#4 Larry Pleau The First New England Whalers and US Hockey Legend

A member of the US Hockey Hall of Fame, Larry Pleau is one of the most respected people in the game. Larry was one of the top American hockey players in the late 1960s and 1970s, playing for Team USA at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble as well as the 1969 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament in Stockholm. He then played three seasons for the Montreal Canadiens from 1970-1972, winning the Stanley Cup in 1971. In 1972, Pleau became the first player to sign with his hometown New England Whalers of the upstart World Hockey Association. The Whalers won the WHA championship in 1973 and Pleau went on to become to appear in the 1973, 1974 and 1975 WHA All Star Games. When his career ended in 1979, Pleau worked in numerous positions with the Whalers, including head coach and eventually director of hockey operations.  He went on to become the assistant GM of the New York Rangers and was instrumental in the 1994 Rangers Stanley Cup run. 1997 Pleau took the reigns of the St. Louis Blues and had a great tenure there, presiding over the Blues President's Trophy win in 1999–2000 and being named the Sporting News Executive of the Year in 2000-2001. HOST: Mark Willand Pro Hockey Alumni Website