All-Time Team: Left defensemen

These defensemen spent their careers on the left, but never out of the mainstream as far as their teams were concerned. Who stands as the best left defenseman ever? Here's a look at our top choices to help you decide.

Not only does Niklas Lidstrom have Norris wins, but he has Byng noms too. (Getty Images)

Doug Harvey: He reached the NHL in the late 1940s and didn't take long to become the dominant defenseman of his generation. Harvey set the standard for play in his own end, but it was his offensive skills, and in particular his ability to set up Montreal's great collection of forwards with pinpoint passes, that made him so dangerous. Harvey was the quarterback of a Canadiens team that was among the best of all time, and his talent for controlling the pace of the game was recognized around the league. In his fifth season, he began a string of 11 consecutive All-Star team selections, 10 of them on the first team, and he won the Norris Trophy as the best NHL defenseman seven times in an eight-year span. Harvey was involved in an unsuccessful attempt to start the first players union in 1957, but it was his hard-drinking ways off the ice that ultimately brought down his career. The Canadiens traded to the New York Rangers in 1961, and he lasted three years there before drifting around the minors and ending his career with a brief stop in Detroit and a last season with the expansion St. Louis Blues in 1967. He died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1989, more than a decade after being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Red Kelly: He spent his career in the shadow of higher-profile players in both Detroit and Toronto, but Red Kelly was a key contributor to both teams and a big reason each won four Stanley Cups while he wore their jerseys. Kelly was a very good skater who was particularly adept at controlling the puck along the boards or in traffic with his skates, and his ability to lead the rush triggered his teams' offenses. Kelly was the first recipient of the Norris Trophy in 1954 and a four-time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy as the most gentlemanly player -- despite his reputation as one of the toughest to face. Kelly topped NHL defensemen in goals eight times and scoring five times and was the first blue-liner to score at least 10 goals in nine consecutive seasons. The Red Wings traded him to the Rangers in 1960, but Kelly refused to report and ended up being traded to Toronto a few days later. He was converted to a center with the Maple Leafs and spent the remainder of his career there. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1969, two years after he retired.

Paul Coffey: He was a perfect fit for a young and incredibly talented offensive machine that turned into a dynasty in Edmonton in the early 1980s. Coffey, considered by many to be the NHL's best skater ever, was always more of a fourth forward than a defenseman, but his abilities to rush the puck, and in particular to hit teammates with it, made it easy to overlook any challenges he faced in his own end. After struggling for the first half of his rookie season, Coffey finished strong and then reeled off five seasons in which he averaged 37 goals and 113 points. Included in that span were three Stanley Cups, two Norris Trophies and a 48-goal season that still stands as the record for defensemen. Like many other Oilers teammates, Coffey ultimately priced himself out of the small Edmonton market, and he was the first core player to leave. But his career didn't suffer; he won another Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh and a third Norris Trophy in Detroit. Coffey's skills began to erode later in his career, but his skating and ability to quarterback power plays kept him in demand until he retired in 2001, owning five records for defensemen. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame earlier this month.

Nicklas Lidstrom: He goes about his business so methodically that Nicklas Lidstrom is often hard to notice. But his contribution to Detroit's tremendous success over the past decade has been unmistakable, and has been rewarded with three Norris Trophies in the past four years. Lidstrom is a classic type of blue-liner who relies on his instincts and excellent skills rather than brute force. He spends a lot of time on the ice because the Red Wings use him in all key situations and because he takes so few penalties that he has been the runner-up for the Lady Byng Award an amazing four times. Lidstrom is always among the league leaders in plus-minus rating. More importantly, Lidstrom is among the best offensive defensemen in the game and contributes about 65 points a season and is the quarterback of one of the league's consistently most dangerous power plays.

Scott Stevens: If the 40-year-old New Jersey captain's career is over now because of the concussion he suffered last season and the NHL lockout, among the lasting images will be the hits he delivered to flatten Eric Lindros and Paul Kariya in key playoff games. Stevens ability to dish out punishment is legendary around the league, and the intimidation factor is a big reason New Jersey has been such a tough team to play against for the past decade -- winning three Stanley Cups during that time. But being physical is only part of Stevens' game, which has often been underrated during a 20-year career in which he has never been rewarded with a Norris Trophy. Stevens was actually a very good offensive defenseman when he broke in with Washington because of his skating ability and booming shot, and he maintained an affinity for that style even when he joined the Devils and scored 78 points in his first season with them. But New Jersey changed its approach in the mid-'90s, becoming a trap-oriented defensive team. Stevens adapted seamlessly and became the team's anchor.

Guy Lapointe: He was part of the Big 3 in Montreal along with Larry Robinson and Serge Savard, a group of defensemen who helped the Canadiens win six Stanley Cups while he was there. Lapointe wasn't a flashy player, but he was very tough to beat in his own end and a punishing checker who was smart enough to know when to switch gears to offense. He put up decent offensive numbers throughout his career but had some particularly impressive seasons during the mid-'70s, when he scored more than 20 goals and averaged more than 70 points three times. Lapointe finished his 16-year career with brief stops in St. Louis and Boston and was a member of Canada's team during the 1972 Summit Series and the 1976 Canada Cup team. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973.

Brian Leetch: He is one of the greatest players ever produced in the United States and arguably the best defenseman. Leetch made an immediate impact when he joined the Rangers in 1988, scoring 23 goals and winning the Calder Trophy as the top rookie. A superb skater who always seems to be thinking offense, Leetch distinguishes himself by his ability to join in rushes without compromising his duties in his own end. He won two Norris Trophies with New York and was the playoff MVP -- the first U.S.-born player to win the award -- when the Rangers ended their 54-year Stanley Cup drought in 1994. Leetch's career has been hampered by injuries over the past few seasons, and he was part of New York's fire sale last season and traded to Toronto.

Pierre Pilote: He didn't play organized hockey until he was 16, but Pilote made up for lost time pretty quickly, developing into a very solid all-around defenseman who could rush the puck and make tape-to-tape passes effortlessly. But Pilote's forte was his play in his own end. Spending most of his career with Chicago, Pilote was a superb stick-checker and, despite having only average size, was very effective clearing traffic in front of the Blackhawks net. Pilote didn't miss a game during his first five seasons, and he was the captain of the last Chicago team to win a Stanley Cup in 1961. An All-Star for eight consecutive seasons, Pilote won three Norris Trophies and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1975.