NHL power rankings: Top 3 greatest right wings of all-time
This edition of our NHL power rankings look at the best right wings.
Recently, I’ve been doing a NHL power rankings series breaking down the top three players of every position in NHL history. The last article I wrote covered the top three greatest left wingers of all-time, so today I will be going over the final position, the right wing.
Again, as I mentioned in the previous article, these lists are highly subjective as there have been many great right wingers to play the position.
Regardless, no one can deny the greatness of the three players listed below.
3. Mike Bossy
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Though this list was extremely tough to make and there were many players who could’ve made this list, it was impossible to leave former New York Islanders forward Mike Bossy off the list. Sure, his longevity wasn’t as great as some of the other names that could be here, but he was without a doubt one of the best the NHL has ever seen over his 752-game career.
As mentioned, Bossy’s career lacked longevity, which was due to ongoing back problems. Despite playing in just 10 NHL seasons, Bossy put up seven seasons of over 100 points, including a career high 126 during the 1978-79 season.
If you were to glance at his resume, you may notice he doesn’t have any Rocket Richard Trophies to his name. The reasoning behind this is simply that the Trophy was not given out until long after he had retired. If it had, Bossy would have won it nearly every season he played in, which is why he is considered one of the greatest goal scorers in the history of the game.
His brilliance may best be explained by the fact that he scored 60 or more goals in five of his 10 seasons. He also has the highest goals per game average in the history of the NHL at an astonishing 0.762 pace.
Bossy was a huge part of the dominant 80’s Islanders, and lead the team to four straight Stanley Cups from 1980-1983. He was at his best during all those playoff runs, which included 35 points in 18 games during the 1981 Stanley Cup run. He was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for the 1982 Cup, where he posted 17 goals and 10 assists in 19 games.
On top of the Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe, he also won three Lady Byng’s and a Calder Trophy over his career. Though his career ended far to early, he still posted 573 goals and 1126 points. In 2017, he was named one of the 100 greatest players in NHL history.
2. Jaromir Jagr
Although he is 48-years-old, Jaromir Jagr was still playing in the NHL just three seasons ago. The Czech forward was able to play at a high level for a very long time, proven by his 46-point total with the Florida Panthers at the age of 44. In fact, the season prior at 43, he was able to post an incredible 66 points. It should come as no surprise to anyone that he is third all time in NHL regular season games played with 1733. His games played are even more impressive considering the fact he left the NHL for three seasons (2008-2011) to play in the KHL.
In those 1733 games, Jagr won many personal awards, including five Art Ross Trophies, two Lester. B Pearson’s, and a Hart Trophy. He was also apart of the Pittsburgh Penguins who won back to back Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992.
Though the longest stint of his career was spent in Pittsburgh, he also played with the Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, and the previously mentioned Panthers.
He posted fantastic numbers throughout the majority of his career, none better than the 1995-96 season which saw him put up a career high in both goals and points with 62 and 149.
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His 1995-96 season was just one of his five NHL seasons above 100 points, all of which came as a member of the Penguins. His time with the Penguins was absolutely dominant, as he, Mario Lemieux, and Ron Francis were one of the most feared lines throughout the NHL in the 1990’s. There is no doubt that he is the best Czech hockey player of all time.
Amazingly, Jagr is still playing professional hockey. This past season, playing in the top professional league in Czech Republic, he posted a very respectable 15 goals and 29 points in 38 games. At this point it feels like he will play hockey until the day he dies. He will be a first ballot Hall of Famer and will forever be remembered as one of the games all time greats.
1. Gordie Howe
There isn’t much that can be said about Gordie Howe that isn’t already known. The man referred to as Mr. Hockey is one of the most iconic and idolized players of all time. If you thought Jagr’s longevity was impressive, you will be blown away by Howe’s. The Detroit Red Wings legend is first all time in NHL games played with 1,767. However, even more fascinating is that he played an additional 419 games in the WHA.
Howe was outstanding at every aspect of the game. He could throw a big hit, would fight anyone on the ice, and was the most dominant player every shift. Like Jagr, Howe won many individual accolades, including six Art Ross Trophies as well as six Hart Trophies. His 801 career goals rank second all time beyond only Wayne Gretzky, while his 1,850 points rank fourth. He also ranks seventh all time in WHA history for points with 508.
Howe also has what may be the craziest hockey stat of all time, that being that he played in the NHL at the age of 52. After spending the previous six seasons in the WHA, he decided to rejoin the NHL and sign with the Hartford Whalers so he could play with his son, Mark. Despite his age, he was still quite productive, posting 15 goals and 41 points in 80 games, which was good enough to put him in seventh place for team scoring.
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On top of his personal accolades, Howe also won four Stanley Cups with the Red Wings (1950, 1952, 1954, 1955). Well there have been many great players since Howe last played, there has been no one like him, and probably never will be. He was arguably the most well rounded player of all time, and is easily the best right winger of all time.