Yardbarker
x
100 greatest players in NHL history
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

100 greatest players in NHL history

In honor of the NHL 100th anniversary season, we turn back the clock and look at the players who left their mark. Here is, in no particular order, the 100 greatest players to ever play in the league.

 
1 of 100

Gordie Howe

Gordie Howe
(unclemikesmusings.blogspot.com)

Despite this list not being in any order, there is no arguing that the list should start the man dubbed as "Mr. Hockey." Howe's career spanned across decades — yes, decades — and different leagues, becoming the face of not only the NHL, but hockey everywhere.

 
2 of 100

Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky
(Hakan Dahlstrom/ Wikimedia Commons/ greatimmigrants.carnegie.org)

"The Great One" holds or shares 61 NHL records, including the seemingly untouchable league record of 2,857 points.

 
3 of 100

Mario Lemieux

Mario Lemieux
(alchetron.com)

The highly decorated former Pittsburgh Penguin — or perhaps current Penguin, since he owns the team now — won three Hart Trophies, six Art Ross Trophies, four Lester B. Pearson Awards and the Conn Smythe Trophy in consecutive Stanley Cup Finals.

 
4 of 100

Bobby Orr

Bobby Orr
(alchetron.com)

The most recognizable and arguably the best defenseman to ever play in the NHL, Orr is the only defenseman to win the Art Ross Trophy and score nine hat tricks, and the only player to win the Art Ross, Norris, Hart and Conn Smythe Trophies in the same season.

 
5 of 100

Jean Beliveau

Jean Beliveau
(alchetron.com)

Beliveau was the first Stanley Cup Final MVP, snagging the honors after the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in 1965.

 
6 of 100

Roger Crozier

Roger Crozier
(Bruce Bennett/ Getty Images)

The netminder won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1966, becoming the first to win the playoff MVP award for a losing team.

 
7 of 100

Dave Keon

Dave Keon
(Hockey Time Machine/ Tumblr)

The great center for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Keon won Stanley Cup Final MVP in 1967.

 
8 of 100

Glenn Hall

Glenn Hall
(alchetron.com)

Goalie for the St. Louis Blues, Hall won the Stanley Cup Final MVP in 1968 despite the Blues losing the series to the Montreal Canadiens.

 
9 of 100

Serge Savard

Serge Savard
(alchetron.com)

Savard was part of the great Montreal teams, winning Stanley Cup Final MVP in the Montreal Canadiens' fourth championship in five years.

 
10 of 100

Ken Dryden

Ken Dryden
(alchetron.com)

Before going on to become a politician and book author, Dryden was the Montreal goaltender and 1971 Stanley Cup Final MVP.

 
11 of 100

Yvan Cournoyer

Yvan Cournoyer
(photofile.com)

The Montreal Canadiens winger and 1971 Stanley Cup Final MVP was nicknamed "The Roadrunner."

 
12 of 100

Bernie Parent

Bernie Parent
(alchetron.com)

The goaltender won Stanley Cup Final MVP back-to-back years for the Philadelphia Flyers as the last line of defense for the Broad Street Bullies.

 
13 of 100

Guy Lafleur

Guy Lafleur
(alchetron.com)

The former Montreal Canadien was the first player in the league to reach 100 points in a season.

 
14 of 100

Larry Robinson

Larry Robinson
(alchetron.com)

The former defenseman and Hall Famer's name appears on the Stanley Cup nine times as a player, scout and coach.

 
15 of 100

Bob Gainey

Bob Gainey
(puckstruck.com)

Gainey was the Stanley Cup Final MVP in 1979, which also marked the end of the Montreal Canadiens' long stretch of trips to the Final.

 
16 of 100

Bryan Trottier

Bryan Trottier
(alchetron.com)

The former center holds the league record for points in a single period at six, when he scored four goals and tallied two assists against the New York Rangers during a tilt in 1978.

