The Carolina Panthers are 2026 Stanley Cup winners after topping the Las Vegas Golden Knights on June 14, and the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics put cold-weather sports at the forefront of international sports fans' attention earlier this year.
While the arrival of summer has turned attention to MLB and the World Cup, the completion U.S. hockey's massive 2026 in the spotlight before hockey's hot-weather hiatus provides those of us at USA TODAY "250 for 250" central reason to look back at the best hockey, ice skating, speed skating, skiing and snowboarding athletes of all time.
Let's get to the list.
Now through July 4, USA TODAY Sports is releasing our "250 for 250" list of America's top homegrown athletes of all time. Each week we'll bring you all-time standouts from across the sports world and give readers a chance to vote on who should be featured. One other note: With this celebration of America's top sports figures, we're also recognizing the high schools that produced them, or the athlete's hometown if they took another path to stardom.
(Listed in alphabetical order)
While the arrival of summer has turned attention to MLB and the World Cup, the completion U.S. hockey's massive 2026 in the spotlight before hockey's hot-weather hiatus provides those of us at USA TODAY "250 for 250" central reason to look back at the best hockey, ice skating, speed skating, skiing and snowboarding athletes of all time.
Let's get to the list.
Now through July 4, USA TODAY Sports is releasing our "250 for 250" list of America's top homegrown athletes of all time. Each week we'll bring you all-time standouts from across the sports world and give readers a chance to vote on who should be featured. One other note: With this celebration of America's top sports figures, we're also recognizing the high schools that produced them, or the athlete's hometown if they took another path to stardom.
(Listed in alphabetical order)
4 months ago
