Who is the All Time Greatest Ice Hockey Player?
We are compiling a list of the greatest athletes from the sport of ice hockey, which will then be voted on and the winner placed on the shortlist of the all time greatest athlete ever (all sports). The first stage is to get nominations for ice hockey before the vote is started. See the current list below of top athletes, compiled using other published lists and visitor feedback. If you believe that there is someone missing from this list, please place a comment below, including any relevant details about the person.
A somewhat similar poll to determine the Greatest Ice Hockey Athlete of All Time was conducted on the ESPN Sport Science website in 2013 - looking for the greatest athlete, not player, from the sport of ice hockey.
Ice hockey Greatest
The athletes below are listed in alphabetical (not ability) order - once the shortlist is complete then you will be able to vote for who you think is the greatest of all. This list is not complete - if you know of someone who should be listed here, let us know using the comment form below.
| name | notes |
|---|---|
| Alexander Ovechkin | |
| Bobby Hull | |
| Bobby Orr | the first and only defenseman in history to score nine hat tricks. He is also the only defenseman to be the league's leading scorer, which he did twice. Is Bobby Orr your hero? |
| Doug Harvey | |
| Eddie Shore | |
| Gordie Howe | Howe won the NHL's leading scorer and Most Valuable Player award six times each. He is second in NHL history in goals scored. He retired at age 52 after playing 32 seasons in major league pro hockey. |
| Guy Lafleur | |
| Jacques Plante | |
| Jean Beliveau | |
| Mario Lemieux | Lemieux is a three-time Hart Trophy winner, and six-time Art Ross Trophy winner. He scored 199 points in a season, beaten only by Gretzky. He was a 10-time All-Star and scored a total 1,723 points in his career, the seventh most in NHL history. |
| Mark Messier | |
| Mats Sundin | |
| Maurice Richard | |
| Patrick Roy | |
| Peter Forsberg | |
| Ray Bourque | |
| Sidney Crosby | After only 4 full seasons, Crosby had the fourth highest points per game average (1.40) in NHL history. He is the youngest player to finish the league as top goal scorer, at age 19. |
| Steve Yzerman | |
| Terry Sawchuk | |
| Wayne Gretzky | Gretzky was NHL's leading scorer a record 10 times, and NHL's Most Valuable Player a record nine times. He is the only player in NHL history to score 200 points in a season, which he did four times. |
Related Pages
- About the ESPN poll of the greatest ice hockey athlete of all time
- More about ice hockey
- All time greatest index of sports
- Other sport specific lists
- More about the World of Sport
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
Old Comments
Commenting is closed on this page, though you can read some previous comments below which may answer some of your questions.
- PrancingChicken (2016)
Marty Brodeur deserves a mention at the very least, having the most wind In a regulation season, the most goals by a goaltender, three Stanley Cups, 125 shut outs which is a record, five Jennings trophies, 4 Vezina trophies and 10 all stars. - Cannonkat (2016)
The triumvirate: Gretsky, Orr & Howe! Then there's Kharlimov, Fetisov & Tretiak and Rocket Richard, Jean Belliveau, Guy LeFleur, Bobby Hull, Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier & Brad Park. But once you get past these the list is long... - Amanda Nemaric (2016)
Ice Hockey is Wayne's world. One of the three greatest sportsmen of all time - Of course "The Great One" Wayne Gretzky, then Bobby Orr, Godie Howe, The Rocket and Patrick Roy in that order. (Ricky, Dec. 2012)
- I suggest Martin Brodeur.(from Frank, June 2012)
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