatility.

In the 1959-60 season, Booby Hull won his first Art Ross trophy for leading the NHL in points. He also set a new league record in 1968-69 after scoring 58 goals and 107 points (a personal best). Hull also came close to 100 points in the 1965-66 season when he complied 97 points after scoring 54 goals and doling out 53 assists in 65 games.

Before he shocked the world of hockey by quitting the NHL and joining the World Hockey Association in 1972, he led the Chicago Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup victory (1961) and also added two Hart Trophies as league MVP.

Hull went on to compile 303 goals, 335 assists and 638 points for the WHA. He played in 411 games for Winnipeg Jets, but then the franchise joined the NHL in 1979. Hull eventually got to end his career by playing alongside Gordie Howe as a Hartford Whaler.

Bobby Hull’s pro career spanned from 1957 to 1980. In 1983, Hull was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

When the name Willie Mays gets brought up, most sane baseball fans associate the legendary outfielder with the San Francisco Giants. But at one point at the end of his career, Mays did play with the New York Mets.

SI.com did a unique feature in their Photo Gallery section in which they compiled a group of sports legends that quite didn’t look right wearing certain teams uniforms throughout their career.

The list makes you say, “Boy Michael Jordan looks weird in that Washington Wizards uniform.” Below is SI.com’s list.

Willie Mays
New York Mets, 1972-73
Mays led the Giants from 1951 through 1972, before being traded midseason to the Mets. In just a handful of at-bats, Mays had little impact on his new team.

Michael Jordan
Washington Wizards, 2001-03
Sure, he owned part of the team. But MJ just didn’t look right in a Wizards uniform and he failed to get his team to the playoffs.

Joe Namath
Los Angeles Rams, 1977
After 12 years with the Jets, Namath dragged his worn out knees to Los Angeles for one more shot at glory. He played in just four games, throwing three TDs and five INTs.

Bobby Orr
Chicago Blackhawks, 1976-79
After making his mark on NHL history in Boston, Orr joined the Blackhawks. He played just 26 games for Chicago.

Hank Aaron
Milwauke Brewers, 1975-76
After setting the all-time home run record with the Braves, Aaron spent two seasons in Milwaukee — the city in which he began his career with the Braves before they moved to Atlanta.

Patrick Ewing
Seattle Supersonics, 2000-01
Ewing spent one season with the Sonics and the next year in Orlando. He didn’t average double-digit scoring in either season.

Tony Dorsett
Denver Broncos, 1988
Dorsett followed up 11 seasons in Dallas with one forgettable season in Denver.

Babe Ruth
Boston Braves, 1935
After 15 years rewriting the record books in pinstripes, Ruth joined the Braves, who simply wanted him to boost attendance. Ruth had just 72 at-bats with the Braves.

Ray Bourque
Colorado Avalanche, 1999-2002
Actually Bourque did contribute to the Avalanche’s success, which included a Stanley Cup in 2001. But he just doesn’t look right out of the Bruins uniform he wore for 21 years.

Dominique Wilkins
Boston Celtics, 1994-95
‘Nique had 12 great seasons in Atlanta before bouncing around with the Clippers, Celtics, Spurs and Magic at the end of his career.

Patrick Roy was one of the best goaltenders of the NHL’s modern era. He perfected the butterfly style of goaltending and was incredibly successful.

Patrick Roy was born October 5, 1965 in Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens selected him with the 51st overall pick in the 1984 NHL Draft, but it was a roller coaster experience for the young net-minder in Montreal.

First and foremost, Roy hated the idea of playing for the Canadiens given that he grew up a diehard Quebec Nordiques fan. Then, even after winning a Stanley Cup in 1986, Roy had a falling out with the team that drafted him.

On December 2, 1995, Roy was in net against the Detroit Red Wings when the Wings crushed Montreal 12-1 in the Canadiens worst home defeat in franchise history. Roy gave up nine goals and was jeered by the home fans when he would make easy saves.

After being pulled in the middle of the second period, Roy angrily told team president Ronald Corey that it was his last game in Montreal. Roy was upset that Montreal head coach Mario Tremblay kept him in net in order to humiliate him. Three days later, Roy was traded along with Mike Keane to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Jocelyn Thibault, Martin Rucinsky and Andrei Kovalenko.

Patrick Roy immediately made an impact in Colorado, helping the Aves win their first Stanley Cup the same year they acquired him from Montreal. Roy went on to win four Stanley Cups over the course of his career, along with three Conn Smythe Trophies and five Jennings Trophies, which is given to the net-minder who allowed the fewest amount of goals.

