Top 10 Best Players in NHL History
The NHL was founded on November 26th, 1917. Since then the game has completely evolved with some legendary players giving life to the game. This list is based off the best of the best. I will take into account their overall talent as well as accomplishments while in the NHL. Consistency and longevity will also play a factor. These are the top 10 best players in NHL history.
Top 10 Best Players in NHL History – #10 Sidney Crosby
#10 – Sidney Crosby
When it’s all said and done, Sidney Crosby will retire as one of the greatest ever. The 3x time Stanley Cup winner has been the Golden Boy of the 21st century drawing comparisons to Wayne Gretzky.
This is the difficulty of ranking all-time lists while considering current players. At this point in his career I can’t justify putting him over the other names on this list. I mentioned in my introduction that longevity and consistency are considered. I want to see more.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m confident Crosby will retire unanimously as a top 5 player ever. Until then I can’t disrespect the hall of famers ahead of him.
Top 10 Best Players in NHL History – #9 Bobby Hull
#9 – Bobby Hull
You have to love great nicknames that are actually accurate. Bobby Hull was called the Golden Jet and followed suit by being one of the fastest skaters and having one of the fastest slap shots in NHL history!
That made life a lot easier as he retired with five 50 goal seasons ending his career with 604 goals ranking 16th all-time. In his best season he recorded 142 points with 77 goals and 65 assists.
Top 10 Best Players in NHL History – #8 Guy LaFleur
#8 – Guy LaFleur
Guy Lafleur was the first player in NHL history to score 50 or more goals and 100 points for six consecutive seasons. In that time, the Montreal Canadiens put together four consecutive Stanley Cup championships with LaFleur leading the team. He then followed up with yet another Stanley Cup in 1973.
Only 720 games were needed to reach 1,000 NHL points as LaFleur earned three scoring championships and two Hart Trophies in the process. He also won the 1977 Conn Smythe after leading all playoff scorers with 26 points in 14 games.