 
17 of 100

Butch Goring

Butch Goring
(nhl.com)

Goring won four Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders, winning Final MVP in 1981.

 
18 of 100

Mike Bossy

Mike Bossy
(alchetron.com)

The New York Islander is the only player in NHL history to score the Stanley Cup-winning goals in two consecutive Finals and the only player in league history to score four game-winning goals in a single series.

 
19 of 100

Billy Smith

Billy Smith
(Pinterest)

In addition to winning four Stanley Cups with the Islanders, Smith is the first goaltender in league history to be credited with scoring a goal.

 
20 of 100

Mark Messier

Mark Messier
(alchetron.com)

In addition to being second on the all-time career list for regular-season points (1,887) and playoff points (295), Messier is also the only player to captain two different championship teams (the Oilers and the Rangers).

 
21 of 100

Patrick Roy

Patrick Roy
(alchetron.com)

The former goaltender won four Stanley Cups — two with the Canadiens, two with the Avalanche — and is the only player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe three times.

 
22 of 100

Brian Leetch

Brian Leetch
(alchetron.com)

During his 18-year career, Leetch won the Calder Trophy, two Norris Trophies and was the first American-born player to win the Conn Smythe (following the New York Rangers' Stanley Cup win in 1994).

 
23 of 100

Ron Hextall

Ron Hextall
(alchetron.com)

In addition to holding numerous Philadelphia Flyers team records, Hextall won the Conn Smythe Trophy despite the Flyers losing the Stanley Cup Final to the Oilers, making him one of five players in league history to win MVP honors while on the losing team.

 
24 of 100

Al MacInnis

Al MacInnis
(alchetron.com)

The 13-time All-Star won the Norris Trophy in 1999 and was playoffs MVP in 1989 when he led the Calgary Flames to a Stanley Cup victory.

 
25 of 100

Claude Lemieux

Claude Lemieux
(milehighhockey.com)

Lemieux is one of just 10 players to have ever played in the NHL to win the Stanley Cup with three different teams: the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche.

 
26 of 100

Joe Sakic

Joe Sakic
(alchetron.com)

In playing the entirety of his career with the Avalanche franchise and serving as the captain, Sakic is one of six players to participate in both of Colorado's Stanley Cup wins.

 
27 of 100

Steve Yzerman

Steve Yzerman
(alchetron.com)

In addition to winning numerous awards as a player during his career with the Red Wings and leading Detroit to three Stanley Cup victories, the Hall of Famer won the NHL General Manager of the Year Award in 2015 for his work as the Tampa Bay Lightning's GM.

 
28 of 100

Maurice Richard

Maurice Richard
(alchetron.com)

During his 18-year tenure in the league, Richard became the first player in NHL history to record 50 goals in a season (1944-1945) and the first to reach 500 career goals.

 
29 of 100

Scott Stevens

Scott Stevens
(alchetron.com)

Stevens captained the New Jersey Devils to three Stanley Cup championships in four appearances, winning MVP honors in 2000.

 
30 of 100

Nicklas Lidstrom

Nicklas Lidstrom
(alchetron.com)

The Swede was the first European-born and trained captain to win a Stanley Cup and was the first European-born player to win the Conn Smythe when he led the Detroit Red Wings to victory in 2001.

 
31 of 100

Sergei Fedorov

Sergei Fedorov
(Elsa/Getty Images)

Few foreign players have had a better career than Sergie Fedorov, who scored 400 goals and added 554 assists. The six-time All-Star also won the Selke twice along with taking home the 1993-94 Hart Trophy with the Detroit Red Wings.

 
32 of 100

Brad Richards

Brad Richards
(untuckit.com)

During his Conn Smythe-winning playoff run with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Richards set the NHL record for most game-winning goals in the playoffs at seven.

 
33 of 100

Bobby Hull

Bobby Hull
(alchetron.com)

Hull, nicknamed "The Golden Jet," was a multiyear winner of the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Memorial Trophy in addition to winning the Lady Byng and Lester Patrick Trophies. He is a member of multiple Hall of Fames outside of the NHL as well.

