(Puck Daddy presents its annual look back at the year in hockey. Check back every day through the New Year for our many lists and hot takes.)

The player of the year isn’t the player with the best stats … although it nearly was. It’s about impact and mounting a memorable campaign in the last calendar year – and not just in the NHL.

Here are Puck Daddy’s Top 10 Hockey Players of 2014.

10. Tuukka Rask

The Boston Bruins goalie captured his first Vezina Trophy with 16 our of 30 votes by the NHL’s general managers, posting a 36-15-6 record and was the only goalie to rank in the top five in shutouts, save percentage, GAA and wins. Although the Bruins were ousted, he posted a 1.99 GAA and a .928 save percentage in the postseason. (It hasn’t been the best start for Rask in 2014-15, with the Bruins’ injuries leading to a .911 save percentage in 23 games.) He also shut out the Americans in the bronze medal game in Sochi.

9. Marie-Philip Poulin

Canada’s golden girl. Back in 2010, Poulin scored both goals in a 2-0 win over the U.S. for the gold medal. In 2014, Poulin led the Canadians’ dramatic rally with a goal in the final minute – 54.6 seconds left – and the gold-medal clinching tally in sudden-death overtime, on the power play at 8:10. That, and she was named captain of the Boston University women’s hockey team.

8. Ryan Getzlaf

An incredible year for the Anaheim Ducks star, as he posted a career high 31 goals and had his best points per game average since 2011. He finished second in the Hart voting, and continued that pace with 33 points in his first 31 games in 2014-15. He had three points in six games for Canada in Sochi. Some players are weighed down by the captaincy; Getzlaf, instead, answered the call.

7. Phil Kessel

The Toronto Maple Leafs sniper tallied 37 goals for the Maple Leafs and then added 15 in his first 30 games of the following season. He also had eight points in six games for Team USA, and was named the tournament’s best forward.

And now, in the spirit of equal time, a dissenting opinion from the Toronto media: “BLAH BLAH UNCOACHABLE BLAH BLAH NO LEADERSHIP BLAH WAH HE WON’T TALK TO ME BLAH WAH.”

6. Justin Williams

"Mr. Game 7" won his third Stanley Cup, this time collecting the Conn Smythe with a dominating effort in the 2014 playoffs. He had 9 goals and 15 assists, the game-winner in Game 1 and a key goal in Game 5 vs. the Rangers. He also had points in each of the Kings’ three Game 7 wins. Overall in the playoffs for his career: 78 points in 105 games. Clutch!

5. Henrik Lundqvist

Lundqvist finally cracked through to make the Stanley Cup Final, playing 63 games and winning 33 of them. He posted a 2.14 GAA and a .927 save percentage in 25 games played. Ha also backstopped the Swedes to the gold medal game in Sochi, including a 25-save effort to beat rival Finland in the semifinal. It was a real close but no cigar season for The King, but that’s OK; honestly, cigar smoke has no place near that fabulous beard.

4. Tyler Seguin

After the Boston Bruins cut ties with the former second overall pick, Seguin realized his potential with the Dallas Stars, to the tune of 37 goals and 47 assists in 80 games, finishing sixth for the Hart Trophy. He followed that with 23 goals in his first 29 games in 2014-15, and a 1.31 points-per-game average. Meanwhile, Loui Eriksson … well, he’s on the Boston roster. We’re pretty sure of that.

View photos Feb 20, 2014; Sochi, RUSSIA; Canada goalkeeper Shannon Szabados (1) celebrates their 3-2 overtime win over USA in the women's ice hockey gold medal game during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games at Bolshoy Ice Dome. (Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports) More

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