Top NHL Players of All-Time

The NHL has been around for over a century. Because of this, there have been some amazing hockey players to grace the ice. But, who are the top players of all-time?

#3 – Mario Lemieux

As one of the greatest scores of all-time, Lemieux has 4 of the top-17 goal-scoring seasons ever. The only other player to score 69 goals four different times is the great Wayne Gretzky. Lemieux started playing with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but retired in 1997, due to cancer. But, Lemieux returned to the NHL in 2000 to play 5 additional seasons.

#2 – Gordie Howe

Gordie Howe played for the Detroit Red Wings to start his career in 1946. Amazingly, Howe played until 1980, which is a crazy span of time. During Howe’s career, with 25 of those years being played in Detroit, he won 6 MVP awards, 6 scoring titles, and won 4 championships. Surprisingly, Howe even played professionally with two of his sons.

#1 – Wayne Gretzky

When you hear the word “hockey,” most people think “Wayne Gretzky.” Called “The Great One,” Gretzky scored 1,963 goals over 21 years. It seemed like every time Gretzky took the ice, he was in “video game mode.” No player in NHL history has as many goals and assists combined as Gretzky has assisted in his career. By adding 894 goals to the mix, Gretzky is truly the “God of Hockey.”

During Gretzky’s career, he was an All-Star 18 times and won 9 Hart trophies. Many people believe he will never be passed in the stats of goals scored and assists. We agree because his career speaks for itself.