The Worst NHL Players of All Time

From enforcers to goons, these are the NHL’s worst players of all time.

The Worst NHL players of All Time: A Top 10 List

There have been some truly Great players to grace the ice in the National Hockey League’s 100-year history. Wayne Gretzky Bobby Orr Mario Lemieux, and many others come to mind. But for every great player, there seems to be an equally terrible one.

In this article, we will countdown the 10 worst NHL players of all time. These are the guys who could barely skate, couldn’t shoot, and couldn’t do much of anything right on the ice. If you’re looking for a good laugh, or just want to see how low an NHL player can sink, read on!

10. Alexei Yashin: Yashin was a total bust for the Ottawa Senators after they acquired him in a trade with the New York Islanders He was lazy, didn’t seem to care about hockey, and was constantly getting into trouble off the ice. He was eventually bought out of his contract and went on to play for Russia in international competitions.

9. Dmitri Khristich: A journeyman forward who played for six different NHL Teams Khristich was known more for his skills in the shootout than anything else. He missed many wide-open nets and was often called “Dmitri Krystkowiak” by annoyed fans who were sick of seeing him miss easy chances.

8. Esa Tikkanen: Tikkanen was a prolific trash-talker who often got under his opponents’ skin with his irritating antics. He could back up his talk on occasion, but he was mostly known for being a pests who didn’t contribute much on the scoresheet.

7. Petr Svoboda: Svoboda is best remembered for scoring an own goal in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals while playing for the Montreal Canadiens That pretty much sums up his career – he was always making costly mistakes at critical moments.

6. Steve Thomas: Thomas had a long and successful career in the NHL, but he is included on this list because of how bad he was during his one season with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks He scored just four goals in 46 games before being traded away mid-season. His infamous “duck dance” celebration after each goal didn’t endear him any further to fans or teammates alike.

5.. Shawn Horcoff: Horcoff was once a decent player for the Edmonton Oilers but he fell apart after signing a massive seven-year contract worth $33 million dollars following the 2008-09 season . He had trouble staying healthy and failed to live up to expectations, scoring just 13 goals in 103 games over his last two seasons with the Oilers before finally being bought out of his contract .
4.. Bryan Berard: Berard was obsessed with becoming the next Bobby Orr and patterned his game after the Hall of Fame defenseman . The problem is that he wasn’t nearly as good as Orr , and Berard’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms teammates used to make fun of him behind his back because of it . 3.. Niklas Hagman : Hagman had some good seasons early in his career , but he completely fell off a cliff after signing a four – year , $ 12 Million Dollar contract with t he Dallas Stars prior to th e 2010 – 11 season . He scored just 12 goals over two seasons before being bought out of h is contract .

The Worst NHL Players of All Time: A Top 10 List

The National Hockey League has been home to some great players over the years. But for every Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux, there are a dozen or so duds. In this article, we’ll countdown the 10 worst NHL players of all time.

10) Steve Thomas: A journeyman wing who played for six different teams in his NHL career Thomas was never much of a scorer, tallying just 185 goals in 10 seasons. He was traded four times and bought out once before finally hanging up his skates for good in 2003.

9) Raitis Ivanans: A massive enforcer who racked up more Penalty minutes than points in his NHL career Ivanans is best remembered for getting knocked out by a punch from New York Islanders’ tough guy Trevor Gillies. He played just 29 games in the NHL before retiring in 2011.

8) Alexandre Daigle: The much-hyped first overall pick in the 1993 NHL Draft never lived up to the hype, scoring just 129 goals in his 800-game career. He was out of the league by 2005 and is widely regarded as one of the biggest draft busts in NHL history

7) Janne Niinimaa: A defenseman drafted 15th overall in the 1996 NHL Draft Niinimaa was considered a key part of the Edmonton Oilers’ rebuild after their dynasty years came to an end. But he turned out to be a colossal disappointment, lasting just two seasons with the team before being traded away. He finished his disappointing NHL career with just 33 points in 247 games.

