5. Bob Gainey, Montreal -- A responsible, two-way player in the mold of so many great Canadiens, Gainey lived up to the unbelievable burden of leading hockey's most fabled franchise. During his eight-year reign as the club's captain, Montreal never missed the postseason, winning the Cup in the 1985-86 season and reaching the Finals in 1988-89. Only Jean Beliveau, who captained Montreal for 10 years, served a longer tenure as the Canadiens' captain.

4. Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton, Los Angeles, St. Louis -- The "Great One" was not only a great player, as evidenced by his raft of scoring records, he was a great leader. Often quiet and reserved, Gretzky still had a way of eliciting the best from teammates. His role in leading Los Angeles to the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals after captaining four Cup championship teams with the Oilers is the ultimate litmus test of his ability to bring a team together.

3. Scott Stevens, New Jersey, St. Louis -- Among the most-feared hitters in the game today, Stevens is not above intimidating his own team to get the results he wants. Stanley Cup triumphs in 1995 and 2000 are testaments to his ability to motivate the troops. Both those championship runs are remembered for signature Stevens' hits -- Detroit's Slava Kozlov in the 1995 Finals and the Flyers' Eric Lindros in the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals.

The prototypical leader, Mark Messier is often just referred to as "The Captain" by the Rangers faithful.

2. Steve Yzerman, Detroit -- Thought to be too young and inexperienced when he was named captain in 1986, Yzerman has quietly carved out a reputation as one of the game's all-time best leaders. He has overseen the Red Wings' climb from also-rans to perennial playoff power. Yzerman, the longest-serving captain in the NHL, served as the conduit between a sometimes overbearing Scotty Bowman and the players exceedingly well, especially during the Wings' three Stanley Cup triumphs since 1996.

1. Mark Messier, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers -- The prototypical leader, Messier is often just referred to as "The Captain" by the Rangers faithful. He has led two of his teams -- the Oilers and the Rangers -- to Stanley Cup championships. His icy stare and motivating techniques are legendary. Sealed his reputation with guaranteed win in Game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals against New Jersey during his first stint with the Rangers.

Honorable mentions: Ray Bourque, Derian Hatcher, Brian Sutter, Dale Hawerchuk, Mats Sundin, Stan Smyl, Darryl Sutter.