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The Smartest Players in the NHL

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Everyone knows how strong hockey players must be. However, not everyone is aware of the intellectual level of those guys. Intelligence in hockey is extremely important, especially when talking about the NHL. 

Division 1 includes six Ivy League colleges. We will talk about three of them later in this post. According to a reliable paper writing service from WritingAPaper, Ivy Leagues are very different from other Division 1 programs. The difference is that they do not support or allow scholarships for athletes. It means that the hockey players must pay for themselves or simply apply for financial aid like other athletes. 

Although this makes the Ivy League less beneficial for student players, there are some really smart athletes in this program. Their IQ levels could even allow them to work as professional paper writers and help other students in their studies. Right now, you will see an essay writing services review on the NHL players who impressed fans with their IQs. Even though they could not get their scholarships, they increased the rankings of their colleges while getting their prestigious diplomas. 

Hockey is for smart ones

Strength is not the only criterion for hockey players. Along with their extreme stamina, they should also possess enough logic and intelligence to crunch the numbers and make tough decisions. Let us see who are those incredible and brilliant players who managed to enter the history of not only their universities but also of hockey. 

Matt Moulson (Cornell University)

At first, Matt played in Ontario with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It happened after Cornell’s first season. According to the best paper writing service, Moulson graduated from Cornell in 2006. Three months after his graduation, Matt signed a contract with the Los Angeles Kings. His NHL debut happened in 2007 where he scored his first NHL goal. 

In two years, Moulson joined the family of the New York Islanders. After having 30 goals, Matt became a part of the Buffalo Sabres for the season 2013-1014. Just in five months, he was playing for the Wild in Minnesota. His contract with the Sabres was worth $25 million. Matt scored 148 goals in 441 NHL games.

Moulson was a leading scorer in his men’s hockey team three times. In general, he made more than 300 points and over 150 goals. 

Joe Nieuwendyk (Cornell University)

This legendary player is the owner of 3 Stanley Cups and an Olympic Gold medal according to an essay writing site. He appeared in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011. The player is extremely talented. 

Nieuwendyk was good at both lacrosse and hockey. He played these two games when being at university. In 1985, Joe became a part of the Calgary Flames. After that, he quit lacrosse. In 1987, he was the finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.

The first Stanley Cup was won in 1989 with Calgary. All-Ivy and All-East second-team honors are some of his achievements. Joe also gained his Hobey Baker Award as the best college player. In the Flames, his professional career started. By the way, Nieuwendyk was the second rookie after Mike Bossy who reached 50 goals in the NHL. 

This player is truly legendary and deserves his right to be one of the cleverest NHL players in the whole history of hockey. 

Hobey Baker (Princeton University)

When none of the players could even dream of big contracts, Baker pioneered the professional sport. Unfortunately, Hobey’s life was not long, however, he entered the history of hockey forever. Baker was an amateur athlete in the beginning of the 20th century. 

Being a part of the Hockey Hall of Fame, he was also a great football player. Every year, the best NCAA hockey players receive an award named in the honor of Baker. 

Honey Baker was an amateur and has never played in the NHL. Regardless of that, he was named one of the best American players. Some pro essay writing services estimate that Hobey averaged three goals and the same amount of assists per game whilst playing at Princeton. 

In 1918, the life of this legendary player was tragically cut in a plane crash. The new hockey arena in Princeton was named after Hobey Baker in 1921. 

Douglas Murray (Cornell University)

Everyone knows that Douglas Murray had a nickname of Crankshaft, however, not even every professional essay writer knows where he got it from. The name is related to Murray’s play style. Thanks to it, he was brilliant in the world’s top hockey league for the whole nine seasons.

Douglas was a part of the Big Red hockey program after which he became a player of the NHL. Murray was among ten candidates for the Hobey Baker Award in 2003. Moreover, he was named first-team All-American twice. 

Murray is on the list of the most intelligent hockey players not for no reason. In 2010, he was named one of the cleverest athletes by the Sporting News. In 518 NHL games, Douglas has 64 points and tons of bone-crushing hits. 

Ben Lovejoy (Dartmouth College) 

Lovejoy is famous for rejecting a contract offered by the Montreal Canadiens in 2006 and deciding to stay in college and graduate. Ben started his career at Boston College. After spending one season there, he joined Dartmouth. 

His professional debut happened in 2007 when he played for the Norfolk Admirals. He played five games with them. In 2008, Lovejoy joined the Pittsburgh Penguins. He replaced Hal Gill in Pittsburg after concluding his first contract in the NHL. In 2013, Ben joined the Anaheim Ducks.

Ken Dryden (Cornell University)

Like lots of other Cornell University graduates, Dryden is one of the smartest hockey players in the NHL. In 1964, he was traded from the Boston Bruins to the Montreal Canadiens. Dryden enrolled in college and played for the Big Red program instead of choosing professional hockey. In 1967, he played in the NCAA championship.

In 1971, Dryden brought the Stanley Cup to the Canadiens. After that, he became the most precious player of the playoffs. In 1972, Ken won the Calder Trophy. He was the core rookie in the league. 

Dryden is the winner of the Vezina five times, of the Stanley Cup six times, and the Conn Smythe and the Calder Trophy once. In 1983, Ken appeared in the Hall of Fame. 

Conclusion

All these hockey players are true legends of the Ivy League. Each of them has contributed to the history of the world’s hockey a lion’s share of effort, strength, will, and hard work. Being one of the smartest athletes in the history of sports, they have proven that athletes can be brilliant students and successful hockey players even without any scholarships. They are the students their universities are proud of.

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