Top 10 Greatest NHL Players of All Time

Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Douglas Gretzky CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League for four teams from 1979 to 1999 and is widely considered one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Gretzky also served as head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes... read more

Undisputed number one. Created hockey from behind the net and with shots while crossing the slot.
Took checks like a slinky and led by example.

In my opinion, being good at hockey doesn't mean being the fastest, or having the best shot, or anything like that. It's about knowing the game, and this man knew it very well. He was always where he needed to be, and if you're always where you need to be, you will score goals and make assists. If you know the game and have passion for it, you don't always have to have the best shot or be the fastest.

Mario Lemieux

Mario Lemieux is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and the former owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played parts of 17 National Hockey League seasons with the team from 1984 to 2006. He assumed ownership of the Penguins in 1999 and maintained a leadership role in the organization until... read more

He 100% would have passed Gretzky's single-season records if it wasn't for his cancer and back problems.
He is the best player of all time.

Mario Lemieux is better than all the players because it only took him one shot to score his very first goal. That's why he should be top spot. He's amazing because I don't know anyone else who can score in just one shot.

Lemieux was great, but I believe Rob Ray scored a goal on his first NHL shift. That doesn't mean anything. The thing that made Lemieux great is that he kept on scoring all the way to the end of his career!

Bobby Orr

Robert Gordon Orr is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played as a defenceman and is widely regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Orr revolutionized the position with his offensive skills and won numerous awards, including two Stanley Cups with the Boston Bruins... read more

This guy is way better than Mario Lemieux. What did Lemieux do to revolutionize the NHL? Bobby Orr changed the way the position of defense is played. He was the one who made sure defensemen scored double-digit goals in a season, and he changed the skating style of the NHL.
Mario Lemieux, for his first years, was pretty much in the shadow of Gretzky. When Gretzky got traded, he took over, but when Gretzky was with Edmonton, Gretzky was better than Lemieux. There was no one to challenge Orr defensively. The next best defenseman was Brad Park when Orr played. Orr should be second best of all time.

Bobby Orr was amazing. He could juke, skate super fast, and shoot the daylight out. Don't you remember Orr shooting from the opposite side of the rink and making it in the empty net for the win? Incredible.
How many other players have done what Orr could have done? Best player ever. Makes sense that the greatest hockey player in history was on the greatest hockey team in history, the Boston Bruins. He is my hockey hero.

Gordie Howe

Gordon "Gordie" Howe OC (March 31, 1928 - June 10, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. From 1946 to 1980, he played twenty-six seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Known as "Mr. Hockey," he was one of the sport's greatest players and a key figure in the NHL's history.

801 goals! Only one person has more than that, and that is Wayne Gretzky. Bobby Orr said Gordie was the best, so did Wayne, Rocket, and Mario. He must be the best if all of them say that.

This guy starred on my favorite team, the Whalers. Even though they haven't won a Stanley Cup, they will always be the greatest team ever.

Very dedicated player.

Sidney Crosby

Sidney Patrick Crosby ONS (born August 7, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who currently serves as captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. He was drafted first overall by the Penguins in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Crosby has won multiple Stanley Cups and is... read more

Crosby is the best player in the world right now. He's not my favorite, but there's no doubt he's the greatest. The kid is on track to beat The Great One. He lives the game. Yeah, he used to be a sook, but he's not anymore. But the reputation is stuck with him. The guy's a living legend.

Very talented player, not as good as McDavid though.

Won the Stanley Cup 2 times in a row. That's impressive.

Alex Ovechkin

Alexander Mikhailovich "Alex" Ovechkin is a Russian professional ice hockey winger and the captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League. He is considered one of the greatest goal scorers in NHL history. Ovechkin has won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy nine times and led the Capitals... read more

Ovi is the first player to win the four major awards, all in one season: Hart, Richard, Ross, and Pearson. He has also won the Hart three times! Crosby has only won the Hart once. This clearly shows that Alex is the better player and also shows that Crosby and Pittsburgh are just bandwagons.

He is the best player in the NHL now. How is Crosby in front of him? It's not right to see Crosby ahead of him. Now he and the Caps are ready for the Stanley Cup...

He is the best player of the 2010s. You can't change my mind. He's won the Hart, Stanley Cup, and has made the NHL Metropolitan ranking more than seven times.

Jaromir Jagr

Jaromír Jágr is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger and currently plays for Rytíři Kladno in the Czech Extraliga. He was born on February 15, 1972, and has had one of the longest and most successful careers in professional hockey history. As of the 2024-25 season, he continues to play, making... read more

Maintained high performance levels for many years. Most overlooked his talents because of Mario's shadow. Class act.

Very dedicated player. I wish he played longer.

Mark Messier

Mark John Douglas Messier is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 25 seasons in the National Hockey League. He is best known for his time with the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers. Messier is a six-time Stanley Cup champion and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007... read more

Powerful snapshot. Intimidating player who motivated his team to give everything to win.
Sneaky good skater and great in the dressing room.

Crosby is 8 slots over THE captain? Are you kidding me? How is he even outside of the top 10? Good god! He should absolutely be top 5, if not top 4.

Come on! He has the record for second place in point leading! By far the best leader ever. He went through all the news and said we will win tonight! He should be one step higher than Crosby. But just one. I agree Gretzky is one but still!
The Rangers were going to lose the series against the Devils, and he convinced everyone that the Rangers would win the game. And he scored a hat trick to win the game! Should be #4! God!

Jean Beliveau

Peter Forsberg

Power and technique, scoring and passing, he had it all. Just an awesome player. One of the best in the history of the game.

