You'll be feeling nostalgic seeing which players were current NHLers favourites growing up

We've now reached the age in hockey where millennials are starting to take over the NHL. Young talents such as Patrik Laine, who is still technically a teenager, are becoming some of the most dominant forces in the game. This means that millennial fans can connect with their favourite NHL superstars on a level they wouldn't have been able to as kids. One area they are able to connect over is hockey fandom growing up.

Lots of young adult hockey fans will remember growing up with household names such as Martin Brodeur, Steve Yzerman, or Joe Sakic. These names may be even deeper ingrained than other generations with the emergence of EA Sports NHL video games, and a generally easier level of access through the internet. 

Whether you're a young or old hockey fan, most will be feeling nostalgic by the results of this year's player polls. Apparently being a fan of Peter Forsberg was the way to go for dreamers of one time playing in the NHL. 

 

 

Forsberg is a little bit surprising for this list. While he was a fantastic player, he also played on a team chalked full of superstars such as third place finisher Joe Sakic, goaltender Patrick Roy, or even defencemen Adam Foote or Rob Blake that blueliners could look up to. You would think that Colorado Avalanche fans would have more of a split vote than some teams that only had one legitimate superstar, but alas the players have spoken (although this was one of the most well-spread votes, with a full 66.5% of votes not even appearing in this top five).

Forsberg was also one of the original cover photos for the EA Sports NHL line of games, dating way back to NHL '98.

 

​The famous late 90's rivalry between the Avalanche and the Red Wings was a tale of two teams captained by another couple favourites that would make NHL covers. Steve Yzerman appeared in a battle with hard-hitting defenceman Scott Stevens, while Joe Sakic had his cover honours unveiled for some versions of NHL 2004 (Dany Heatley featured in a different version of the game)

If you want to see some of the other player polls that were conducted, you can find a list here. Some may surprise you. 

(H/T NHLPA)