Roy also holds numerous records, including most NHL games played by a goaltender (1029), most NHL regular season wins (551) and most NHL playoff games played by a goaltender (247), which is the second most playoff games of all players. He also holds the record for most NHL playoff wins by a goaltender with 151, most Conn Smythe Trophy wins with three, and most minutes played in the goaltender position in the NHL (75,444).

Despite his brash attitude, flashy style and overall cockiness, Patrick Roy was simply one of the best goaltenders ever to play the game. He was an 11-time All-Star, a four time NHL First Team All-Star and won the Trico Goaltending Award in 1989 and 1990.

Patrick Roy is a hockey goaltending legend.

Talk about staying true to one team – Mario Lemieux is the perfect example of an athlete being loyal to the sports city that embraced him.

Before the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted “Super Mario” with the first overall pick in the 1984 NHL Draft, the organization was in dire straights. Financial turmoil stirred up rumors that the team would have to relocate and by 1983, the Penguins were averaging fewer than 7,000 fans per game, or less than half of their arena’s capacity.

Enter Mario Lemieux.

Mario Lemieux made his NHL debut on October 11, 1984 in a game against the Boston Bruins. On his very first shot attempt, Mario Lemieux sunk a goal against Pete Peeters and his legacy was born. Later that season, Mario Lemieux became the first rookie to be named the All-Star Game’s Most Valuable Player on his way to winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year.

Mario Lemieux went on to play 17 years in the NHL – all of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mario Lemieux owns the league’s single-season record for shorthanded goals with 13 in the 1988-89 season and shares the record for most goals in one period with four in January of 1997. Mario Lemieux also has the record for most MVP-Awards in All-Star Games with three, and shares the All-Star Game record for career goals with 13.

Of course when an athlete plays 17 years for one team, he’ll hold a few team records, too. Below are several of Mario Lemieux’s Pittsburgh Penguins records.

· Pittsburgh Penguins team record for career games played (915)
· Pittsburgh Penguins team record for career goals (690)
· Pittsburgh Penguins team record for career assists (1033)
· Pittsburgh Penguins team record for career points (1723)
· Pittsburgh Penguins record for longest goal-scoring streak (12 games)
· Pittsburgh Penguins single-season record for goals (85 in 1988-89)
· Pittsburgh Penguins single-season record for assists (114 in 1988-89)
· Pittsburgh Penguins single-season record for points (199 in 1988-89)
· Pittsburgh Penguins single-game record for goals (5, four occasions including playoffs)
· Shares Pittsburgh Penguins single-game record for assists (6, three occasions)
· Pittsburgh Penguins single-game record for points (8, three occasions including playoffs)
· Only player in NHL history to record three eight point games in three consecutive games

For his career, Mario Lemieux played in 915 regular season games, scoring 690 goals and amassing 1,033 assists and 1,723 points. Mario Lemieux was inducted into Hockey’s Hall of Fame in 1997, is a three-time Hart Memorial Trophy Winner (1988, 1993, 1996) and was named ESPN’s Hockey Player of the Decade in 2000.

About the only thing Mario Lemieux couldn’t accomplish on the ice was winning a Stanley Cup. But it’s certainly a testament to Mario Lemieux’s loyalty that he stuck with one team for so long, despite having the opportunity to play for a contender and potentially win a Stanley Cup.

Mario Lemieux is one of the best hockey players of the modern era, not too mention one of the greatest overall athletes of all time.

One of the best to ever don a pair of skates was “The Captain” Mark Messier. He’s often considered as one of the greatest leaders the game has ever seen.

Mark Messier’s pro career started in 1978 and amazingly spanned four decades until he retired in 2004. He was selected 48th overall in the 1979 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, but before his career finished, he also played for the New York Rangers (1991-1997 and again 2000-2004) and Vancouver Canucks (1997-2000).

Mark Messier played for the Oilers until October of 1991. He was then traded, along with future considerations, to the New York Rangers in exchange for Steven Rice, Bernie Nicholls and Louie DeBrusk. In July of 1997, he signed as a free agent with the Vancouver Canucks, but returned to the New York Rangers in 2000.

Mark Messier is a six-time Stanley Cup Champion and a two-time Hart Memorial Trophy Winner. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1983 and the Lester B. Pearson Award in 1989 and 1991.

Mark Messier played in fifteen NHL All-Star Games and was a First-Teamer on the All-Star Team four times.

