The 10 best NHLers from the east coast

Those who hail from the east coast of Canada have a lot in common with hockey players. Both groups tend to be approachable, funny, and unafraid of a good time, if you'll excuse the generalizations.

To honor the overlap, we thought it'd be fun to look at the 10 best players to ever come from that part of the world, comprised of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

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10 

Willie O'Ree

Born: Fredericton, New Brunswick

Stats: 14 points in 45 NHL games

Willie O'Ree is no-brainer to make the list given his contribution to hockey: he broke the sport's race barrier by suiting up with the Boston Bruins, first in 1957-58, and again in 1960-61.

9

Nathan MacKinnon

Born: Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia

Stats: 81 points in 107 games

Through the early days of Nathan MacKinnon's career all he's done is get drafted first overall, win the Calder, and tear up playoffs as a rookie. Give him some more time in the league, and those accolades will keep piling up, and he'll start to pass some players on this list.

8

Danny Grant

Born: Fredericton, New Brunswick

Stats: 536 points in 736 games

Of the 51 players from New Brunswick to play in the NHL, no player has more points than Grant's 536, which were racked up from 1966-79.

7

Brad Marchand

Born: Halifax, Nova Scotia

Stats: 198 points in 323 games

Brad Marchand may not have enough total games or points to wow anyone just yet, but at 26 he's won a Stanley Cup, played in 66 playoff games and been a key cog on a great Bruins team.

6

Dan Cleary

Born: Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador

Stats: 387 points in 927 games

Only six players from the east coast have dressed in more NHL games than Cleary. In 2008 he became the third player from Newfoundland and Labradour to win the Cup. 

5

Michael Ryder

Born: Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador

Stats: 477 points in 783 games

Ryder's 11-year NHL career peaked in 2011 when, along with fellow east-coaster Brad Marchand, he got his name on the Stanley Cup. 

4

Brad Richards

Born: Murray Harbour, Prince Edward Island

Stats: 883 points in 1006 games

Richards won the Stanley Cup in 2004, and picked up the Conn Smythe Trophy along the way. He's also been an All-Star, played in the Olympics, and finds himself on one of the NHL's best teams in 2014-15. 

3

Bobby Smith

Born: North Sydney, Nova Scotia

Stats: 1,036 points in 1,077 games

If there's a less-heralded player with more than a thousand points, well, we haven't heard of him (which would be fitting). Smith was 6'4" and 210 pounds in an era when most players were considerably smaller, which contributed to his near point-per-game success over his 15 year career. He won both the Calder Trophy with Minnesota, and the Stanley Cup with Montreal.

2

Al MacInnis

Born: Inverness, Nova Scotia

Stats: 1,274 points in 1,416 games

You can at least make the case that Al MacInnis is the most accomplished east coaster ever. His massive point total is third all-time among D-men, behind only Ray Bourque and Paul Coffey. He's tenth in games played by a D-man. He won a Stanley Cup, a Conn Smythe, a Norris Trophy, and was a perennial All-Star. Simply put, he's a Hall-of-Famer for a reason.

Yet still...

1

Sidney Crosby

Born: Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia

Stats: 802 points in 574 games

Crosby's numbers may not be what MacInnis' totals are, but the 27-year-old's resume is already one of hockey's most ridiculous. He's won the Hart Trophy twice and the Ted Lindsay Award three times. If he's been healthy, he's been an All-Star. He's led the league in goals, in points, won the leadership award, comeback player award, and oh yeah, the Stanley Cup. He's scored the game winning goal to win gold at the Olympics. He could go nearly three seasons without a point and still be a point per game player.

Your pride of the east coast: Sidney Crosby.