Dot, a four-time MVP of the Women's Major Fastpitch National Championship, has two Olympic Gold Medals during her tenure as Team USA's shortstop. Dot was always regarded as a good athlete, having become the youngest player ever to compete in the ASA Women's Major Fastpitch National Championships at the age of 13 in 1975. She went on to play baseball at Stanford University where she earned All-American honors twice. After graduating from Stanford, Dot played for the Chicago Bandits in the now-defunct Womens Professional Baseball League before joining the USA Women's Baseball Team in 1987.
Another great American fastpitch star is Nancy DeLoach Young. She won three gold medals at the 1952 Olympics as a catcher for the United States Women's Baseball Team. Young also had a long career in minor league baseball after finishing her playing days with the Minnesota Twins in 1958. She later served as an assistant coach for the UCLA Bruins from 1972 to 1976 and head coach of the United States Women's National Team from 1977 to 1989. Young was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.
On the international stage, there have been several great fastpitch players over the years. China's ping pong ball industry began producing synthetic balls in the 1970s which enabled Chinese athletes to train with harder balls than what Americans were using at the time. This advantage would prove useful for Chinese fastpitch players who wanted to improve their skills.
Revolutionary A sprinter and long jumper from the United States who competed in the Olympics only once, in 1936, collecting four gold medals. Inducted into the IAAF Hall of Fame Thorpe won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics. American sprinter Jesse Owens won three gold medals in a single event at the 1936 Games by outdoing his own world record seven times in succession.
The greatest female athlete of all time - according to some sources - is Americans Carl Lewis and Phyllis Taylor-Thompson. The two dominated the 100m and 4x100m events respectively during the 1980s and 1990s. They both hold several records still active today.
Here's how they rank among all-time greats:
1 Pele (Brazilian soccer player)
2 Rod Laver (Australian tennis player)
3 Bjorn Borg (Swedish tennis player)
4 Michael Johnson (American sprinter)
5 Roger Bannister (English runner) - he broke the four-minute mile barrier in 1954 and became the first person to do so without using drugs or technology.
6 Liu Xiang (Chinese hurdler) - he holds the world record for most victories at the World Championships with 13 wins.
The former Avalanche, Senators, and Blue Jackets playmaker has a speed rating of 93.3, making him one of the quickest players in NHL 20. With a speed rating of 94, an agility rating of 93, and an acceleration rating of 93, Duchene can rocket up the center of the ice and find himself in on goal. He's been called the "human pinball" for his ability to get into shooting positions with such high velocity that the puck seems to have a mind of its own when it hits his stick.
Duchene's combination of speed and skill makes him one of the most dangerous players in hockey. The Avs hope he can continue to build upon his already impressive career statistics. So far this season, he has 10 goals and 22 points through 23 games.
He was selected second overall by the Avalanche in 2009 after playing three seasons with the Ottawa Senators. A two-time 30-goal scorer, he's a four-time 40-point player and a five-time 60-point player.
An elite power forward who is also capable of scoring at even strength, the faster you are, the more opportunities you will create for yourself. As long as Duchene stays healthy, the Avs should see plenty of success from their top player.
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