Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe on the top players he has covered...

Pavel Datsyuk — Painful to leave fellow Winged Wheel Steve Yzerman off the list, but Datsyuk’s mesmerizing puckhandling and distribution made him the “Magic Man” in Motown.

Smart. Crafty. Virtually impossible to corner and contain A different era and position, but similar to Bruins winger Rick “Nifty” Middleton for his ability to remain calm, keep possession and keep creating. Uncanny ability to play at a faster pace but somehow make it look like he was slowing down the game. Turns 42 in July and is planning to play at least one more season in the KHL.

Nicklas Lidstrom — Second only to Orr as a seven-time Norris winner and the backline centerpiece to the four Cups the Red Wings won (‘97, ’98, ’02, ’08) with Scotty Bowman behind the bench.

Arguably the best Swedish player ever to make it to the NHL And, yes, it killed me not to include Peter Forsberg among my 13 forwards. Killed me again not to include Borje Salming with backliners.

Off-the-charts hockey IQ, smooth and effective skater, near-perfect puck management. Lasted until the third round (No. 53) in the ’89 draft, arrived in Detroit in ’91, and then rarely missed a game or a beat.

Also included is Dominik Hase.

from Ansar Khan of Mlive,