There have been 33 No. 1 picks in the NHL entry draft since 1969, and three of them happen to be playing in Wednesday night's game between Dallas and Pittsburgh -- the Stars' Mike Modano and Pierre Turgeon and the Penguins' Mario Lemieux.

	Pierre Turgeon was the youngest player to be selected No. 1 overall at 17 years, one month.

As Modano, Turgeon and Lemieux know, a No. 1 player faces enormous pressure. Because No. 1 picks were star players in either junior hockey or college, they are expected to succeed in the NHL. Along with achieving success, they are also to expected play a leadership role. If they struggle in the NHL, their confidence slips, as does their ability to lead. It becomes a downward cycle, one from which it is tough to recover because it may be the first time they have ever struggled.

Going by position, the most celebrated forward ever to be picked No. 1 is a given -- Lemieux. Denis Potvin has been the most celebrated of the nine defensemen ever taken No. 1, and Rick DiPietro has been the best goalie drafted No. 1 -- but he's the only one.

Only five No. 1 picks became instant NHL stars -- Lemieux (drafted in 1984), Potvin (1973), Buffalo center Gilbert Perreault (1970), Winnipeg center Dale Hawerchuk (1981) and center Eric Lindros (1991), now of the New York Rangers. And five are Hall of Famers -- Lemieux, Potvin, Perreault, Hawerchuk and Guy Lafleur.

On the flip side, several No. 1 picks let the pressure get to them and never fulfilled their expectations. The most notable ones may have been defenseman Greg Joly (1974) and Alexander Daigle (1993). Being drafted No. 1 the year after Potvin may have added to Joly's pressures. When Joly was drafted, players like Bryan Trottier and Mark Howe were taken in the second round. And Daigle was chosen ahead of Chris Pronger, the No. 2 pick in 1993, as well as Paul Kariya and Jason Arnott. Other No. 1 players who struggled were Bill Harris (1972), taken ahead of Steve Shutt and Bill Barber, and Joe Murphy (1986).

The adjustment period
Most coaches would say the adjustment is more difficult for defensemen than forwards. Defensemen must learn the opposition players' tendencies, how to deal with them, how to read plays, and when to join the offense. They have to be mature physically because they are playing who are 10-15 years older.

Potvin made a successful transition because he already had a man's body, and his skills and confidence level never wavered. He was an overall package of brains, brawn and mental toughness. He stepped in and immediately looked like he had been playing in the NHL for a long time.

For forwards picked No. 1, there is instant pressure to score. Critics can easily quantify their success by looking at the points they generate. Offensive players have to learn patience, how to work out of inevitable scoring slumps, and how to help the team in the midst of a slump.

Generally speaking, it takes roughly two or three years for a No. 1 forward to start feeling as if he can play at a high level in the NHL. Defensemen, meanwhile, take closer to four years -- and that may be generous.

Goaltenders may take even longer. Goaltending is the most pressurized position in team sports; there is zero margin for error. A mistake equals a goal for the other team. It's all about confidence -- in addition to learning the shooters, goalkeepers must recover from goals against and losses. DiPietro is back in the minors for now, but he shouldn't take that personally. The Islanders have to be very careful about bringing him along so his confidence level doesn't get shattered.

What adjustment period?

	Modano

	Lemieux

Meanwhile, the three No. 1 players in Wednesday's game never seemed to battle with lost confidence. They stepped into the NHL and produced from the outset. All three -- Lemieux, Modano and Turgeon -- have all lived up to the label of being a No. 1 pick because, as forwards, their production was outstanding from the beginning.

Turgeon, who signed with Dallas in the offseason, is still the youngest No. 1 pick ever at 17 years, one month. But after he had 42 points in his rookie season, he more than doubled it to 88 his second year and then put up 106 points in his third year. Turgeon is a good example of a player with great goal-scoring skills and instincts who needed to feel his way at first. He had to go around the NHL one time before his production exploded, and he never looked back.

Turgeon seems to have more detractors than supporters. He has been knocked for his shortcomings as a defensive player, which is why he is not recognized as much as Modano as a two-way player. But Turgeon will soon pass 1,200 points and 500 goals in his career. Few players have ever been as gifted as Turgeon with his hands, his instincts and his creativity.

Like Turgeon, Modano had to feel his way around the league first. More ice time and more confidence helped Modano, who produced 75 points his first year. Bob Gainey was a major influence on Modano. He taught Modano to not just dabble on the outside and use his speed. Gainey got him to stick around the scoring areas and score the tough goals.

When Modano grasped what Gainey was saying, his game went to another level. He became one of the game's great two-way forwards. Modano has been consistently excellent as a scorer, playmaker, penalty-killer and puck controller.

Lemieux, on the other hand, is the exception to every rule. He was a 100-point player from the moment he stepped into the NHL. At age 18, it took him about five minutes to figure out how to succeed in the NHL. He was the prototypical player -- big (6-foot-4, 200 pounds), strong, fast, smooth, incredibly talented -- who never missed a beat from junior hockey. For the rest of us playing against him, it was almost unfair.

From the beginning, Lemieux struck fear in a defenseman's heart -- and he still does. He was the best on-on-one player I've ever played against. When he's on the ice, he continues to wield a magic wand for a stick. There may be two other No. 1 picks on the ice Wednesday, but the No. 1 everyone will be watching is No. 66.

Brian Engblom is a hockey analyst for ESPN. He played 11 seasons in the NHL as a defenseman and won three Stanley Cups in six seasons with the Montreal Canadiens.