Earlier this week, I bemoaned the fact that hockey rarely gets featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated these days.

That wasn’t the case way back when. Hockey used to be front and center during the early years and even beyond for the magazine.

SI has a site that features all of its NHL covers. Here are a few from the collection.

The first NHL cover was in 1956 with the great Jean Beliveau; an artist’s rendition of Gordie Howe; Bobby Hull without his teeth; Sportsman of the Year Bobby Orr; hello and good-bye for Wayne Gretzky.