6) Dan Cloutier: A former first Round Draft pick, Cloutier had some success early on in his career with the Vancouver Canucks But he quickly fell apart, posting a ghastly 3-15-1 record with a horrific .887 save percentage during the 2005-06 season. He was out of the league shortly thereafter and is widely considered one of the worst goaltenders in NHL history

5) Dmitry Afanasenkov: A talented winger drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning with the third overall pick in 2000, Afanasenkov looked like he was going to be a key player on their Stanley Cup winning team of 2004. But he quickly fell out of favor and was traded to Philadelphia midway through that season. He lasted just two more seasons in the NHL before returning to Russia to play professionally overseas. In total, he tallied a measly 37 points in 200 games during his brief NHL career.

4) Brian Bogosian: The third overall pick in 1986, Bogosian was supposed to be a key cog on defense for the Buffalo Sabres for years to come. But his time with the team was marred by injuries and poor play, and he lasted just three seasons with the team before being dealt away. He would go on to play several more seasons in the NHL but never lived up to his potential as one of its worst ever defenseman..

3) Sergei Samsonov: The eighth overall pick by Boston Bruins 1995, Samsonov came into the league with high expectations but failed miserably live up them over parts of 12 seasons with seven different teams.. He tallied just 209 goals and 443 points playing mostly as a winger during that time while bouncing around from team-to-team before finally hanging up skates 2016..

2) Wade Redden: Once considered one be one best defenseman league thanks great offensive totals early part career New York Islanders St Louis Blues Easton Levitown hockey clubs , Redden quickly lost touch following trade Ottawa Senators 2005 became symbol everything wrong salary cap era . An albatross contract saw paid $6 2 million per year 2008 2014 without playing single game over final three years due injury designation . In total , Redden tallied 383 points 1 309 games during Ian terrible 16 – year career

1) Nikolai Khabibulin : Despite being only 49 th overall selection 199 Tampa Bay Lightning , “The Bulin Wall ” managed enjoy long 20 year run professional hockey that spanned 1 049 regular season appearances between AHL IHL ECHL KHL SHL SM Liiga levels Russian goaltender also won Stanley Cup championship Winnipeg Jets 1995 served four different franchises Chicago Blackhawks Tampa Bay Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Edmonton Oilers net . That said , Khabibulin’s legacy forever tainted sour note09 conviction 2009 DUI charge ultimately led 45 day jail sentence Arizona followed Year later relationships fellow Russian players documented ESPN’s E 60 segment created much public controversy former fan favorite

The Worst NHL players of All Time: A Top 10 List

In the history of the NHL, there have been some truly terrible players. Some were drafted too high, some couldn’t hack it at the NHL level, and some just couldn’t stay out of trouble off the ice.

While it’s hard to narrow it down to just 10, here is a list of the worst NHL players of all time:

1. Alexei Yashin: The former Ottawa Senators star was one of the most talented offensive players of his generation, but he was always moody and sulked when things didn’t go his way. He was eventually bought out by the Senators after holding out for a new contract.

2. Mike Richard: A former first-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens Richard never lived up to his potential and was constantly in trouble with the law. He was eventually released by the team after serving two prison sentences.

3. Gino Odjick: A fan favorite in Vancouver, Odjick was a goon who could barely skate and didn’t score many goals. He was eventually released by the Canucks after several run-ins with the law.

4. Dany Heatley: The former Ottawa Senators star demanded a trade after clashing with then-teammate Daniel Alfredsson and has never been able to recapture his old form. He has been traded several times since and is currently a shell of his former self.

5. Sean Avery: The former New York Rangers agitator was well known for his on-ice antics and frequently got into trouble with the league for them. He was eventually released by the Rangers and hasn’t been able to find work in hockey since.

6. Todd Bertuzzi: The former Vancouver Canucks Power Forward became one of hockey’s most reviled figures after attacking Colorado Avalanche player Steve Moore from behind, ending Moore’s career. Bertuzzi has never been able to live down that incident and his career has been in decline ever since.

The worst NHL Players of All Time: A Top 10 List

The NHL is full of great players, but every now and then there are those who just don’t measure up. Here is a look at the ten worst NHL players of all time.

1. David Legwand: Legwand was the second overall pick in the 1998 NHL Draft but he never lived up to the hype. He scored just 16 goals in his rookie season and never topped 20 goals in a season. He also had a minus-52 rating in his career.

2. Dan Cloutier: Cloutier was a decent goalie for the Vancouver Canucks, but he was injured often and had trouble staying healthy. He also gave up some big goals in key moments, which is why he makes this list.

3. Alexander Daigle: Daigle was the first overall pick in the 1993 NHL Draft but he turned out to be a bust. He scored just 20 goals in his best season and finished with only 350 points in 616 career games.