Mark Messier is also the only professional athlete to have captained two different championship teams when he did so for the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers.

Mark Messier finished his career with 1,887 regular season points, which is the most for any player without winning a single scoring title. For his 1,756 regular season games played, Mark Messier scored 694 goals and amassed 1,193 assists.

As previously noted, Mark Messier has always been noted as one of the true great leaders in the NHL. And on November 13, 2006, the NHL created the Mark Messier Trophy, which is given monthly to honor player’s leadership.

In June of 2007, Mark Messier was selected as an inductee to the Hockey Hall of Fame and was officially induced in November of 2007.

One would have to be pretty good at the game of hockey to be referred to as “Mr. Hockey”, right? 

Canadian-born hockey legend Gordie Howe is a former player for the Detroit Red Wings and Hartford Whalers of the NHL. Gordie Howe also played for the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers in the World Hockey Association, but he’s best known for what he accomplished in the NHL. 

Gordie Howe broke several NHL records during his illustrious career. He currently holds the record for most regular season games played in the NHL with 1,767, most NHL and WHA regular season games played with 2,186 and most NHL and WHA regular season and playoff games played with 2,421. 

Those records alone paint the picture of how durable Gordie Howe was as a player. He also holds the NHL record for most seasons played with 26 and the most NHL and WHA seasons played with 32. 

Along with being a durable player, Gordie Howe was also a hell of a player, too. He still currently holds the most NHL regular season goals by a right winger with 801, most NHL regular season assists by a right winger with 1,049, and the most NHL regular season points by a right winger with 1,850. 

One of his other great career accomplishments was that Gordie Howe was the first player to score over 1,000 goals in both the WHA and NHL. For all his achievements, Gordie Howe was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972, the Canada Sports Hall of Fame in 1975 and the Canada Walk of Fame in 2000. 

For his career, Gordie Howe played in the NHL All-Star Game 23 times, was named to the First All-Star Team 12 times and the NHL Second All-Star Team nine times. In 1998, Gordie Howe was ranked No. 3 on The Hockey News’ list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players of all time, which was the highest-ranking for a right winger. 

When Gordie Howe finally retired after the 1979-80 NHL season with a professional hockey career that spanned over six decades (he suited up for one IHA game in the 1997-98 season), the Detroit Red Wings retired his No. 9 jersey. Another hockey legend, Bobby Orr, was said Gordie Howe was the greatest to ever play the game.

Wayne Gretzky was born Wayne Douglas Gretzky on January 26th, 1961, in Brantford, Ontario. Nicknamed “The Great One,” Gretzky is generally not only regarded as the best hockey player in history, but one of the best athletes ever.

Upon his retirement on April 18, 1999, he held forty regular season records, fifteen playoff records, and six All-Star records. Furthermore, he is the only player to reach over 200 points in a single season, an astonishing feat he has managed four times in his career. He tallied over 100 points per season for 15 seasons, 13 consecutively, and the NHL has had his number, 99, retired league-wide, so that no one may ever use it ever again in homage to him.

Wayne Gretzky also was immediately put into the Hockey Hall of Fame, bypassing the three-year waiting rule. Currently, he coaches the Phoenix Coyotes, of which he is also part-owner.

Wayne had been a hockey prodigy from the beginning. When he was only 6, he was playing with 10 year olds. By age 10 he had scored 378 goals and 139 assists in only 85 games. He was the youngest player to compete in the World Junior Championships by far at age 16, yet managed to be the leading scorer and was voted to the All-Star team and was regarded as the best forward in the tournament.

In his first season in the NHL, Gretzky was awarded the Hart Memorial trophy as league MVP, the first of eight in a row. During the 81-82 season, Gretzky broke a 35-year long record of 50 goals in 50 games. He accomplished 50 goals in only 39 games. Gretzky, as captain of the Edmonton Oilers, would lead them to a Stanley Cup in 1984, and then in ‘85, ‘87, and ‘88.

He would then go on to be traded to the Los Angeles Kings, the St. Louis Blues, and the New York Rangers, before finally retiring as a Ranger. In his final game he scored his last point on an assist to a goal by Brian Leetch, and was named the first, second, and third star of the game. For the regular season, he has a record 2,857 points, an absolutely astonishing feat, with his highest single season point record set at 215. Not only that, Gretzky has more career assists than any other player has in total points. The next closest regular season point holder is Mark Messier with 1,887. He is ranked #5 by ESPN Sportcentury’s list of the top 100 Greatest Athletes of the 20th century.