Scotty Bowman is, without doubt, the greatest coach to ever grace an NHL bench. The numbers say so.

Patrick Roy is the greatest goalie to ever slap on the old mattresses. The numbers say so.

	With 70 more points, Mark Messier will be second among the NHL's all-time point leaders.

Brett Hull is one of the most dangerous and effective snipers of all time. The numbers say so.

And we should be happy that we're getting the chance to watch them.

You can say Bowman (1,197 career victories) isn't the strategist he once was. You can say Roy (who has 484 wins) is getting old. You can say Hull (who has 649 career goals) doesn't have the same zip. And in some ways, you'd be right.

But, in a lot of other ways, you'd be wrong.

Bowman could win the Stanley Cup this year. Roy won it last year. Hull scored 39 goals and, anyone who watched him do it, says he has a chance to break 50 with the Red Wings this year.

And we need to wake up and realize just how special all of that is.

Lay open a record book and take a look. No player in the history of the game has scored more points per game than Mario Lemieux. He's a two-point a game guy whether it's 1989 or 2001. Lemieux is a smarter player who has learned to use the ice better and who has gained a new patience for how the game is played. And you get to watch him this year. Dominik Hasek has won six Vezina trophies, just one shy of Jacques Plante. Hasek has done it against more than 24 other goalies in his seasons -- goalies such as Roy, Ed Belfour, Curtis Joseph and Martin Brodeur. And you get to watch him this year.

Hull, Lemieux, Mark Messier and Steve Yzerman are sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth on the NHL's all-time goal-scorers list. And while none is expected to pop in 70 this year, you have to recognize the greatness of their historical chase against one another.

Because, the simple fact of the matter is, we have some of the greatest players in history on the ice right now. In 20 years, they will talk about Hull's scoring prowess they way they talk about his dad today. In 20 years, they will talk about Hasek's innovative style and how it led to influx of European goalies who could be dominating the game by that time. In 20 years, they will be talking about how Jaromir Jagr and Joe Sakic and Pavel Bure used to cut up the ice even in the days of stifling defense.

In 20 years, they might look back at the NHL and realize that basing a team on a Disney movie probably was a mistake, they'll probably look back and say that 30 teams was far too many. They'll probably look back and curse the coaches who came up with the traps, the hooking and holding, the general slowing of the game. But they won't be able to blame it on the players.

Have salaries sky-rocketed far too fast? Yes. Has that made it difficult to get together on one team the kind of talent that can interact and entertain -- the kind that used to be on the old Bruins or Red Wings or Canadiens or Oilers? You bet. Does that mean the games are less entertaining? Only some time.

The wonderful thing about this system of greed that has overtaken the NHL is that there still are some owners willing to spend money. Now, this might lead to an eventual NHL depression -- or simply a year of vacation in 2004 -- but right now there is a strange sort of advantage. The Red Wings will have a team in which Hull and Hasek and Bowman will interact. The Rangers could put together Theo Fleury with Eric Lindros and Petr Nedved. The Stars are threatening to use a three-headed center attack that features three one-time 50-goal scorers. While there are some who will say nothing is worth the ever-rising price of admission, that might come close.

Greatness is something special. It isn't something conjured in one playoff or one season, but over a career of ups and downs. Before us this season will be some of the greatest players in NHL history, players whose numbers might not ever be touched.

What's more, those are the teams that probably will be left over when the playoffs finally whittle down to the big games. Those are the players who will get the chance to belt out a solo on the Olympic stage.

Fans of the NHL have been blessed by an influx of talent from Europe that seems to be getting more impressive every year. Now, it doesn't seem strange that your favorite player might be Nicklas Lidstrom or Patrik Elias or Alexei Kovalev. Now, it doesn't seem strange that Markus Naslund or Mats Sundin make darn fine captains. That has helped bring a different element to the game that was missing.

So now you are seeing Brett Hull adjust. You are seeing Scotty Bowman adjust. You are seeing Patrick Roy adjust -- and that's another side of their greatness that is just as exciting to watch. John Elway did some of his best work in his later years. So did Walter Payton. Texas Rangers fans had no qualms recognizing the greatness of Nolan Ryan, even when he was past 40.

Greatness is something special. It isn't something conjured in one playoff or one season, but over a career of ups and downs. Before us this season will be some of the greatest players in NHL history, players whose numbers might not ever be touched. Think about it. To hit 600 goals, you have to score 50 or more a season for 12 years. If you reduce that to 40 a season, it will take 15 years. As great as Mike Modano is, he won't be able to touch 600 goals. Neither will John LeClair or Tony Amonte or maybe even Pavel Bure. For that matter, barring drastic rule or philosophical changes, Vincent Lecavalier and Ilya Kovalchuk aren't going to have an easy ride, either.

If things fall the way they should, Hull and Lemieux and Messier and Yzerman will have their Top 10 spots locked up forever. And while being a Top 10 scorer isn't a guarantee of greatness, these guys have done a little more than just score goals.

So stand back this year and appreciate a little history, because you'll certainly appreciate 20 years from now.

Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.