Book excerpt: To mark the fiftieth anniversary of "The Hockey News, a committee of fifty of the most respected observers of the game - including Dick Irvin, Bob McKenzie, Harry Neale, Jim Matheson, Scotty Bowman, Al Arbour, Glen Sather, and Roger Nielson - selected the top 50 NHL players of all time. The identity of the player who received the most votes was no surprise: Wayne Gretzky. The names of the next four might also have been predicted, although the order in which they were ranked - Bobby Orr, followed by Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux and Maurice Richard - has caused heated argument. Without question, however, the names that make up the rest of the list, and the order in which they are ranked, could keep all true hockey fans engaged in debate for years. When the original list was published in "The Hockey News, it inspired every possible reaction, from enthusiastic approval to indignant rage. Each great player has his own fans eager to make the case for higher placement. Now, in this splendid full-colour collector's book, the list has been expanded to include the top 100 NHL players of all time and the debate can be renewed again with vigour.