10 thoughts on “The 100 Greatest Hockey Players of All-Time”

1. 

   Very disappointed in number 1. While Gretzky was an unbelievable offensive force he couldn’t find the defensive zone with a map. Orr changed the way the game was played. Still the only defenseman to win the scoring title and showed the league the benefit of offense from the blue line. Orr, Gretzky, Lemeuix and Howe was the correct order

2. 

   Ha! Thanks for the correct answer, Grant. To each his own. Orr played 631 games in an incredibly unbalanced league filled with expansion teams. Scoring by the Original Six teams skyrocketed during this time due to the porous defense by the expansion teams. The competitiveness of the league during this time needs to be front and center to provide context. Orr was great, no doubt, but every little thing matters when comparing elite resumes. Howe played 1687 games in the NHL. How can we say Orr was better than Howe given the fact that Howe played at an elite level for nearly three times as many games? That’s a tough argument to make. Gretzky played in a more difficult league, set more records, and was the greatest playoff performer of all-time. He has to be number one, IMO.

3. 

   You don’t have Mats Sundin as a top 200 player ever? You have TWO goalies ahead of Dominik Hasek. Scott Stevens ahead of Zdeno Chara? Duncan Keith that high? At least I’ll give you, you put Malkin in an appropriate place. The NHL didn’t even have him in the top-100 a few years ago.

   1. 

      Hey Bill, thanks for stopping by. Hasek was an elite goaltender and likely had the greatest eight-year stretch by any goaltender ever. However, Roy played nearly 300 more regular-season games and twice as many playoff games. Brodeur played over 500 more regular-season games and four times as many playoff games. Given that longevity plays a significant factor in these rankings, the contrast is just too substantial to rate Hasek ahead of either Roy or Brodeur.

      Duncan Keith is one of only two players who have debuted since 1991 to win multiple Norris Trophies. He is one of only three defensemen in history to win multiple Norris Trophies, a Conn Smythe, and three Stanley Cups. Whether anyone realizes it or not, his place in history is secure.

      Stevens vs. Chara is a close call by any measure. I have Stevens ahead on the count that he has a Conn Smythe, was a lynchpin for three Stanley Cup winners, played 22 seasons without a single negative plus/minus season, and received votes in the Norris voting in 17 seasons.

      I have no problem if someone wants to throw Mats Sundin into the top-200. I have him just on the fringe. He never had a truly elite season. He finished in the top 10 in Hart voting just once and that was an 8th place finish. He also had zero playoff success. There are just too many players with better resumes for me to slide Sundin into the top-200.

4. 

   Cyclone Taylor never played in the NHL….

   1. 

      Great point! I edited the “rules” for the Hockey 100 to also include early leagues that competed against the NHL for the Stanley Cup, since that was my intent.

5. 

   Why put Beliveau ahead of Bobby Hull?

   1. 

      This is a great question, Parker. The margin here is razor-thin margin, and I would not begrudge anyone who reversed the order. Both were, of course, dynamite players. Hull finished in the top five of the MVP voting 10 times and the top three eight times. Beliveau finished in the top five nine times and the top three seven times. They each won two Hart trophies. However, Beliveau was the best player on a team that won 10 Stanley Cups. He won the Conn Smythe in 1965 and was awarded the retro Smythe for 1956 (the award didn’t exist until 1965, but the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Society for International Hockey Research, and the Hockey News teamed up to name the players who would have won the award had it always existed). In a close race like this one, Beliveau’s 2-0 lead in Conn Smythe trophies is enough to give him the edge.

      FWIW, I think Hull leaving for the WHA after his age-33 season probably cost him 5-7 spots on this list. He likely had some monster NHL seasons left that could’ve distanced himself from Beliveau.

6. 

   Would you consider moving Ovechkin above Howe when he breaks the goal record and/or adds another Stanley Cup to his resume?

   1. 

      Hey Ethan!

      If Ovechkin is instrumental in another Cup for the Caps (even if it’s not a Conn Smythe performance), then that would certainly be enough. However, I’m not sure he would even need that. As you mentioned, it’s looking pretty clear that he’ll break Gretzky’s goal mark. Howe put up some massive points and award totals, but he did it in a 6-team league. Given how much more difficult it is to win awards and be a statistical leader in a league with 32 teams, it would be pretty hard to keep him behind Howe with a resume that boasts 9 Richard trophies and the all-time goal record. I’d say it’s quite likely Ovi eventually takes over the #2 spot.