List of 100 greatest NHL players by The Hockey News
This is The Hockey News top 100 National Hockey League players of all-time. The Hockey News is a newspaper that write about ice hockey. This list is included in the book The Top 100 NHL Players of All-Time (ISBN 978-07710-4175-4).
Judges
The judges who helped make the selections for this list included writers, journalists, and broadcasters (Don Cherry, John Davidson, Milt Dunnell, Stan Fischler, Dick Irvin, Brian McFarlane, Bob McKenzie, Jim Matheson, Harry Neale, Frank Orr), as well as coaches, referees, general managers, and former players (Al Arbour, Scotty Bowman, Emile Francis, Howie Meeker, Scotty Morrison, Roger Neilson, Bud Poile, Sam Pollock, Marcel Pronovost, Billy Reay, Glen Sather, Harry Sinden, Red Storey).
The list
Players in boldface were active when the list was published in early 1998. Flags of players born outside of Canada (regardless of nationality) are included next to their names.
- Wayne Gretzky
- Bobby Orr
- Gordie Howe
- Mario Lemieux[1]
- Maurice Richard
- Doug Harvey
- Jean Beliveau
- Bobby Hull
- Terry Sawchuk[2]
- Eddie Shore
- Guy Lafleur
- Mark Messier
- Jacques Plante
- Ray Bourque
- Howie Morenz
- Glenn Hall
- Stan Mikita[3]
- Phil Esposito
- Denis Potvin
- Mike Bossy
- Ted Lindsay
- Patrick Roy
- Red Kelly
- Bobby Clarke
- Larry Robinson
- Ken Dryden
- Frank Mahovlich
- Milt Schmidt
- Paul Coffey
- Henri Richard
- Bryan Trottier
- Dickie Moore
- Newsy Lalonde
- Syl Apps
- Bill Durnan
- Charlie Conacher
- Jaromir Jagr[4]
- Marcel Dionne
- Joe Malone
- Chris Chelios[5]
- Dit Clapper
- Bernie Geoffrion
- Tim Horton
- Bill Cook
- Johnny Bucyk
- George Hainsworth
- Gilbert Perreault
- Max Bentley
- Brad Park
- Jari Kurri
- Nels Stewart
- King Clancy
- Bill Cowley
- Eric Lindros
- Busher Jackson
- Peter Stastny
- Ted Kennedy
- Andy Bathgate
- Pierre Pilote
- Turk Broda
- Frank Boucher
- Cy Denneny
- Bernie Parent
- Brett Hull
- Aurel Joliat
- Toe Blake
- Frank Brimsek
- Elmer Lach
- Dave Keon
- Grant Fuhr
- Brian Leetch
- Earl Seibert
- Doug Bentley
- Borje Salming
- Georges Vezina
- Charlie Gardiner
- Clint Benedict
- Steve Yzerman
- Tony Esposito
- Billy Smith
- Serge Savard
- Alex Delvecchio
- Babe Dye
- Lorne Chabot
- Sid Abel
- Bob Gainey
- Johnny Bower
- Sprague Cleghorn
- Mike Gartner
- Norm Ullman
- Sweeney Schriner
- Joe Primeau
- Darryl Sittler
- Joe Sakic
- Dominik Hasek
- Babe Pratt
- Jack Stewart
- Yvan Cournoyer
- Bill Gadsby
- Frank Nighbor
- Notes
- ↑ Lemieux was retired at the time the list was published, but returned later for parts of five more seasons.
- ↑ Sawchuk is the highest-ranked goaltender.
- ↑ Mikita is the highest-ranked European-born player, though he was raised in Canada from a young age.
- ↑ Jagr is the highest-ranked European-born-and-trained player.
- ↑ Chelios is the highest-ranked player born in the U.S.A.