Mark Messier, who was captain of Stanley Cup-winning teams with the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers, is described as an "updated version of Gordie Howe"
in his profile, written by author John MacKinnon.
"Messier possessed elite skill and speed, his game spiced with physicality and a mean streak, when required, like Howe's," he said.
Artist Tony Harris said doing his research on the center helped him remember just how consistent of a player he was.
"One of the more fun aspects of painting the 100 Greatest NHL Players is reviewing their stats and being reminded of just how good they are," Harris said. "What struck me most about Messier was his consistency over such a long career. But I think his time in Edmonton was my favourite Messier period. I love the Winnwell helmet and no-one wore it better than Messier; well, maybe Mario Lemeiux
, author Stu Hackel says the Penguins center "truly is all hockey and is considered by most the greatest player of his era."
Harris said when it came to painting Crosby's 100 Greatest NHL Player portrait, he was looking to capture one specific element of the Penguins center's game.
"Having done portraits of Crosby before, I felt like I had a leg up on this one," Harris said. "The critical factor is trying to find the right image that reflects his personality on the ice. You can look at 20,000 pictures of Crosby and the one consistent element is his focus. In this painting, my goal was to capture his most impressive characteristic.