 
34 of 100

Brett Hull

Brett Hull
(alchetron.com)

Hull and his dad, Bobby, are the only father-son duo to have each tallied 1,000 career points in the NHL and became the first father-son pair in the Hockey Hall of Fame after Brett's induction in 2009.

 
35 of 100

Brendan Shanahan

Brendan Shanahan
(alchetron.com)

Shanahan's physical play earned him 2,489 penalty minutes in his hockey career, 22nd most overall — however he is the only player on the top 50 most penalized players list to score over 1,100 career points (656 goals and 698 assists for 1,354 points).

 
36 of 100

Paul Coffey

Paul Coffey
(alchetron.com)

The Hall of Famer was a 14-time All-Star who also won four Stanley Cups and three Norris Trophies.

 
37 of 100

Ray Bourque

Ray Bourque
(alchetron.com)

Bourque holds the record as the Boston Bruins' longest-serving captain, in addition to also holding the record for most goals, assists and points by a defenseman (410 goals and 1,579 total points).

 
38 of 100

Mike Modano

Mike Modano
(alchetron.com)

Modano holds the NHL record for most goals (561) and most points (1,374) by a U.S.-born player.

 
39 of 100

Stan Mikita

Stan Mikita
(alchetron.com)

The former Chicago Blackhawks center won a number of awards over his career and is the only player in the history of the league to win the Art Ross, Hart and Lady Byng Trophies in the same season, which he did twice.

 
40 of 100

Phil Esposito

Phil Esposito
(alchetron.com)

The Hall of Famer racked up a number of honors in the 1970s, in addition to becoming the first player in the history of the NHL to score 1,000 in the span of a decade.

 
41 of 100

Teemu Selanne

Teemu Selanne
(alchetron.com)

Even before Selanne established himself as the hightest-scoring Finn in the history of the NHL, he set the record for most goals scored by a rookie (1992-1993 season) at 76.

 
42 of 100

Bill Mosienko

Bill Mosienko
(thinkceleb.com)

The former Chicago Blackhawk holds the record for the fastest hat trick scored in NHL history, beating New York Rangers netminder Lorne Anderson three times in a 21-second span.

 
43 of 100

Marcel Dionne

Marcel Dionne
(alchetron.com)

Dionne ranks third in NHL history for most 100-plus point seasons (eight) behind only Mario Lemieux (10) and Wayne Gretzky (14).

 
44 of 100

Johnny Bucyk

Johnny Bucyk
(alchetron.com)

As part of the Boston Bruins' 1970 championship team, the Ukrainian-Canadian had the honor of first hoisting the Stanley Cup and skating around the Boston Garden ice.

 
45 of 100

Luc Robitaille

Luc Robitaille
(alchetron.com)

Robitaille holds the NHL record for most points scored by a left winger, which he achieved playing for four different teams. However, he is best known for the time he spent with the L.A. Kings and still holds many of the team's franchise records.

 
46 of 100

Doug Gilmour

Doug Gilmour
(alchetron.com)

It took time for an NHL team to give Gilmour a chance, but "Killer" made his mark on league history by scoring 1,414 points in 1,474 games.

 
47 of 100

Jari Kurri

Jari Kurri
(alchetron.com)

The original "Finnish Flash" is best remembered for the time he was paired with Wayne Gretzky on the Edmonton Oilers.

 
48 of 100

Dale Hawerchuk

Dale Hawerchuk
(alchetron.com)

The 1982 Calder Trophy winner holds the record for youngest player to reach 1,000 career games (30 years, 306 days old).

 
49 of 100

Adam Oates

Adam Oates
(icehockey.wikia.com)

Oates was a top-scoring playmaker in the heyday of his NHL career, with the fifth highest career assists total (1,079) at the time of his retirement in 2004.

