Welcome to NHL99, The Athletic’s countdown of the best 100 players in modern NHL history. We’re ranking 100 players but calling it 99 because we all know who’s No. 1 — it’s the 99 spots behind No. 99 ...

Wilfred Kennedy "Bucko" McDonald was a robust defenseman who never met a hamburger or sirloin he didn't enjoy, his appetite a thing of legend. And in the early 1960s, he met a prime cut named Bobby ...

The honor never got stale, even if Bobby Orr wasn't always in the house to be honored as the best defenseman in the NHL. Forty-nine years ago this Tuesday, the Boston Bruins' legendary No. 4 was ...