5 living legends in the NHL

From one generation to the next, there are just a handful of special, bordering on mythical, talents capable of pushing the threshold beyond what we consider possible on a 200-foot sheet of ice.

Here are five legends - and their superhuman traits - still living, breathing, and dominating in the National Hockey League:

The Everlasting: Jaromir Jagr

Last season, Jaromir Jagr laced up the skates in all 82 games and finished 14 points clear of the next best Devil in New Jersey's internal scoring race.

He also turned 42.

This season, which he vows won't be his last, Jagr (barring injury) will eclipse past legends on a nightly basis. He'll surpass the likes of Gretzky, Gilmour, Modano, Yzerman, and Shanahan on the career games list and needs just 45 points for 1800 in his career - which will see him leapfrog Marcel Dionne and Ron Francis into fourth in all-time points.

But with Jagr, whose 124 game-winning goals are the most all-time, we will continue to lament the three seasons he spent in Russia. Had he stayed, Jagr would already rank second to only Gretzky in career points, and would have a legitimate shot at surpassing Gordie Howe on the career games list.

The Hero: Sidney Crosby

In terms of point-per-game production, only Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Mike Bossy rank ahead of the game's latest generational talent, Sidney Crosby. 

He has won a Stanley Cup, two Hart Trophies, and amassed enough hardware to fill out any mantle, but Crosby's heroics peak with a Maple Leaf on his chest and gold on the line. He lifted a nation with his overtime winner in Vancouver, and broke Sweden's back with his breakaway tally in Sochi. 

The Kid, like any hero, has been knocked down. But the lionhearted superstar has pried himself off the mat every time and is spearheading the league's slow build back toward prominence.

The Underdog: Martin St. Louis

Martin St. Louis' rise to stardom wasn't easy - it was downright oppressive. 

As diminutive as he is plucky, St. Louis took the road less traveled after being passed over in both the major junior and NHL drafts. Since arriving, however, he has pieced together a career worthy of Hall of Fame consideration. He has won two scoring titles, a Stanley Cup, and once sat out just two games over an eight-year stretch.

The smallest ironman, with thighs that could probably deflect bullets, is now the main attraction on Broadway, and will likely reach both the 1000-game and 1000-point mark this season. 

The Monster: Zdeno Chara

Two parts talent to one part freak, Zdeno Chara is a near immeasurable human being and an absolutely incomparable talent.

His blistering slapshot produces more flamingos than any other, his wingspan immediately renders a fight unfair, and his stick might stand to be twice the size of our aforementioned underdog.

The 2009 Norris Trophy winner has 1,132 games of tread on his 6-foot-9, 255-pound frame, but unlike most mountainous athletes, he hasn't broken down. Chara hasn't missed more than five games in a season since joining the Boston Bruins in 2006.

The 2011 Stanley Cup champion is a surefire Hall of Famer and one of the greatest athletes to ever patrol a blue line.

The Slayer: Justin Williams

He isn't a superstar by any means, but like many superhuman types, Justin Williams has an alter ego.

For 10 months of the calendar year, he is a modest top-six contributor for the best team in hockey. But when the postseason rolls around, Williams puts on the cape. He is the most successful player in the league - by team standards - since the NHL locked out its players a decade ago, having had his name etched on the Cup three times.

And he hasn't just been along for the ride with the Hurricanes and Kings over the past nine seasons. The reigning Conn Smythe trophy winner has contributed 22 goals, 58 points, and three game-winners in those three Cup runs.