We’re going to highlight the most famous NHL players in the world. This list includes famous NHL players from the past and present. With so many superstars in the NHL, this list was difficult to narrow down.
Here are the most famous NHL players of all time:
#1 Wayne Gretzky
Without a doubt, Gretzky is the most famous NHL player of all time. Gretzky won four Stanley Cups with the Oilers in the 1980s. He has scored more goals (894) and assists (1,963) than any other NHL player.
#2 Bobby Orr
Orr won two Cups with the Bruins in the 1970s and he’s regarded as the best defenseman ever. Orr has won more Norris Trophies (8) than any other defenseman. He had 915 points in just 657 games.
#3 Gordie Howe
Howe started his NHL career in 1946 at the age of 18 and he played until he was 51 years old. Howe had 801 goals and 1049 assists in 1767 games. The “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” is named after him and requires a player to score a goal, assist on a goal and get in a fight in the same game.
#4 Mario Lemieux
Lemieux played his entire NHL career with the Penguins and maintains an ownership stake in the team to this day. He has won the Art Ross Trophy six times and finished his career with 690 goals.
#5 Sidney Crosby
Another player who has played his entire career up to this point with the Penguins is Crosby. He has won three Cups. He has scored more than 500 goals and has more than 1500 points in his NHL career.
#6 Alex Ovechkin
Ovechkin is the most famous NHL player from Russia. Crosby and Ovi have constantly been compared in their careers. Ovi has won one Cup and he’s currently second all time in goals (822), trailing only Gretzky.
#7 Jaromir Jagr
Jagr is one of the most beloved NHL players. He had 766 goals and 1,155 assists in 1,733 career games. He started his career with the Penguins at 18 and didn’t retire from the NHL until he was 45 years old.
#8 Connor McDavid
In eight NHL seasons, McDavid had already won five Art Ross Trophies. He has scored 303 goals and 547 assists already. He’s still looking to win his first Cup, but he’s a generational talent.
#9 Steve Yzerman
Yzerman played his entire NHL career with the Red Wings, scoring 692 goals and 1,063 assists in 1,514 games. He won three Cups and was the first 18 year old to be selected to an NHL All-Star Game.
#10 Patrick Roy
We had to include a goalie on our list and we went with Roy. Roy won four Cups. He played 1,029 games in the NHL, posting a 2.54 GAA and .910 SV%. He’s regarded as the best goalie in NHL history.
We could list hundreds of famous NHL players and there are some big names that weren’t included in our top ten, including players like Mark Messier, Maurice Richard, Guy Lafleur and Joe Sakic.