Who Is the Best NHL Player of All Time?
Contents
When it comes to the best NHL player of all time, there are a lot of great candidates. But there can only be one true answer. So, who is the best NHL player of all time?
Wayne Gretzky
There is no doubt that Wayne Gretzky is the best NHL player of all time. He has more goals, assists, and points than any other player in history. Gretzky was so dominant that he changed the way the game was played. He was able to make plays that no one else could make and he did it with such ease.
His stats
Wayne Gretzky is widely regarded as the greatest player in NHL history. His tremendous skill and amazing on-ice vision resulted in him shattering numerous league records. During his 20-year NHL career, Gretzky tallied an impressive 2,857 points, which is almost 1,000 more than the second highest scorer in league history. He also holds the single season record for points with an unbelievable 212 during the 1985-86 campaign.
Gretzky’s dominance was not limited to just scoring goals and racking up assists. He also holds the NHL record for most career shorthanded goals with 83. He scored 50 goals in 39 games during the 1981-82 season, which is an incredible feat that has only been matched by two other players in league history. Gretzky also holds the record for most hat tricks in a career with 50.
In addition to his regular season success, Gretzky also excelled in the playoffs. He has more playoff points than any other player in NHL history with 388. He also holds the record for most game-winning goals in the playoffs with 24. Gretzky led his teams to four Stanley Cup Championships and was named playoff MVP on three occasions.
Gretzky’s accomplishments are even more impressive when you consider that he played in an era when defensemen were allowed to interference and hooking was rampant throughout the league. The fact that he was still able to put up mind-boggling numbers is a testament to his greatness.
His impact on the game
When discussing the greatest player in NHL history, the conversation almost always starts and ends with Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky is the NHL’s all-time leading scorer, with more goals and assists than any other player in league history. He was a nine-time Hart Trophy winner as league MVP, and he led the Edmonton Oilers to four Stanley Cup titles in the 1980s. Gretzky’s impact on the game of hockey is undeniable, and his legacy as the greatest player of all time is unlikely to ever be surpassed.
Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux is considered by many to be the best player of all time. He was a dominant player in the NHL for many years. Lemieux is the only player in NHL history to have his name on the Stanley Cup twice as a player and once as an owner.
His stats
In his junior career with the Laval Voisins of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), he amassed 133 goals, 201 assists and 334 points in only 70 games during the 1980–81 season. He followed that up with282 points in 1981–82. Lemieux led NCAA Division I hockey with 133 points in 1982–83 for the Pittsburgh Panthers, despite playing only 21 games due to injury. In 1983–84, he had 147 points as he became only the seventh player to twice score over 140 points in a season at any level of organized hockey; “The Magnificent Seven” have each averaged better than 2.7 points per game played over at least 50 games in a season. His 175 points that season is still a record for freshmen and set an NCAA Division I record for most points by any player, regardless of class, which stood until 2006 when it was surpassed by Hobey Baker Award winner Brett Sonne.[50] Lemieux broke Wayne Gretzky’s single-season QMJHL record of 212 set three years earlier; Lemieux’s total is also a Canadian Hockey League (CHL) record and is fourth among all major junior seasons of all time. He finished his junior career as the CHL Player of the Year
His impact on the game
Mario Lemieux was born on October 5, 1965, in Montreal, Quebec. He began playing organized hockey at age six. By age ten, he was considered the best player of his age group in Quebec. When he was fifteen, he was recruited by the Verdun Invictus, a Junior A team.
Lemieux’s hockey career took off from there. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1984 and went on to have a Hall of Fame career, becoming one of the greatest players of all time. He won multiple Stanley Cups and individual awards, including the Hart Trophy (MVP) six times and the Art Ross Trophy (top scorer) five times. He retired in 1997 due to health problems, but made a comeback in 2000 and played until 2006.
Lemieux’s impact on the game of hockey is immeasurable. He changed the way the sport is played with his size and strength, as well as his skill and vision. He also popularized hockey in the United States, helped to save the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise, and is widely considered to be the best player of his generation.
Bobby Orr
Bobby Orr is considered by many to be the best NHL player of all time. He played for the Boston Bruins from 1966 to 1976 and is the only player to have won eight Stanley Cups. Orr is also the only player to have won the Calder Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, Hart Trophy, and Conn Smythe Trophy in the same season.
His stats
Bobby Orr is often considered the best NHL player of all time. He played for the Boston Bruins from 1966 to 1976 and helped lead the team to two Stanley Cup championships. He was also named the NHL’s most valuable player a record eight times.
Orr is known for his offensive abilities, as he was the first defenseman to score more than 100 points in a season. He finished his career with 1,039 points (270 goals and 769 assists) in 657 games.
His impact on the game
Bobby Orr is widely considered to be the best NHL player of all time. He changed the way the game was played with his speed, scoring, and defense. He was the first defenseman to score more than 100 points in a season and is the only player to win eight Norris Trophies as the league’s best defenseman. He led the Boston Bruins to two Stanley Cup titles and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979.
