27 greatest American NHL players of all-time

Defenseman. Philadelphia Flyers. Mark Howe. 7. player. 68. <p>Mark Howe was blessed with great genes as the son of Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe, but despite the large cast by his father was a great player in his own right. How was arguably the best two-way defenseman during the 1980s when he left the WHA for the Hartford Whalers of the NHL. He had 198 points in his three seasons in Hartford and two-top 10 finishes in the Norris voting before moving to the Philadelphia Flyers where he enjoyed his greatest individual and team success.</p> <p>Howe was a three-time Norris runner-up and three-time Stanley Cup finalist with the Flyers where he scored 480 of his 742 points and was a plus-349 in 594 games. His 1985-1986 season saw him score 24 goals, have 58 assists for a career-high 82 points in 77 games. But the most impressive feat that year was his league-leading plus-85. He finished fourth in the Lady Byng, third in the Hart and second in the Norris that year.</p> <p>For his career, the Hall of Famer is sixth with 742 points, but if you add his points from the WHA, Howe has 1,246 points, 14 more than Phil Housley who holds the NHL lead. But he is well out in front as the American leader when it comes to plus/minus where his plus-400 if 50 higher than runner-up Chris Chelios. If you combine his WHA totals, he’s a plus-554.</p>