Compiling a list of the best hockey players of all time is sure to stir up some healthy debate. Also, these players will only be those who have starred in the NHL. With all that said here are my picks for the best hockey players of all time:

This legendary Bruins rearguard won an incredible 4 Hart Trophies in 6 years during his time with the Bruins, the only defenseman in NHL history to accomplish the feat.

18 – Phil Esposito – Though the bulk of his 717 career goals were scored within 5 feet of the goal it is hard to deny that this guy had a nose for the net, and he added plenty of assists to go along with those goals, helping him to 5 Art Ross Trophies during his career. To go with all this he also won a pair of Hart Trophies as the league MVP. One of the classiest players to ever play the game, Mikita played his entire 1,394 game career with the Chicago Blackhawks, racking up 541 goals and 1,467 points along the way. Besides the 4 Stanley Cups he helped his team win in the early 80s perhaps the greatest highlight of Bossy’s career came in the 1980-81 season when he became the first player since Maurice Richard to net 50 goals in the first 50 games of a season.

14 – Denis Potvin – Back to back New York Islanders on this list of the best NHL players of all time. Potvin was the first NHL defenseman to eclipse the 1,000 point plateau for a career. Lidstrom has 3 more Stanley Cups, and one more Norris Trophy (6 to Bourque’s 5), but Bourque more than makes up for it with his incredible offensive totals. Bourque is the all time leader among NHL defensemen in goals with 410 and points with 1,579. In today’s NHL it is hard to imagine any rearguard putting up such massive career totals.

10 – Guy Lafleur – It seems fitting that a Montreal Canadiens legend would mark the entrance into the top 10 NHL players of all time. There is only one clear choice as the classiest NHL player of all time. Jean Beliveau was the consummate professional during his time in the NHL, and his incredible leadership helped his team to 10 Stanley Cup Championships during his playing days.

7 – Doug Harvey – If a fellow by the name of Bobby Orr hadn’t come along this guy would be at the top of most hockey historian’s lists as the greatest NHL defenseman to ever play the game. Hull became the first player to score more than 50 goals in a single season, when he sniped 54 in 1966, a feat he accomplished 4 more times during his Hall of Fame career.

5 – Maurice Richard – The Rocket was a no-brainer for a top 5 spot on the list of the greatest hockey players. Despite all the time he spent away from the game, or playing hurt he still scored 690 goals and 1,723 points. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP both times the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup. He won 6 Art Ross Trophies, 3 Hart Trophies, and the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, and he did all this in just 915 regular season games. Until Gretzky came along Howe was the all time leader in goals (801), assists (1,049) and points (1,850). With 894 goals, 1,963 assists and 2,857 points there is a good chance that Gretzky’s records will last as the NHL does.

Best Hockey Players of All Time – Top 20 Greatest NHL Players Counted Down

If you’re a sports bettor but not putting bets on NHL hockey, you could possibly actually be missing accumulating some fine money. You naturally go for the team that you anticipate will win and put your bet on that team. For a superior NHL hockey betting system, visit