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Brent Burns

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Connor Hellebuyck

Steve Yzerman

Stephen Gregory Yzerman (born May 9, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who currently serves as the executive vice president and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. He spent his entire 22-season NHL playing career with the Red Wings.... read more

How is Sid the Squid up higher than Stevie?!?!?! That makes no sense. Steve was the greatest leader of all time! He was passionate about hockey and didn't care about his stats and wasn't a cherry picker like Sid and Gretzky!

The best leader any team can have. Sure, he didn't have the stats as some of the other guys did, but he was probably the most passionate about the game of hockey. One of the best!

Yzerman played the game with passion, skill, heart, desire, and class.

Martin Brodeur

Martin Pierre Brodeur is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He spent most of his National Hockey League career with the New Jersey Devils and is considered one of the greatest goaltenders of all time. Brodeur holds multiple NHL records, including the most wins and shutouts by a goaltender... read more

Brodeur is definitely the greatest NHL goalie of all time.

Maurice Richard

Joseph Henri Maurice "Rocket" Richard was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League, all with the Montreal Canadiens. Richard was the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a single season and won eight Stanley Cups with the team.

The Rocket maybe could've been similar to Gretzky if he had the right to a curved stick. Maurice was physical, a team player, a goal assister, and a goal scorer!

How is he 17th?! This guy is in the top 5 for sure. He scored 50 in 50 in the 40s. No one had even scored 50 at that point. The next player to accomplish that feat was 40 years later.

Ahead of his time.
More Cups than anyone is proof of dominance. Slapshot from the circle was hard to stop.

Mike Bossy

Michael Dean Bossy was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who spent his entire NHL career with the New York Islanders. He was one of the league's most prolific goal scorers and played a central role in the Islanders' four consecutive Stanley Cup championships from 1980 to 1983. Bossy was inducted... read more

Greatest goal scorer of all time. Let's say he never had injury problems and he played as many games as Gretzky. If he kept his career pace, he would have had around 1100 goals, and even if he didn't, he still would probably have 950+ goals.

Bobby Hull

Robert Marvin Hull, OC (January 3, 1939 - January 30, 2023), was a Canadian professional ice hockey player widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Known as The Golden Jet, Hull was celebrated for his speed, powerful slap shot, and offensive skill.... read more

Bobby Hull should be right up there with Jaromir Jagr at number 5. Sidney and Alex are great modern players, but they are overrated on this list as they haven't concluded their careers. Bobby Hull at number 16 is absurd. He was the first player to score more than 50 goals in a year and did it three times in 10 years in the original six-team league. At that time, 50 goals was like hitting 60 home runs in baseball. Two other players each scored 50 goals only once before 1967. Bobby Hull was the greatest goal scorer ever and a great all-around player.

This is a joke! Bobby Hull belongs in the top five players on your list. He had over 1,000 career goals and over 2,000 career points in 23 years of professional hockey. He was the Associated Press Player of the Decade for the NHL during the 1960s.
He was the first player to score over 50 goals in consecutive years. He led the NHL in goal scoring 7 times in 15 years, won three Art Ross Trophies, two Hart Trophies, and a Lady Byng Trophy. Enough said.

Patrick Roy

Patrick Jacques Roy is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and former head coach and vice president of hockey operations for the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL. He played for the Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche, winning four Stanley Cups during his career. Roy is widely regarded... read more

The way he played, in the playoffs especially, he is definitely the greatest NHL goalie of all time. Two Stanley Cups with the Avalanche.

Patrick Kane

Patrick Timothy Kane II, born November 19, 1988, is an American professional ice hockey right winger. He currently plays for the Chicago Blackhawks in the National Hockey League (NHL). Kane has won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks and is considered one of the most skilled American players in NHL... read more

Kane is the best American player in the NHL.

I like Crosby and Toews better, but he is my favorite hockey player from the U.S.

Teemu Selanne

He is still one of the league's top scorers at age 40 and holds the record for the best rookie season ever. Not to mention one of the top goal scorers of all time, and still strong! Two words, Finnish Flash.

The Finnish Flash cannot be competed with in his rookie season.

Carey Price

Carey Price (born August 16, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who is under contract with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League. He is the franchise's all-time leader in wins by a goaltender, with 361 victories. Price has also represented Canada internationally, winning... read more

Connor McDavid

Connor McDavid (born January 13, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Widely regarded as one of the best players in the sport, McDavid has won multiple Hart Memorial Trophies as league MVP. He was selected first overall... read more

No one skates with the puck as fast as McDavid. Worth the price of admission on most nights.
Like most great players, he has the character to go with the talent and work ethic.

By the time McDavid retires, he should be top 3. He's the speediest player in the league, absolutely amazing to watch on the breakaway. Let's get him higher!

Connor McDavid is totally AWESOME! Why did this same list put him as #1 on the most hated and worst NHL players? Doy!

Joe Sakic

Joseph Steven Sakic (born July 7, 1969) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. He played his entire 21-season National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Quebec Nordiques and Colorado Avalanche franchise. Sakic currently serves as the president of hockey operations for the... read more

It blows my mind that he is not in the top 10. He is a million times better than Cindy "Cry-Baby" Crosby.

Look, I'm a Wings fan, and Sakic deserves to at least be in the top 10.

T.J. Oshie

Guy Lafleur

Evgeni Malkin

Evgeni Vladimirovich Malkin, born on July 31, 1986, is a Russian professional ice hockey player. He plays as a centre and serves as an alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the National Hockey League. Malkin is widely regarded as one of the top NHL players of his generation and has won multiple... read more