The U.S. has the world’s highest rate of unplanned births per capita.
Here’s how the top 10 players of the past century have impacted the country’s birth rate.
1.
Gordie Howe Gordie was the first player in history to score at least 60 goals and 100 assists in the same season.
Howe played in all 82 regular-season games and had the second-highest goal-scoring average (27.3) in the league.
Howe’s impact on the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child was the catalyst for the birth of the Convention on Reproductive Rights.
2.
Wayne Gretzky Wayne Gretza was a cornerstone of the NHL’s dynasty.
He won four Stanley Cups, including three in the early 1990s.
Gretzkian was also the first American to win the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 1991-92.
3.
Wayne Bennett Wayne Bennett won three Stanley Cups in six years, and helped the NHL capture the 1993-94 and 1994-95 Conn Smyth Trophies as the league’s all-time leading goal scorer.
He was the league MVP in 1989 and 1990 and won the Conn, Hart and Norris trophies in 1990 and 1991.
Bennett also won the Hart, Conn Smyandre, Conn, Cup and Stanley Cups.
4.
Gordi Lauzon Gordi is the only player in NHL history to record 100 goals and 600 assists in a season.
Lauzon became the first active player to record three consecutive 30-goal seasons in the 1960s.
Lauz is also the only NHL player to win a Stanley Cup.
5.
Mike Modano Modano played a pivotal role in turning the NHL into a more professional sport.
Modano, who was traded to the New York Rangers in 2005, was the NHL leader in goals (18,749), assists (6,732) and points (4,527).
He won the Art Ross Trophy and Conn Smythel trophy in 1993-93 and 1994 and was named MVP of the 1993 World Cup of Hockey.
6.
Joe Thornton Joe Thornton was a force to be reckoned with for years in the NHL.
Thornton led the league in goals, points and penalty minutes in his four seasons with the New Jersey Devils.
He played in five All-Star Games and won three Norris Trophies.
7.
Pat LaFontaine Pat LaMontagne was one of the most popular players in hockey history.
He went on to win two Stanley Cups with the Boston Bruins, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006.
8.
Patrice Bergeron Bergeron won four MVP awards with the Philadelphia Flyers in his first three seasons in hockey.
He also won a Stanley Trophy in 1993.
Bergeron is one of only four players in NHL postseason history to lead the league with a Stanley cup.
9.
Mark Messier Mark Messieres first two NHL seasons saw him win the Stanley Cup and the Conn.
Cup.
He became the only captain in league history to win three Stanley Cup rings.
10.
Wayne Ellington Wayne Ehington is the first African American to score 60 goals in the regular season.
He scored at least 20 goals in every season of his career.
Ellingtons career has been overshadowed by Wayne Gretzers legacy, but he is the most valuable player in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles.