Top 10 Best NHL Players of All Time

[Golden_Jet]

You're fooling yourself if you think those who study hockey history don't revere Howe up there. And if you think they put McDavid on that pedestal. As for the hockey community in general, most of them don't know what they're talking about when it comes to history. I'd be more interested on the thoughts of a handful of PhDs on a topic than a mass of first graders.

Obviously you’re uninformed.

 

[JackSlater]

I don't think anybody was calling Hull the best player ever but A lot of people have him ranked in the 5 to !0 range. The consensus In HOH was #5. I don't think many have Ovechkin there so there is a considerable gap. And I don't particularly care about your opinion.

If Hull was a much higher tier than Ovechkin, which was the claim, then he'd have to be the best player ever. I know that almost no one calls Hull the best ever, because he isn't that much above Ovechkin. 5 to 10 is fair for Hull, and Ovechkin has a solid case for that range too though I'd probably keep him slightly lower.

 

[The Panther]

There's only four players- Gretzky, Lemieux, Orr, McDavid (probably in that order) - who currently have some significant support as the best hockey player ever.

That may be true, but it's like saying "most people today" think Taylor Swift is bigger than The Beatles. It just means most people aren't intelligent or well-informed and that their opinions aren't particularly important.

I'm not changing my opinions about hockey players based on 17-year-olds on the main boards who think Crosby is the greatest player ever (since 2010).

 

[WarriorofTime]

Hard to see any real objective case for Lemieux over Gretzky, they played in same era and Gretzky accomplished much much more. You have to get in more subjective territory with requiring both things like what someone "feels" (I watched them play and think this, which... ok I guess.. can't tell you how to feel) and turning injuries "off"

 

[Midnight Judges]

How are doing adjusted points, seems flawed.

Is this taking into consideration the seasons were 12 games shorter,

and the goals per game per season are similar in both eras, maybe slightly higher for OV, but not much.

You’re also comparing Hull at 18 vs OV at 20 ….

Hockey reference adjusted stats take season length into consideration and add points for players in 70 and 50 game seasons (they adjust all seasons to 82 games).

League-wide scoring per game was actually higher on average during Bobby Hull's career than it was during Ovechkin's career:

Year	Hull	Year	Ovechkin
1972​	3.02​	2025​	2.83​
	3.09​		2.91​
	2.88​		2.97​
	2.95​		2.92​
	2.75​		2.74​
	2.96​		2.82​
	3.02​		2.81​
	2.85​		2.78​
	2.75​		2.59​
	2.93​		2.51​
	2.98​		2.52​
	2.96​		2.56​
	2.92​		2.54​
	2.87​		2.54​
1958​	2.78​		2.61​
			2.66​
			2.73​
			2.61​
			2.77​
		2006​	2.92​
	43.71​		54.34​
Hull Avg:	2.914​	Ovie Avg:	2.717​

NHL League Averages | Hockey-Reference.com

Check out the latest NHL League Averages including shots, saves, goal averages and more on Hockey-Reference.com

www.hockey-reference.com

 

[Golden_Jet]

Hockey reference adjusted stats take season length into consideration and add points for players in 70 and 50 game seasons (they adjust all seasons to 82 games).

League-wide scoring per game was actually higher on average during Bobby Hull's career than it was during Ovechkin's career:

Year	Hull	Year	Ovechkin
1972​	3.02​	2025​	2.83​
	3.09​		2.91​
	2.88​		2.97​
	2.95​		2.92​
	2.75​		2.74​
	2.96​		2.82​
	3.02​		2.81​
	2.85​		2.78​
	2.75​		2.59​
	2.93​		2.51​
	2.98​		2.52​
	2.96​		2.56​
	2.92​		2.54​
	2.87​		2.54​
1958​	2.78​		2.61​
			2.66​
			2.73​
			2.61​
			2.77​
		2006​	2.92​
	43.71​		54.34​
Hull Avg:	2.914​	Ovie Avg:	2.717​

NHL League Averages | Hockey-Reference.com

Check out the latest NHL League Averages including shots, saves, goal averages and more on Hockey-Reference.com

www.hockey-reference.com

None of your numbers jive with the numbers in the link, unless you provided the wrong link.

