PICK YOUR STATISTIC. He had 694 career goals, 1,193 assists, and 1,887 total points in the regular season–making him the National Hockey League’s second all-time leading scorer, behind only Wayne Gretzky–plus 109 goals, 186 assists, and 295 points in the playoffs. He appeared in 15 NHL All-Star games. He took home two Hart trophies as the league’s MVP. He also received the 1984 Conn Smythe Award as MVP of the Stanley Cup Finals. Speaking of Stanley Cups, he won six of ’em, and in 1994 became the only player in NHL history to ever captain two separate teams to championships.
Now pick your nickname. Grateful New Yorkers used to call him “The Messiah.” Among teammates he answered chiefly to “Mess,” though others referred to him by such monikers as “The Moose,” “The Captain,” and “Jurassic Mark.” Wayne Gretzky, his best friend and longtime teammate, once said he was “the most unselfish player I’ve played with.”
