Tank:
Peter Forsberg of the Avalanche is big, broad, fast and mean. He has a deadly shot and a library of fancy moves, and can shrug off defenders to create the room he needs. Runners-up: Joe Thornton (Bruins), Jaromir Jagr (Capitals).
Bantam:
Anyone under six feet tall is pint-sized by NHL standards. But the league has more tiny stars than a lot of people realize. The best of them, genrously listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, is the Islanders' Mike Peca, who plays as big as anyone in the game. Runners-up: Paul Kariya (Avalanche), Mike Comrie (Oilers).
Puck Hog:
Mario Lemieux can play keepaway all day and all night, at any speed, until he finally finds room to shoot or the perfect pass. Runner-up: Alexander Mogilny (Maple Leafs).
Quiet Man:
No one in the NHL does so much with so little fanfare as Detroit's Niklas Lidstrom, who many say is the best player in the game, bar none. Runners-up: Sergei Gonchar (Capitals), Daniel Alfredsson (Senators).
Survivor:
Joe Nieuwendyk's battered knees would have condemned a lesser player to oblivion years ago. But the Devils' centreman compensates for fading speed with his hands, poise and instincts. Runner-up: Ron Francis (Hurricanes).
Buzz Saw:
Mike Ricci of the Sharks plays every shift as if his life depended on it. Runner-up: Gary Roberts (Maple Leafs).
The Complete Package:
In Sergei Fedorov, the Mighty Ducks picked up a guy who could be a scoring champion and MVP. But he prefers to dominate the entire game, not just one zone. Runners-up: Peter Forsberg (Avalanche), Mike Modano (Stars).
The Complete Package, blueline edition:
Chris Pronger of St. Louis is the prototype of the modern NHL defenseman. Runner-up: Niklas Lidstrom (Red Wings).
The Future Made Real:
Don't let last season's slow start foll you. Calgary's Jarome Iginla is a force of nature. When he won the the Art Ross Trophy in 2002, it marked the first time since 1980 that the NHL's top scorer was not named Gretzky, Lemieux or Jagr. Runners-up: Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton, Simon Gagne, Marion Gaborik, Ed Jovanovski, Ilya Kovalchuk, Rick Nash, Jay Bouwmeester, Marian Hossa and their peers are set to take over this list in the next few years.
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