Also do we know poster was using hockey reference, they never said.

I was using the same link as you when I said that Hull was in lower era.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

None of your numbers jive with the numbers in the link, unless you provided the wrong link.

I'm matching at least on the few that I checked manually. For instance, 1971-72 (on the link) is 3.02, which matches 1972 above.

Caveat that I only checked a few.

 

[Golden_Jet]

I'm matching at least on the few that I checked manually. For instance, 1971-72 (on the link) is 3.02, which matches 1972 above.

Caveat that I only checked a few.

I looked at OV 23/24 link shows 3.11 not 2.83
22/23 OV shows 3.18 not 2.91

 

[Midnight Judges]

Hull is on a much higher tier than Ovechkin. People feel compelled to compare them because of their goal scoring prowess but Hull was a much superior player.

You can say it, but the record doesn't support it.

Ovie has more accomplishments against a far larger talent pool. Ovie was likely competing against 3x as many people as Bobby Hull was:

Estimating the size of the NHL's talent pool (1950-2023)

There have been hundreds (and probably thousands) of posts on HOH that discuss the size of the NHL's talent pool. The data that's needed to determine the talent pool (youths actively involved in organized hockey) has never been maintained with any rigour or consistency, across countries and...

forums.hfboards.com

This makes it way more difficult to come out on top, and yet Ovie still did.

Harts
Ovechkin 3
Hull 2

Led NHL in Goals
Ovechkin: 9
Hull: 7

Led NHL in GPG
Ovechkin: 9
Hull: 8

Playoff MVPs
Ovechkin 1
Hull (probably would have had 1)

Career PPG through 1000 games (Hull played in a higher per game scoring league)
Ovechkin 1.12 (1084 games)
Hull 1.11 (1036 games)

Times led NHL in points
Ovechkin 1
Hull 3

Time led NHL in PPG
Ovechkin 3
Hull 2

Sure, you can pretend Hull's competition was equivalent in the 1960s to what Ovie's was in the 2000s and 2010s, in which case Hull ranks ahead in some limited ways relative to his peers, but that is more than overwhelmed by the enormous talent pool discrepancy by applying any reasonable adjustment.

And that's not getting into the advantage in longevity Ovechkin has:

Total Career Goals:
Ovechkin: 868
Hull: 644

Total Career Points:
Ovechkin: 1575
Hull: 1239

 

[Bear of Bad News]

I looked at OV 23/24 link shows 3.11 not 2.83

It says 2.91 (in both places).

Part of this is on the poster for not labeling consistently, but the data appear to match.

 

[Midnight Judges]

I looked at OV 23/24 link shows 3.11 not 2.83

You can use GAA or goals per game. Either way, Hull's era was higher in per game scoring although there is a significant difference in the two outcomes - perhaps due to OT scoring.

GAA comes out like I showed (7% higher). Goals per game shows Hull's era about 1% higher.

 

[Golden_Jet]

It says 2.91 (in both places).

Part of this is on the poster for not labeling consistently, but the data appear to match.

Ahhh That’s the problem
I was using goals per game, since we’re talking about scoring.

Poster is using goals against per game.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Ahhh That’s the problem
I was using goals per game, since were talking about scoring.

Poster is using goals against per game.

It's still higher in Hull's era.

Hull	3.07​	Ovie	3.06​
	3.12​		3.11​
	2.9​		3.18​
	2.98​		3.14​
	2.79​		2.94​
	2.98​		3.02​
	2.88​		2.97​
	2.78​		2.77​
	2.97​		2.71​
	3.01​		2.73​
	3​		2.74​
	2.95​		2.72​
	2.9​		2.73​
	2.8​		2.79​
			2.84​
			2.91​
			2.78​
			2.95​
			3.08​
	2.945​		2.909​

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Ahhh That’s the problem
I was using goals per game, since were talking about scoring.

Poster is using goals against per game.

The labeling isn't the best - it took me a couple of tries.