If you’ve listened closely enough over the years, you may have picked up on the whispers that Mark Messier is overrated. One only needs to Google “Mark Messier overrated” to find a chorus of message board threads making such a claim. In fact, this sentiment has become strong enough that Messier has probably entered “underrated” territory at this point. While there is no question that his career was not of the caliber of Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux, what he did over 25 seasons is matched only by a handful of skaters in NHL history. The genius is in Messier’s full body of work. From his two-way play and positional versatility to his regular season and playoff accolades, there are very few holes.

Before we get on with the actual substance of Messier’s resume, let’s introduce the elephant in the room when it comes to discussing his historical significance, which also happens to be the fuel for much of the overrated claims. It is not uncommon for Messier detractors to point out that his greatness was greatly enhanced by The Great One. The argument goes something like, “anyone who played with Wayne Gretzky would’ve put up Hall-of-Fame numbers,” as if two superstars are not allowed to exist on the same team. Fortunately, Messier made this an easy misconception to refute since he was the best player on two Stanley Cup winning teams after he stopped playing with Gretzky. In fact, Messier scored 30+ playoff points in both of his post-Gretzky Cup wins, and picked up regular season and postseason MVPs along the way. In an interesting twist that belies the notion that Gretzky was responsible for Messier’s success, it was actually Gretzky who never won a Stanley Cup without Messier. Messier’s accomplishments are his own, and now that we’ve addressed this, let’s get into the weeds on what gives him an easy top-10 resume in NHL history.

Messier’s Resume

1). Only player in NHL history to score at least 10 points in 14 consecutive playoff appearances. 

2). Only player to score at least 25 points in the playoffs for six different Stanley Cup Champions.

3). Only player to win the Hart Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season for two different franchises. 

4). Only player to be named a First Team NHL All-Star at center and forward.

5). Only player to be named a First Team NHL All-Star multiple times at two different positions.  

6). Only player to win the Hart Trophy and the Conn Smythe at different positions.

7). Only player to have captained two different franchises to Stanley Cup titles. 

8). One of only two players in NHL history to score 30 points in the playoffs three times. Gretzky is the other. 

9). One of only two players to score 25 points in the playoffs six times. Gretzky is the other. 

10). One of only two players to score at least 20 points in the playoffs seven times.  Gretzky is the other.

11). One of only two players to score 30 points in a single playoff for two franchises. Gretzky is the other.

12). One of only two players with two Hart Trophies and six Stanley Cups. Jean Beliveau is the other. 

13). One of only two players with two Hart Trophies, six Stanley Cups, and a Conn Smythe. Beliveau is the other.

14). One of only two players to win the Hart Trophy for two different franchises. Gretzky is the other. 

15). 2nd most playoff points in NHL history (295). In fact, he’s 62 points ahead of 3rd place (!!!).

16). 2nd most playoff goals in NHL history (109).

17). 2nd most playoff assists in NHL history (186).

18). Most short-handed goals in NHL playoff history (14).

19). 6th all-time in playoff points per game in NHL history (1.25). 

20). 3rd most regular season points in NHL history (1887).

21). 3rd most regular season assists in NHL history (1193).

22). 6th most adjusted points in NHL history (1732). 

23). 9th most regular season goals in NHL history (694).

When Messier gets devalued, it’s because he doesn’t have the gaudy single-season statistics that are a staple of the great and magnificent ones like Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. The problem is, Messier isn’t being compared to Gretzky and Lemieux, or even Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. He’s being compared to everyone else, and outside of a very select few, Messier’s cabinet is simply stocked with more stuff. Given that he is likely the second greatest playoff performer of all-time, and the added degree of difficulty that goes with both being named 1st Team All-NHL and winning a Stanley Cup on a team with Gretzky, then doing it on that same team without Gretzky, then doing it for an entirely different franchise altogether, Messier has more than enough bona fides to be a credentialed member of the top-10.