So dominant has Canada been at hockey and producing talent for the NHL that a top ten list of the greatest Canadian NHL players of all time almost mirrors the rankings for the outright greatest NHL players of all time.
Dominant in all facets of the game, Canada lays claim to the majority of the best wings, centers, defensemen, and goaltenders ever to enter the NHL, but here, the ocean of legends has to be whittled down to ten.
Top 10 Best Canadian NHL Players Ever
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Martin Brodeur
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Bobby Orr
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Doug Harvey
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Ray Bourque
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Larry Robinson
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Wayne Gretzky
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Gordie Howe
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Mario Lemieux
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Mike Bossy
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Marcel Dionne
This list won’t feature any active NHL players as there are more than enough retired stars to load up several of these lists, with the picks only loosely sorted by positional bias.
Read on to find out more about these picks for the ten greatest Canadian NHL players of all time.
Martin Brodeur (1991-2015)
Martin Brodeur stands head and shoulders above his contemporaries and fellow legends of the crease. Playing 22 years in the NHL, the former 20th overall selection by the New Jersey Devils amassed an insurmountable stat line.
The Québécois played 1,266 games, held a sturdy .912 save percentage, and leads the all-time rankings with 125 shutouts by 22, and his 691 wins are 140 more than the next-best, Patrick Roy.
Brodeur is, undoubtedly, the best Canadian NHL goaltender of all time.
Bobby Orr (1966-1978)
Looking at Bobby Orr’s stats, you’d be forgiven for mistaking him for a forward.
The Boston Bruins and Chicago Black Hawks (as they spelled it until 1986) defenseman revolutionized the game for blueliners, showcasing true two-way play and offensive nous.
Orr boasts two Art Ross Trophies, eight Norris Trophies – which came consecutively – three Hart Trophies, and scored the decisive goals in both of his Stanley Cup triumphs.
He’s certainly one of the greatest Canadian NHL players of all time despite only playing 657 games to tally his 915 points, retiring at 30 years of age.
Doug Harvey (1945-1969)
Left-shot defenseman Doug Harvey is one of the most decorated players in NHL history, being a cornerstone of the absurdly dominant 1950s Montréal Canadiens. With the Habs, he hoisted Ol’ Stanley six times from 1953 to 1960.
As well as these ultimate triumphs, the Montréal native won the James Norris Trophy seven times, splitting consecutive streaks from 1955 to 1958 and 1960 to 1962.
If that wasn’t enough, Harvey also made it to the Stanley Cup Finals five times without winning the trophy and was a ten-time First NHL All-Star Team member.
Ray Bourque (1979-2001)
Born in Saint-Laurent, Ray Bourque became the face of Boston hockey as the long-serving team captain and one of the most offensively potent blueliners in the NHL.
He retired as the NHL’s points (1,579), assists (1,169), and goals (410) leader for a defenseman. However, he’d never win the Cup in Beantown.
After 21 years as a Bruin, Bourque requested to join the Colorado Avalanche to try to win the Stanley Cup, and in 2001, he did just that.
After the Game 7 triumph, captain Joe Sakic – who aims to guide the +400 favourites in the NHL odds to a fourth Stanley Cup – let Bourque do the first skate with the Cup.
Larry Robinson (1973-1992)
After 17 years with the Habs and three years with the Los Angeles Kings, Larry Robinson cemented himself as one of the most refined blueliners the NHL has ever seen.
His 793 career penalty minutes count is far below any other all-time defenseman points leader, and his +722 rating is monstrously higher than even Bobby Orr.
“Big Bird,” as the hefty but incredibly mobile skater was affectionately known, would be the cornerstone defenseman to guide the Habs to the 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, and 1986 Stanley Cup triumphs, on top of the 1973 Cup that he won as a rookie.
Wayne Gretzky (1978-1999)
The Brantford-born center has done more for sport in Canada and the NHL than perhaps any other person ever has or will.
Fully deserving of “The Great One” moniker, Wayne Gretzky spent one year in the WHA before it collapsed, moving with the Edmonton Oilers to the NHL in 1979.
In his first NHL season, Gretzky put up 104 points, which would be a count that he wouldn’t sink to until his 65-point, 45-game season of 1992/93. While he had hit the 200-point mark thrice already, the 1985/86 season stands out for his record 215 points.
Needless to say, there isn’t a single NHL player who comes close to Gretzky’s records of 2,857 points, 1,963 assists, and 894 goals.
Having played for five teams by the end of his career, he amassed an absurd collection of accolades as well as four Stanley Cups, all of which were won with the Edmonton Oilers.
Now, Oilers fans are hoping that the free-scoring Connor McDavid will prove to be the second – but tempered by the modern game – coming of The Great One.
As it stands, sports betting Canada markets have Edmonton among the dark horses at +1400 to hoist the Cup in 2023.
Gordie Howe (1946-1980)
If it wasn’t for Gretzky, Gordie Howe would still be the NHL’s all-time goals leader, and would be second only to Mark Messier in points.
With the Detroit Red Wings from 1946 to 1971, Howe established himself as the most high-calibre, all-around skater the sport had ever seen, winning the Cup four times in the 1950s.
After retiring in 1971, Howe laced up the skates again for the WHA in 1974, eventually landing back in the NHL for one more season with the Hartford Whalers in 1980, adding another 15 goals and 41 points to his legacy.
Players are still hailed for completing a “Howe Hat-Trick” of a goal, assist, and a fight in one game.
Mario Lemieux (1984-2006)
Not only did Mario Lemieux become the team’s megastar on the ice, but he also became the saviour of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1998, successfully bidding to become the majority owner of what looked to be a doomed franchise.
For his playing years, of which there were two stints, “Le Magnifique” enjoyed near-Gretzky-esque seasons of dominance, putting up 1,723 points in 915 games by the time that he finally hung up his skates.
However, it’s the 1992/93 season that’s revered the most fondly.
On track to best Gretzky’s single-season scoring record, Lemieux was forced to miss a couple of months due to being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.
He returned to the ice – against the Philadelphia Flyers no less – powered the Pens to their first top spot finish in the regular season, but bowed out in seven games to the New York Islanders. He did already have two Stanley Cups by that point, though.
Mike Bossy (1977-1987)
Having set the record for goals by a rookie (53) to win the Calder Memorial Trophy, Mike Bossy immediately let the league know that he was going to be a menace when bearing down on the net.
For the next nine seasons, the Montréal native put up at least 51 goals for the New York Islanders, which includes a 69-goal effort in his sophomore campaign.
Despite only spending ten years in the NHL due to a serious back injury, the right wing sniper netted 573 times, being a major factor in the Islanders’ dynastic run of four consecutive Stanley Cup triumphs from 1980 to 1983.
Marcel Dionne (1971-1989)
There are so many candidates who could also make the cut for this list of the ten greatest Canadian NHL players of all time, but Marcel Dionne gets in here.
Among qualifying Canadians, the severely overlooked Dionne stands seventh in points per game (1.314), fifth for points overall (1,771), and a clear third for goals.
Dionne is often passed over as he never hoisted the Stanley Cup, but that shouldn’t define the Drummondville-born skater’s incredible legacy.
Aptly labelled an “Offensive Genius” on his 100 Greatest NHL Players profile, the diminutive center gave his all to try to bring the trophy to the Red Wings, Kings, and the New York Rangers.
To create a fair list, this top ten of the greatest Canadian NHL players needs to be a good 30 entries long, but still, those selected above have more than cemented themselves among the best the sport has ever seen.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 11th August 2022