 
50 of 100

Ron Francis

Ron Francis
(legendsofhockey.net)

Francis holds the record for second-most NHL career assists with 1,249, second only to Gretzky, who has 1,963.

 
51 of 100

Jaromir Jagr

Jaromir Jagr
(alchetron.com)

The Czech wonder is the only active player on the list of NHL all-time points leaders and at third place (1,868 points) could potentially pass Mark Messier (1,887) this season.

 
52 of 100

Joe Thornton

Joe Thornton
(alchetron.com)

The hulking Sharks forward hasn't slowed or shown age as he continues to move his way up the NHL's list of all-time assists leaders. He is currently tied for 13th with Doug Gilmour.

 
53 of 100

Martin Brodeur

Martin Brodeur
(alchetron.com)

Brodeur is both the winningest goalie in NHL history (691) and possesses the staggering record for most career shutouts (125).

 
54 of 100

Mark Recchi

Mark Recchi
(alchetron.com)

Of his many scoring moments, Recchi's best remembered might be the one he scored in Game 2 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, making the then-Bruin the oldest player to ever score a goal in a Stanley Cup Final series.

 
55 of 100

Mats Sundin

Mats Sundin
(alchetron.com)

The Swede average just over a point per game (1,349 points in 1,346 games) in his NHL career and holds the Toronto Maple Leafs' franchise records for points, goals at both even strength and on the power play, and game-winning goals.

 
56 of 100

Mike Gartner

Mike Gartner
(fulltiltnyr.com via zimbo)

One of only seven NHL players to score 700 career goals, Gartner holds the record for most 30-goal seasons (17).

 
57 of 100

Dave Andreychuk

Dave Andreychuk
(alchetron.)

The Ukrainian-Canadian holds the NHL all-time record for most power-play goals.

 
58 of 100

Ed Belfour

Ed Belfour
(alchetron.com)

Winner of both the Calder and Vezina Trophies during his rookie season, the former goaltender also shares the league record for most wins in a postseason (16 wins in 1999).

 
59 of 100

Chris Chelios

Chris Chelios
(alchetron.com)

The retired defenseman holds the league record for most playoff season (24) and is tied with Gordie Howe for most overall seasons played (26).

 
60 of 100

Jacques Plante

Jacques Plante
(alchetron.com)

Considered one of the pioneers of hockey, particularly for being the first goalie to wear a mask on a regular basis and try out different styles, Plante also won more Vezina Trophies (7) than any other netminder in NHL history.

 
61 of 100

Doug Jarvis

Doug Jarvis
(hockeyministries.org)

Jarvis retired in 1988, but his iron man status is still untouched. He holds the record for most consecutive games played with 964, having never missed a regular-season tilt.

 
62 of 100

Henri Richard

Henri Richard
(alchetron.com)

During his 20-year NHL career, Richard won 11 Stanley Cups and holds the record for most playoff games played.

 
63 of 100

Frank Boucher

Frank Boucher
(Bruce Bennett/ Getty Images)

Boucher holds the record for winning the most Lady Byng Trophies — seven, all won within the eight years he played for the New York Rangers.

 
64 of 100

Alex Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin
(alchetron.com)

Anyone with the slightest present-day hockey knowledge knows who the Washington Capitals' captain is. He cemented his place in NHL history this past January when he scored his 500th career regular-season goal, becoming the only Russian-born player to join the elite group.

 
65 of 100

Evgeni Malkin

Evgeni Malkin
(alchetron.com)

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby gets the bulk of the attention, but you can't dismiss teammate Malkin, who is one of the best puck-handlers in the modern-day NHL.

 
66 of 100

Pavel Datsyuk

Pavel Datsyuk
(alchetron.com)

The résumé speaks for itself. The highly skilled forward won two Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings in addition to winning the Selke Trophy three times and the Lady Byng Trophy four times, in four consecutive years.

 
67 of 100

Lanny McDonald

Lanny McDonald
(alchetron.com)

McDonald tallied over 1,000 points in his career and registered his 500th goal just four days before the end of his NHL career.

