Top 10 Best Players in NHL History – #7 Mark Messier
#7 – Mark Messier
Mark Messier spent a total of 26 seasons in the NHL. It must be nice when you’re winning as much as Mark Messier. He won six Stanley Cups over his career in a very different time than the players in the 50s and 60s on the Canadiens racking up double digit titles.
Messier currently ranks third all-time in points (1,887) and second all-time in playoff points (295). He is most remembered for his leadership in bringing a cup to New York in ‘94. If you’re going to guarantee the win, you better back it up. Messier delivered a hat trick to tie the series in game 6 leading to the game 7 win.
Top 10 Best Players in NHL History – #6 Jean Beliveau
#6 – Jean Beliveau
I took a shot at the Habs players racking up the titles in the 50s and 60s, but you still have to give them their props. Jean Beliveau won 10 championships (2nd most all-time) while twice leading the league in goals. There wasn’t as much top competition as their is today, but he was still considered the best of his time.
He is one of only 47 players in history to hit the 1,200-point mark, amassing 1,219 for his career. Jean Beliveau also won the Hart Trophy twice, the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1965 while making 13 All-Star teams.
Top 10 Best Players in NHL History – Honorable Mention Alex Ovechkin
Honorable Mention – Alex Ovechkin
If you didn’t like the fact that Alex Ovechkin finally won his long over due Stanley Cup you must not love hockey. Even if you don’t like him, you can’t argue that he didn’t deserve to hoist that trophy and I was extremely satisfied to see it.
Over his time in the NHL, Ovechkin has garnered a reputation as one of the elites. He not only has one of the fastest slapshots ever, he is also one of the hardest hitters ever. Alex Ovechkin unlike many of the new age soft players can dish out and take a punch.
He is one of the few that has more goals than assists. Ovechkin is an elite goal scorer through both his stick handling and blistering fast slap shot.
Much like Crosby, I see him as a riser on this list. I just can’t yet justify ranking him anything past honorable mention at this point.
