The Overflow

*Does not include active players

Tiny Archibald	Detlef Schrempf
Gilbert Arenas	Peja Stokajovic
Dave Bing	Kiki Vandeweghe
Maurice Cheeks	Carlos Boozer
Anfernee Hardaway	Elton Brand
Kevin Johnson	Horace Grant
Kyle Lowry	Blake Griffin
Terry Porter	Spencer Haywood
Mark Price	Tom Heinsohn
Rajon Rondo	Bobby Jones
Kemba Walker	Shawn Kemp
Lenny Wilkens	Jerry Lucas
Deron Williams	Vern Mikkelsen
Lou Williams	Dolph Schayes
Walter Davis	Buck Williams
Jeff Hornacek	Walt Bellamy
Hal Greer	Marcus Camby
Eddie Jones	Tyson Chandler
Sam Jones	DeMarcus Cousins
Pete Maravich	Brad Daugherty
Sidney Moncrief	Marc Gasol
Earl Monroe	Serge Ibaka
Ricky Pierce	Dan Issel
Bill Sharman	Neil Johnston
David Thompson	DeAndre Jordan
Paul Westphal	Bob Lanier
Paul Arizin	Ed MaCauley
Billy Cunningham	Yao Ming
Grant Hill	Jermaine O’Neal
Marques Johnson	Robert Parish
Andre Kirilenko	Jack Sikma
Shawn Marion	Nate Thurmond
Cedric Maxwell	Rasheed Wallace
Glenn Rice	Bill Walton

Every ranking update ever (Last hockey update: 6/22/25 Next hockey update: July ’26)

The making of the list.

The Rules

If you disagree with the placement of an athlete whose prime occurred before 1975, please read The ChatGPT Cautionary Tale before commenting.

Historically undervalued: 🔵

Rank	Player			Position	Years
1	Wayne Gretzky			C	1978-1999
2	Alexander Ovechkin		Why?	LW	2005-active
3	Mario Lemieux		Why?	C	1984-2006
4	Gordie Howe			RW	1946-1980
5	Bobby Orr			D	1966-1979
6	Sidney Crosby			C	2005-active
7	Connor McDavid			C	2015-active
8	Patrick Roy			G	1984-2003
9	Jaromir Jagr			RW	1990-2018
10	Mark Messier	🔵	Why?	C	1978-2004
11	Martin Brodeur	🔵	Why?	G	1991-2015
12	Nicklas Lidstrom			D	1991-2012
13	Ray Bourque			D	1979-2001
14	Dominik Hasek			G	1990-2008
15	Bobby Hull			LW	1957-1980
16	Phil Esposito			C	1963-1981
17	Jean Beliveau			C	1950-1971
18	Maurice Richard			RW	1942-1960
19	Guy Lafleur			RW	1971-1991
20	Doug Harvey			D	1947-1969
21	Jacques Plante			G	1952-1975
22	Ken Dryden			G	1970-1979
23	Glen Hall			G	1952-1971
24	Stan Mikita			C	1958-1980
25	Bobby Clarke			C	1969-1984
26	Nikita Kucherov			RW	2013-active
27	Evgeni Malkin			C	2006-active
28	Eddie Shore			D	1926-1940
29	Joe Sakic			C	1988-2009
30	Patrick Kane			RW	2007-active
31	Steve Yzerman			C	1983-2006
32	Bryan Trottier			C	1975-1994
33	Brett Hull			RW	1986-2006
34	Mike Bossy			RW	1977-1987
35	Nathan MacKinnon			C	2013-active
36	Leon Draisaitl			C	2014-active
37	Andrei Vasilevskiy			G	2014-active
38	Paul Coffey			D	1980-2001
39	Chris Chelios			D	1983-2010
40	Denis Potvin			D	1973-1988
41	Connor Hellebuyck			G	2015-active
42	Howie Morenz			C	1923-1937
43	Terry Sawchuk			G	1949-1970
44	Al MacInnis			D	1981-2004
45	Larry Robinson			D	1972-1992
46	Jari Kurri	🔵		RW	1978-1998
47	Erik Karlsson			D	2009-active
48	Red Kelly			D/C	1947-1967
49	Pierre Pilote			D	1955-1969
50	Sergei Fedorov			C	1990-2009
51	Peter Forsberg			C	1994-2011
52	Patrice Bergeron	🔵		C	2003-2023
53	Auston Matthews			C	2016-active
54	Chris Pronger			D	1993-2012
55	Brian Leetch			D	1987-2006
56	Cyclone Taylor			R	1905-1923
57	Newsy Lalonde			C	1917-1927
58	Joe Malone			C/LW	1917-1924
59	Teemu Selanne			RW	1992-2014
60	Scott Stevens	🔵		D	1982-2004
61	Jarome Iginla	🔵		RW	1996-2017
62	Cale Makar			D	2019-active
63	Steve Stamkos			C	2008-active
64	Ed Belfour			G	1988-2007
65	Ted Lindsay			LW	1944-1965
66	Marcel Dionne			C	1971-1989
67	Scott Niedermayer			D	1991-2010
68	Zdeno Chara			D	1997-2022
69	Duncan Keith	🔵		D	2005-2022
70	Sergei Bobrovsky			G	2010-active
71	Anze Kopitar	🔵		C	2006-active
72	Brad Park			D	1968-1985
73	Bernie Geoffrion			RW	1950-1968
74	Bernie Parent			G	1965-1979
75	Bill Durnan			G	1943-1950
76	Joe Thornton			C	1997-2022
77	Doug Gilmour	🔵		C	1983-2003
78	Ted Kennedy			C	1942-1957
79	Drew Doughty			D	2008-active
80	Tony Esposito			G	1968-1984
81	Frank Mahovlich			LW	1956-1978
82	Nels Stewart			C	1925-1940
83	Elmer Lach			C	1940-1954
84	Victor Hedman			D	2009-acitve
85	Henrik Lundqvist			G	2005-2020
86	Pavel Datsyuk			C	2001-2016
87	Martin St. Louis			RW	1998-2015
88	Eric Lindros			C	1992-2007
89	Ron Francis			C	1981-2004
90	Billy Smith			G	1971-1989
91	Luc Robitaille			LW	1986-2003
92	Roberto Luongo			G	1999-2019
93	Tim Thomas			G	2002-2014
94	Rod Langway			D	1977-1993
95	Dickie Moore			LW	1951-1968
96	Pavel Bure			RW	1991-2003
97	Andy Bathgate			RW	1952-1975
98	Johnny Bower			G	1953-1970
99	Milt Schmidt			C/D	1936-1955
100	Syl Apps			C	1936-1948

