1. Martin St. Louis (5-foot-8):A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2018, St. Louis was the balance wheel of the Tampa Bay Lightning's 2004 Stanley Cup-winning team and arguably the most consistently competent forward Tampa Bay has had. St. Louis never was one to shirk physical play; he was motivated by those who said he was "too small for a big man's game." The Lightning traded the two-time NHL scoring champion to the New York Rangers on March 5, 2014, and he helped his new team advance to the Cup Final in 2014 and to the Eastern Conference Final the next season.
2. Brad Marchand (5-9):The way the feisty Boston Bruins left wing plays is reminiscent of Hall of Famer
Ted Lindsay
, who excelled for the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks in the 1940s and 1950s. Marchand plays a skill game when he's not checking (or verbally needling) the opposition. He's been the heart and soul of the Bruins, though some of his antics occasionally have overshadowed his overall ability.
3. Mats Zuccarello (5-8):Reminiscent of classic diminutive Rangers such as
Tony Leswick
,
Wally Hergesheimer
,
Edgar Laprade
and
Eddie Kullman
, Zuccarello long ago captured the hearts of fans at Madison Square Garden with his giddyap style and a game that's versatile enough to play on any line. When Garden fans chant "Zuuuuuc," it's just another way of saying they love their Norway-born right wing. Another tribute is that he won the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award three times in four years from 2013-17.
4. Brian Gionta (5-7):Gionta always was listed at 5-foot-7, but reporters who interviewed him up close swore that was crediting him with a couple of extra inches. Proof that size was irrelevant to the native of Rochester, New York, were his battles with 6-foot-9 Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara. Not once did the feisty right wing back down, and more times than not their collisions ended in a draw. During a 16-season NHL career with the New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres and Bruins, Gionta remained an inspirational teammate.
5. Johnny Gaudreau (5-9): New Jersey's gift to the NHL, "Johnny Hockey" is proving that a smaller player can carry a team. Gaudreau led the Calgary Flames in scoring last season with an NHL career-high 84 points (24 goals, 60 assists). He's played in the NHL All-Star Game the past four seasons and won the Lady Byng Trophy in 2016-17.
