Top 12 Best Hockey Players of All Time

The NHL has been in the sporting world for a long time and has produced some deadly hockey players in the world.

Moreover, today we will be listing the top 12 best hockey players of all time.

We have legendary players and fan favorites in this list that overwhelmed the crowd solely with their presence in the rink.

Ice hockey is not an easy sport as you need to balance yourself while going at full pace and controlling the puck.

We have enjoyed watching some phenomenal players who made it look so easy, even in this difficult sport.

Without further ado, let’s get right into the list of the top 12 best hockey players of all time.

Top 12 Best Hockey Players of All Time

12. Alexander Ovechkin

Alexander Mikhailovich Ovechkin is a Russian professional Ice hockey player who plays in the right-wing.

He is the captain of the popular team Washington Capitals.

Ovechkin is considered one of the best hockey players of all time, and he is often called by his nickname “the Great Eight.”

In his career of over two decades, Ovechkin has scored over 730 goals in 1,197 matches.

He has won countless awards, but the most recent award he received is the Wayne Gretzky International Award.

11. Mark Messier

Coming next on our list is another Legend, Mark Messier. He is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player who plays in the center position.

In around 25 years, he played for various world-class teams like Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver Canucks.

Messier is on second in the list of highest playoff points of all time and third for regular-season games played.

In addition, the player has a total of 295 playoff points and 1756 games played.

Furthermore, he is a six-time Stanley Cup champion, and he is the only player that captained two teams to win the Stanley Cup.

He is often called The Messiah by his fans all over the world.

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10. Jean Beliveau

Joseph Jean Arthur Béliveau is another Canadian Ice hockey player widely known for his wide achievements in Ice hockey.

In addition, his nickname was “Le Gros Bill.”

Jean had a long career of 21 years in the same team, the Montreal Canadiens, from 1950 to 1971.

Beliveau was the second player ever to score 1,000 points in NHL. And he is inducted into the NHL’s Hall of Fame.

Jean had won a total of two Hart Memorial Trophies and one art ross trophy.

Jean won the Stanley cup 17 times; it’s the most by any player ever at that time.

9. Steve Yzerman

Steve Yzerman is a former Canadian ice hockey player and current executive vice president and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings.

Hall of Famer is popular for his ability to score goals. He was a Detroit sports icon.

Yzerman captained the team of Detroit for over two decades with a total of over 1,300 games.

Steve served the team well in his legendary career and led them to five first-place regular season finishes and three Stanley Cup championships.

Yzerman is still the sixth-highest leading scorer in NHL history.

8. Guy Lafleur

Known by his nickname of Le Démon Blond, Guy Lafleur is a former Canadian ice hockey player who was known for his goal-scoring abilities.

He is one of the most consistent goal scorers that the NHL has ever seen.

The guy is the first-ever player in the NHL history to score 50 goals in six consecutive seasons.

In his career of over 17 years, he played for Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Quebec Nordiques.

Lafleur has a total of five Stanley Cups to his name.

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7. Sidney Crosby

Coming at number seven is the legendary player from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Sidney Crosby is the captain of the team and a fan favorite on the rink.

In his career, Crosby has managed to win three Stanley cups to date.

Starting his career at the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for the Rimouski Oceanic, Sidney Crosby was flawless and drafted first in 2005.

In his career of 16 years, Crosby has managed to win the Hart Memorial, Rocket Richard, Art Ross, and Conn Smythe Trophies.

What’s more amusing is that this man led Canada to win two gold medals in the Olympics in two consecutive years.

6. Maurice Richard

Coming across halfway on our list is Maurice Richard, who is also a former Canadian ice hockey player who played in the Right-wing.

He was devastating in the rink and destroyed the opponents with his agility and quick thinking. He was nicknamed the “The Rocket” for that reason.

Richard is the first-ever player ever to score 50 goals in a single season.

He is also the first-ever player to reach the 500 goal mark.

In his long career of 18 years, Maurice Richard won several awards. The most notable one is Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player.

5. Jaromir Jagr

Coming at number 5 is the second-highest all-time NHL point leader, Jaromir Jagr, one of the best hockey players of all time.

He is a Checz professional ice hockey player who played in the right-wing.

In his long career of over three decades, he has played for over Pittsburgh Penguins,  Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers.

He also played for Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers, and Calgary Flames.

He is known as the most productive European player that played in the NHL.

Jagr is both the youngest and oldest player that NHL has ever seen.

Moreover, he entered the league at the early age of 18, and currently, he is the oldest at the age of 49.

4. Gordie Howe

One of the legends in the Ice hockey world, Gordie Howe, is a retired Canadian Ice hockey Player.

Howe played in 26 NHL seasons and 6 World Hockey Association (WHA) seasons in his long career.

He played for the Detroit Red Wings for 25 years and is known as one of their icons.

Nicknamed as “Mr. Hockey,” experts often said that Gordie Howe was the complete player ever to have played Ice hockey due to his ability to do anything in the rink.

He was an all-rounder and played well in every aspect of the game.

In his long career of 26 years, he scored 801 goals, provided 1049 assists, and collected 1850 points.

3. Bobby Orr

Ranking on number three among these star offensive players is Bobby Orr, known as one of the NHL’s best defensive players of all time.

Orr is also a former Canadian professional ice hockey player who played as a defenseman.

Despite being a defenceman, he is the one who paved the way for future player to use their speed and agility to their fullest extent.

His playmaking abilities were unmatched, and with that ability, he became the only defenceman ever to win the league, scoring two Art Ross Trophies.

To this day, Orr holds the record for highest points and assists in a single season by a defenceman.

In his long career, Orr was able to win the Stanley cup twice.

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2. Mario Lemieux

Named “The Magnificent One,” Mario Lemieux is one of the best ice hockey players of all time.

Mario, who was known for his form, was a perfect example of what a magnificent player should be like.

Ending his career at Pittsburgh Penguins after 17 years, he was one of their legends, and later on, he ended up buying the club for himself.

Lemieux is an Olympic gold medalist, Hall of Famer, and a runner-up for the NHL All-Time Points per Game Leaders.

Under his guidance, the Pittsburgh Penguins claimed two Stanley cups.

1. Wayne Gretzky

Topping our list is none other than Wayne Gretzky. The best player in the history of hockey to have ever stepped in the rink.

Gretzky is nicknamed The Great One and has the highest points ever scored by a player in the NHL’s history with a total point of 2,857.

In his career, Gretzky crushed every opponent to ever stand in front of him and claimed all the awards and trophies that a hockey player would wish for.

To date, Wayne Gretzky has the highest number of goals, assists, and points, and what’s more amusing is that there is no one even close to his record.

Moreover, Gretzky won four Stanley cups with his mentality and understanding of the game.

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