4. Brian Savage: Savage was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1990 NHL Draft but he only played two seasons for them before being traded to the Phoenix Coyotes. He never did much of anything in his NHL career and is best remembered for scoring an own goal while playing for the Coyotes.

5. Sergei Samsonov: Samsonov was a talented player, but he always seemed to be hurt or underachieving. He had some good seasons with the Boston Bruins but he never lived up to his potential and was eventually traded to the Chicago Blackhawks where he had several disappointing seasons.

6. Alexandre Picard: Picard was drafted eighth overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2004 NHL Draft but he only played two seasons for them before being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning where he spent most of his time in the AHL. He has only played sparingly in the NHL and has yet to show that he can be a consistent player at that level.

7) Nikita Filatov: Filatov was drafted by Columbus Blue Jackets with sixth overall pick in 2008 Entry Draft but lasted less than three seasons with organization before being waived and sent down to AHL on multiple occasions due to lack of effort on ice and poor work ethic . In 2012, after years of struggle, Filatov finally left North America for good when signed contract with CSKA Moscow of Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). In over 400 career games between KHL and AHL , Filatov has yet to register single goal or assist .
8) Johan enthusiastically agreed so they set sale early next day towards Bohuslnavan fjord , Swedish West Coast . Lennartsson : Lennartsson was drafted 221st overall by Los Angeles Kings 2010 , became free agent following 2014-15 season without having played single minute of Professional Hockey North America – instead opting pursue engineering degree back home Sweden Career over before it even started .

The Worst NHL players of All Time: A Top 10 List

The National Hockey League is considered the premier professional Ice Hockey league in the world, and has produced some of the greatest players to ever play the sport. That being said, it has also been home to some of the worst players in history. Here is a list of the top 10 worst NHL players of all time.

10) Scott Gomez: A former first round pick of the New Jersey Devils Gomez was expected to be a star in the NHL. However, he was an enormous disappointment, scoring only 49 goals and 145 points in six seasons with the Devils. He was eventually traded to the Rangers, where he put up similarly abysmal numbers. He is currently unsigned and his career appears to be over.

9) Andrew Cogliano: Cogliano is currently playing for his fourth NHL team and there is a reason why he can’t seem to stick with any one team for very long. In 11 seasons, Cogliano has never scored more than 15 goals or 36 points in a single season. He is nothing more than a fringe player at this point in his career.

8) Chris Gratton: Gratton was drafted third overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1993 and was expected to be a franchise player for them. However, he was nowhere near as good as advertised, scoring only 50 goals and 121 points in parts of four seasons with Tampa Bay before being traded to the Flyers. He would go on to have several forgettable seasons with Philadelphia before finally seeming to find his game with the Phoenix Coyotes – but it was too little too late by then and his career fizzled out shortly thereafter.

7) Wade Belak: Belak was drafted 12th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in 1994 and carved out a nice career for himself as a journeyman enforcer. He played for six different teams over his 13-year career and racked up 1,263 penalty minutes along the way. However, he could never manage to stay healthy for very long and never played more than 46 games in a single season. He retired in 2012 after suffering from depression and committed suicide that same year.

6) Dan Cloutier: Cloutier was drafted 26th overall by the New York Rangers in 1994 and looked like he might have a promising future ahead of him when he posted a .920 save percentage as a rookie during the 1997-98 season. However, his play quickly deteriorated after that and he was relegated to backup duty by 2002-03. He had several injury-plagued seasons thereafter before finally retiring in 2010 after failing to make an NHL roster that year.

5) Dmitri Khristich: Khristich was originally drafted by the Washington Capitals in 1988 but chose not to sign with them until 1991 – by which time he had already been drafted twice more (by Toronto and Boston). He finally did sign with Washington though and went on to have several productive seasons with them, but he eventually fell out of favor due to his lackadaisical defensive play. He would go on to play for six different teams over his 14-year NHL career but was never able to recapture the magic that he had early on with Washington.

4) Mikko Leinonen: Leinonen was drafted ninth overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 1984 but never managed to live up to his billing, scoring only 30 goals and 73 points over parts of four disappointing seasons with Winnipeg before being traded away back 1984-85 campaign

The Worst NHL players of All Time: A Top 10 List

The NHL is full of amazing athletes who have dedicated their lives to perfecting their craft. However, for every star player like Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin, there are several players who just couldn’t hack it in the NHL.