 
68 of 100

Dino Ciccarelli

Dino Ciccarelli
John Mahler/Getty Images

Despite being widely recognized for controversy, the winger is also a member of the 500-goal club and ranks 18th all time in NHL goals with 608.

 
69 of 100

Bobby Clarke

Bobby Clarke
(alchetron.com)

Clarke spent his entire career with the Philadelphia Flyers, winning two cups with them in 1974 and in 1975, and is regarded as being one of the best captains in NHL history.

 
70 of 100

Henrik Zetterberg

Henrik Zetterberg
(alchetron.com)

The Detroit Red Wings captain has won a number of awards in the franchise and the whole NHL, including the league record for most shots on goals in a postseason (116 shots during the 2007-2008 playoffs).

 
71 of 100

Joe Mullen

Joe Mullen
("Alumni Galleries/ blues.nhl.com)

Mullen was the first U.S.-born player to score 500 goals and reach 1,000 points, and he won Lester Patrick Trophy in 1995 for his contributions to hockey in the States.

 
72 of 100

Phil Housley

Phil Housley
(alchetron.com)

Housely played on eight different teams and was a seven-time NHL All-Star. He currently ranks 20th on the list of NHL all-time assist leaders.

 
73 of 100

Denis Savard

Denis Savard
(alchetron.com)

The 2000 Hall of Fame inductee won his only Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens before going on to coach the Blackhawks. He now serves as an ambassador for the Chicago organization.

 
74 of 100

George Hainsworth

George Hainsworth
(greatesthockeylegends.com)

The goaltender's career spanned way back from 1926-1937, but he still holds the league's single-season shutout record (22) and the single-season goals-against average record (0.92), both achieved in the 1928-1929 season.

 
75 of 100

Alec Connell

Alec Connell
(alchetron.com)

Connell set the original "longest shutout streak" during the 1928 season when he strung together six shutouts for 461:29 minutes and is the all-time goals-against average leader (1.91).

 
76 of 100

Chris Pronger

Chris Pronger
(Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

While considered a dirty player by many, defenseman Chris Pronger is also considered one of the greatest leaders ever. He won the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks and prior to that took home both the Hart and Norris Trophies in the 1999-2000 season.

 
77 of 100

Normie Smith

Normie Smith
(hockeyinsideout.com)

The Red Wings' goaltender from the 1930s holds the NHL record for most saves in a single game, a debilitating 92, in the NHL's longest game in history, which featured six overtimes.

 
78 of 100

Eddie Shore

Eddie Shore
(alchetron.com)

Shore has second most Hart Trophies in NHL history, being named the league's most valuable player four times.

 
79 of 100

Doug Harvey

Doug Harvey
(thirdstringgoalie.blogspot.com)

Harvey is regarded as one of the best defensemen to ever play in the league and has seven Norris Trophy wins to prove it.

 
80 of 100

Howie Morenz

Howie Morenz
(ourhistory.canadiens.com)

Morenz is considered one of the first superstars of the league, placing in the top 10 for leading scorers in the league 10 out of the 14 seasons that he played in the NHL.

 
81 of 100

Dominik Hasek

Dominik Hasek
(Gene J. Puskar/ AP)

The Czech netminder won six Vezina Trophies and was the first goaltender to win the Hart Trophy multiple times (twice).

 
82 of 100

Ted Lindsay

Ted Lindsay
(alchetron.com)

Through his Stanley Cup championships (four) and other accolades, the former winger is also known for helping create the NHL Players' Association in the 1950s.

 
83 of 100

Peter Forsberg

Peter Forsberg
(alchetron.com)

Although the Swede's career ended in 2011, he is still ranked fourth on the NHL all-time assists per game list and eighth on the league's all-time points per game list.

