The Top Ten NHL All-Time Point Leaders From NHL History
By Jim Lynch
The NHL has had a lot of great players play in their league through the years. But when it comes to the best of the best, which players lead the league in points throughout their career?
The Top Ten NHL All-Time Point Leaders From NHL History
1. Wayne Gretzky – 2857
Wayne Gretzky is the obvious leader in points across the NHL. Gretzky would still lead the league in points if he had never scored a goal. That is just how many assists he had. Gretzky played 1487 NHL games among the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers.
2. Jaromir Jagr – 1921
Jaromir Jagr has the second most amount of points throughout the history of the NHL. He has played in 1733 NHL games for a long list of teams, including the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers, to name a few. Jagr’s 1921 points include 766 goals. Jagr’s 766 goals is the fourth most all-time.
3. Mark Messier – 1887
Next up, we have one of the NHL’s best leaders. Mark Messier put up 1887 points throughout his career for the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks.
4. Gordie Howe – 1850
Gordie Howe has the fourth most points in the history of the league. He played primarily for the Detroit Red Wings but also spent a season with Hartford to end his career. Howe played in a remarkable 1767 games.
5. Ron Francis – 1798
Ron Franchise is next up at five. Francis played for Hartford, Pittsburgh, Carolina and Toronto throughout his career and put up 549 goals during that time.
6. Marcel Dionne – 1771
Marcel Dionne is next up at number six. Dionne played for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers during his career. Throughout his 1348 games, he amassed 731 goals and points.
7. Steve Yzerman – 1755
Steve Yzerman is the first player on this list to play all his games with just one team. Yzerman played for the Detroit Red Wings and put up 1755 points, including 692 goals during that time. Not only was he a great player, but now he has become one of the best general managers in the game.
8. Mario Lemieux – 1723
The most remarkable thing about the next player on this list has to be how few games he played in. Mario Lemieux is one of only two players in the top 50 point-getters to have played in under 1000 games. The other player is Peter Stastny, who put up 1239 points, the 40th-best total in the league. Lemieux put up 1723 points in 915 games all for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
9. Joe Sakic – 1641
Joe Sakic comes in at number nine on this list. Sakic played for Quebec and Colorado during his career and put up 1641 points through 1378 games.
10.Phil Esposito – 1590
Finally, at number ten, we get Phil Esposito. Esposito played for Boston, Chicago, and New York – three great original six teams. He played in 1282 games and amassed 1590 points during that time.
One important thing to note at the end of the list. There are a few active players in the top 20. Crosby and Ovechkin each have over 1400 points and are currently climbing up the rankings. Both will have to play for a few more years to break the top ten, but it could happen!