In this article, we will count down the top 10 worst NHL players of all time. These are the players who were huge disappointments, pulled off boneheaded moves, or just generally made a mockery of the game.

So without further ado, here are the 10 worst NHL players of all time:

10) Vladimir Konstantinov: Konstantinov was a talented defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings helping them to win the Stanley Cup in 1997. However, just days after winning the Cup, Konstantinov was involved in a serious car accident that left him with Permanent Brain Damage. He would never play another NHL game again and was forced to watch as his career was cut tragically short.

9) Todd Bertuzzi: Bertuzzi is infamous for his on-ice attack on Steve Moore in 2004. Moore had previously checked Bertuzzi’s teammate from behind, leading to a fight between the two players. After serving a suspension for his role in the incident, Bertuzzi jumped Moore from behind during a game and beat him unconscious with his fists and sticks. Moore suffered three broken vertebrae and has never played another NHL game since. Bertuzzi was suspended indefinitely and didn’t return to the league until 2005.

8) Marty McSorley: McSorley is best remembered for hitting Vancouver Canucks player Donald Brashear in the head with his stick during a game in 2000. Brashear suffered a concussion and retina damage as a result of the attack and McSorley was given a one-year suspension by the NHL. He would never play another NHL game again after his suspension expired.

7) Sean Avery: Avery is one of the most disliked players in recent memory due to his on-ice antics. He has been suspended multiple times for making derogatory comments about other players and has been involved in several on-ice altercations. In 2008, he infamously waved his stick in front of then-Goaltender Marty Brodeur’s face during a Playoff Game between Avery’s New York Rangers and Brodeur’s New Jersey Devils The league subsequently banned that type of behavior and Avery was Suspended indefinitely (although he was later reinstated).

6) Mike Milbury: Milbury is currently an NHL analyst but he started off his career as an NHL player and coach. As a player, he wasn’t particularly noteworthy but he did have an infamous incident where he punched a fan who threw snow on him during a game between Milbury’s Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in 1979. As a coach, Milbury led the New York Islanders to two straight Stanley Cup Finals appearances but ultimately lost both times. He is also remembered for trading star player Zigmund Palffy to the Los Angeles Kings in 1997 after Palffy held out for more money . The trade proved to be disastrous for Milbury as Palffy went on to have several successful seasons with LA while the Islanders floundered without him .

5) Dany Heatley: Heatley seemed like he was destined for greatness when he first entered the league but things quickly took a turn for the worse when he got into a car accident that resulted in passenger and close friend Daniel Snyder’s death . Snyder had been driving Heatley’s Ferrari at the time of the accident and it was later revealed that Heatley had been speeding . He pleaded guilty to charges of vehicular homicide  and served three years probation . His career never recovered from this tragic incident  and he bounced around several teams before retiring from hockey altogether  in 2018 .
4) Chris Simon: Simon was known as one of hockey’s “enforcers” during his playing days but he crossed

The Worst NHL Players of All Time: A Top 10 List

The NHL is full of skilled players who have fans all over the world. However, there are also a fair share of players who are considered to be the worst of the worst. This list will countdown the top 10 worst NHL players of all time.

10. forward David Booth who played for the Florida Panthers Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks, was known for being injury-prone and ineffective when he was on the ice
9. defenseman Dmitri Kulikov, also of the Panthers, was selected 14th overall in the 2009 NHL Draft but never lived up to his potential
8. goalie Rick DiPietro, who played for the New York Islanders had a record of 130 wins and 196 losses over his 13-year career
7. center Marty McSorley, who played for the Edmonton Oilers Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins is perhaps best remembered for hitting another player with his stick
6. defenseman Mike Richards who played 11 seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings, was bought out by Los Angeles in 2015 after he significantly declined in production
5. winger Sean Avery, who had stints with the Detroit Red Wings Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and Dallas Stars among others, was known as much for his antics off the ice as he was for his play on it
4. enforcer John Scott was voted by fans to participate in the 2016 NHL All-Star Game despite having just three goals in 285 career games
3. goalie Michel Goulet only played one season in net for the Quebec Nordiques but managed to rack up an impressive 12 losses
2. defenseman David Britton never actually made it to an NHL game but is nonetheless considered one of the worst