 
84 of 100

Frank Mahovlich

Frank Mahovlich
(habseyesontheprize.com)

The 1958 Calder Trophy winner played in 15 NHL All-Star games and was on six Stanley Cup-winning teams.

 
85 of 100

Syl Apps

Syl Apps
(thewhig.com)

The league's first "Rookie of the Year," Apps played for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1936-1948 but not before competing as a pole vaulter in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

 
86 of 100

Sergei Makarov

Sergei Makarov
(alchetron.com)

The winger's career spanned just over three decades in which he had success at both the NHL and international levels.

 
87 of 100

Bill Durnan

Bill Durnan
(svenskafans.com)

The goaltender accomplished a lot in his brief six-year career, including two Stanley Cups and six Vezina Trophies.

 
88 of 100

Tim Horton

Tim Horton
(blog.canoe.com)

Before being synonymous with coffee and donuts, Horton was a four-time Stanley Cup champion. He was inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame in 1977.

 
89 of 100

Ted Kennedy

Ted Kennedy
(icehockey.wikia.com)

A member of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the duration of his career, Kennedy was the first NHL player to win five Stanley Cups.

 
90 of 100

Milt Schmidt

Milt Schmidt
(mscorley.blogspot.com)

The former Boston Bruin is the last living NHL player to have had a career during the 1930s, during which he won the Stanley Cup twice.

 
91 of 100

Red Kelly

Red Kelly
(icehockey.wikia.com)

Kelly was unique in that he played both center and defense, although it was his skill on the blue line that won him the first-ever Norris Trophy.

 
92 of 100

Peter Stastny

Peter Stastny
(thirdstringgoalies.blogspot.com)

The center played in six All-Star games and won the 1981 Calder Trophy during his two-decade career.

 
93 of 100

Dickie Moore

Dickie Moore
(Bruce Bennett Studios/ Getty Images)

Moore won multiple Stanley Cups and Art Ross Trophies and briefly held the NHL record for most points in a season when he tallied 96 in 1959. (Bobby Hull broke the record in 1966 with 97, and Wayne Gretzky snagged it by registering 215 points in 1986.)

 
94 of 100

Borje Salming

Borje Salming
(alchetron.com)

The defenseman is revered as a pioneer for European players coming over to the NHL and became the first Swedish skater to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996.

 
95 of 100

Johnny Bower

Johnny Bower
("A Breed Apart" by Douglas Hunter/ goaliesarchive.com)

The compact goaltender reportedly suffered from poor eyesight, but that didn't stop him from winning two Vezina Trophies and being part of four Stanley Cup-winning teams.

 
96 of 100

Sid Abel

Sid Abel
(alchetron.com)

Abel was part of a star-studded Detroit Red Wings line with Ted Lindsay and Gordie Howe.

 
97 of 100

Doug Bentley

Doug Bentley
(greatesthockeylegends.com)

Bentley made history in 1943 when he appeared on the first "all-family line" with his brothers Max and Reg.

 
98 of 100

Aurel Joliat

Aurel Joliat
(Bruce Bennett/ Getty Images)

The former Montreal Canadiens winger played on the first NHL All-Star team and is credited for scoring the league's first empty-net goal.

 
99 of 100

Turk Broda

Turk Broda
(Bruce Bennett Studios/ Getty Images)

Broda was between the pipes for the Toronto Maple Leafs when they came back from a three-game deficit in the 1942 Stanley Cup Final to win the Cup.

 
100 of 100

Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby
(alchetron.com)

The Pittsburgh Penguins' captain is one of the most prolific faces of modern NHL hockey. Being that he was the first overall draft pick in just 2005, it is anyone's guess what he eventually can achieve in his high-profile career.

Chelena Goldman grew up on a street where the boys played street hockey and yelling at baseball and football over the radio was a standard -- making life as a sports geek the perfect fit. She believes in dominance on the blue line, good red wine, and the theory that you can never be too overdressed for any occasion. You can find her gabbing away on Twitter at @ChelenaGoldman.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.