Hot on the heels of the last installment, we have Volume 2 of a compendeum of those players that Leaf fans (hopefully) just can't help but love.

Oh sure, there might be the occasional GWG or questionable hit on one of our players, but by and large they're just difficult to hate.

Brendan Shanahan

As most people who are dialed in to the hockey media have heard already, Shanny has come full circle and has agreed to sign with the team he started out with, the New Jersey Devils. I'm glad to see he'll be getting back to playing after a bit of a break, and hope he can have a successful season.

Shanny is the type of player most Leaf fans absolutely love. Works hard, scores goals, and fights like a crazy demon. He's a smart hockey player and gives great interviews. Case in point:

Any player mocking the Senators is a-ok in my books!

Plus, let's not forget THE AWESOME FIGHT MONTAGE!

In addition to all that, he has some commercials that are actually funny. I couldn't find it on youtube but he was in one for cereal (cheerios, perhaps) that was pretty damn entertaining.

Alexander Ovechkin

AO is the TRUE young face of the NHL. He's so damn enthusiastic it is impossible to hate the guy. Even him banging up OLAS (on a clean hit - dude is a slab of granite) won't dissuade me from being a fan.

Just watch him skate hard down the ice, arms flailing, and feel yourself smiling. It's impossible not to! He's kind of a russian/north american hybrid player, with incredible speed and skill along with a hard-nosed physical style.

Here's hoping he can do a repeat performance of this during the season:

The more angry AO gets, the STRONGER HE GETS!