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.
Gordie Howe
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.
Wayne Gretzky
"The Great One" holds or shares 61 NHL records, including the seemingly untouchable league record of 2,857 points.
Mario Lemieux
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.
Bobby Orr
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.
Jean Beliveau
Beliveau was the first Stanley Cup Final MVP, snagging the honors after the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in 1965.
Roger Crozier
The netminder won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1966, becoming the first to win the playoff MVP award for a losing team.
Dave Keon
The great center for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Keon won Stanley Cup Final MVP in 1967.
Glenn Hall
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.
Serge Savard
Savard was part of the great Montreal teams, winning Stanley Cup Final MVP in the Montreal Canadiens' fourth championship in five years.
Ken Dryden
Before going on to become a politician and book author, Dryden was the Montreal goaltender and 1971 Stanley Cup Final MVP.
Yvan Cournoyer
The Montreal Canadiens winger and 1971 Stanley Cup Final MVP was nicknamed "The Roadrunner."
Bernie Parent
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.
Guy Lafleur
The former Montreal Canadien was the first player in the league to reach 100 points in a season.
Larry Robinson
The former defenseman and Hall Famer's name appears on the Stanley Cup nine times as a player, scout and coach.
Bob Gainey
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.
Bryan Trottier
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.
Butch Goring
Goring won four Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders, winning Final MVP in 1981.
Mike Bossy
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.
Billy Smith
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.
Mark Messier
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).
Patrick Roy
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.
Brian Leetch
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).
Ron Hextall
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.
Al MacInnis
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.
Claude Lemieux
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.
Joe Sakic
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.
Steve Yzerman
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.
Maurice Richard
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.
Scott Stevens
Stevens captained the New Jersey Devils to three Stanley Cup championships in four appearances, winning MVP honors in 2000.
Nicklas Lidstrom
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.
Sergei Fedorov
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.
Brad Richards
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.
Bobby Hull
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.
Brett Hull
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.
Brendan Shanahan
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).
Paul Coffey
The Hall of Famer was a 14-time All-Star who also won four Stanley Cups and three Norris Trophies.
Ray Bourque
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).
Mike Modano
Modano holds the NHL record for most goals (561) and most points (1,374) by a U.S.-born player.
Stan Mikita
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.
Phil Esposito
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.
Teemu Selanne
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.
Bill Mosienko
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.
Marcel Dionne
Dionne ranks third in NHL history for most 100-plus point seasons (eight) behind only Mario Lemieux (10) and Wayne Gretzky (14).
Johnny Bucyk
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.
Luc Robitaille
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.
Doug Gilmour
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.
Jari Kurri
The original "Finnish Flash" is best remembered for the time he was paired with Wayne Gretzky on the Edmonton Oilers.
Dale Hawerchuk
The 1982 Calder Trophy winner holds the record for youngest player to reach 1,000 career games (30 years, 306 days old).
Adam Oates
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.
Ron Francis
Francis holds the record for second-most NHL career assists with 1,249, second only to Gretzky, who has 1,963.
Jaromir Jagr
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.
Joe Thornton
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.
Martin Brodeur
Brodeur is both the winningest goalie in NHL history (691) and possesses the staggering record for most career shutouts (125).
Mark Recchi
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.
Mats Sundin
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.
Mike Gartner
One of only seven NHL players to score 700 career goals, Gartner holds the record for most 30-goal seasons (17).
Dave Andreychuk
The Ukrainian-Canadian holds the NHL all-time record for most power-play goals.
Ed Belfour
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).
Chris Chelios
The retired defenseman holds the league record for most playoff season (24) and is tied with Gordie Howe for most overall seasons played (26).
Jacques Plante
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.
Doug Jarvis
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.
Henri Richard
During his 20-year NHL career, Richard won 11 Stanley Cups and holds the record for most playoff games played.
Frank Boucher
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.
Alex Ovechkin
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.
Evgeni Malkin
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.
Pavel Datsyuk
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.
Lanny McDonald
McDonald tallied over 1,000 points in his career and registered his 500th goal just four days before the end of his NHL career.
Dino Ciccarelli
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.
Bobby Clarke
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.
Henrik Zetterberg
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).
Joe Mullen
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.
Phil Housley
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.
Denis Savard
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.
George Hainsworth
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.
Alec Connell
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).
Chris Pronger
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.
Normie Smith
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.
Eddie Shore
Shore has second most Hart Trophies in NHL history, being named the league's most valuable player four times.
Doug Harvey
Harvey is regarded as one of the best defensemen to ever play in the league and has seven Norris Trophy wins to prove it.
Howie Morenz
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.
Dominik Hasek
The Czech netminder won six Vezina Trophies and was the first goaltender to win the Hart Trophy multiple times (twice).
Ted Lindsay
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.
Peter Forsberg
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.
Frank Mahovlich
The 1958 Calder Trophy winner played in 15 NHL All-Star games and was on six Stanley Cup-winning teams.
Syl Apps
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.
Sergei Makarov
The winger's career spanned just over three decades in which he had success at both the NHL and international levels.
Bill Durnan
The goaltender accomplished a lot in his brief six-year career, including two Stanley Cups and six Vezina Trophies.
Tim Horton
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.
Ted Kennedy
A member of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the duration of his career, Kennedy was the first NHL player to win five Stanley Cups.
Milt Schmidt
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.
Red Kelly
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.
Peter Stastny
The center played in six All-Star games and won the 1981 Calder Trophy during his two-decade career.
Dickie Moore
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.)
Borje Salming
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.
Johnny Bower
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.
Sid Abel
Abel was part of a star-studded Detroit Red Wings line with Ted Lindsay and Gordie Howe.
Doug Bentley
Bentley made history in 1943 when he appeared on the first "all-family line" with his brothers Max and Reg.
Aurel Joliat
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.
Turk Broda
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.
Sidney Crosby
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.
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