The rest of the best hockey players of all time.

The Overflow

Tom Barrasso	Ilya Kovalchuk	Adam Oates	Joe Mullen
Clint Benedict	Paul Kariya	G. Perreault	Corey Perry
Frank Brimsek	John Leclair	Jean Ratelle	Mark Recchi
Turk Broda	Brad Marchand	Henri Richard	Rob Blake
Grant Fuhr	Markus Naslund	Jeremy Roenick	G. Boucher
Charlie Gardiner	S. Schriner	Denis Savard	King Clancy
Herb Gardiner	Daniel Sedin	Henrik Sedin	Dit Clapper
Ed Giacomin	B. Shanahan	Darryl Sittler	S. Cleghorn
G. Hainsworth	Steve Shutt	Peter Stastny	Bill Gadsby
Curtis Joseph	Keith Tkachuk	Jonathan Toews	Eddie Gerard
Harry Lumley	Sid Abel	Pierre Turgeon	E. Goodfellow
Carey Price	Max Bentley	Norm Ullman	Tim Horton
Jonathan Quick	Frank Boucher	H. Zetterberg	Phil Housley
Tiny Thompson	Russell Bowie	G. Anderson	Mark Howe
Mike Vernon	Rod Brind’Amour	Hobey Baker	Ching Johnson
D. Andreychuk	Bill Cowley	Dino Ciccarelli	J. Laperierre
Jamie Benn	Alex Delvecchio	Charlie Conacher	Larry Murphy
Doug Bentley	Ryan Getzlaf	Bill Cook	Babe Pratt
Johnny Bucyk	Dale Hawerchuk	Y. Cournoyer	B.Quackenbush
Bun Cook	Dick Irvin	Jack Darragh	Borje Salming
Cy Denneny	Dave Keon	Babe Dye	Serge Savard
Bob Gainey	Pat Lafontaine	Theo Fleury	Earl Seibert
Clark Gillies	Jacques Lemaire	Mike Gartner	Jack Stewart
Michel Goulet	Mike Modano	Marian Hossa	PK Subban
Busher Jackson	J. Nieuwendyk	Jere Lehtinen	Shea Weber
Aurel Joliat	Frank Nighbor	Claude Lemieux	Sergei Zubov

*Does not include active players