Top 10 Best Hockey Players In The World 2023, Ranked
by Ayisha
Updated Apr 12, 2023
What is Hockey All About?
Hockey refers to a collection of team sports played on various surfaces such as an outdoor field, ice rink, or dry floor like in a gymnasium, during both summer and winter. Although each sport has its own specific rules, number of players, and apparel, they share the fundamental elements of two opposing teams utilizing a stick to maneuver a ball or disk into a goal. There are several variations of hockey, some played with skates, whether they are bladed or wheeled, while others are not. To differentiate between these games, the term "hockey" is commonly accompanied by an additional word, such as "field hockey", "ice hockey", "roller hockey", "rink hockey", or "floor hockey".
Top 10 Best Hockey Players In The World In 2023
Fans who are keen in knowing about the top 10 best hockey players in the world and want to know who are the rest of the players after the top 1, can have a look at this article to know the top 10 best hockey players who are being listed in the table.
S.No.
Player Name
1
Gordie Howe
2
Wayne Gretzky
3
Bobby Orr
4
Mario Lemieux
5
Maurice Richard
6
Jean Béliveau
7
Terry Sawchuk
8
Steve Yzerman
9
Jacques Plante
10
Alex Ovechkin
Who are the Best Hockey Players in the World 2023?
As you might have gonethrough the above table, which lists the top 10 best hockey players in the world in 2023, in this section you will have an overview of their special abilities and what are the matches that was played by them, and the undeniable reason for them to rank among the top 10 of the best hockey players in the world in 2023.
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Gordie Howe
Gordie Howe, known for his gritty play, was a member of the Red Wings "Production Line" and won four Stanley Cups (1950, 1952, 1954–55). He set a then-record in the NHL with 801 career goals. Unlike some players, Howe didn't need an enforcer to fight his battles and was the inspiration for the "Gordie Howe hat trick," which is a goal, assist, and fight in one game.
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Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky, also known as "The Great One," revolutionized the game with his speed and finesse, setting an unprecedented record of 894 goals and winning four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers (1984–85, 1987–88). He also earned the NHL's MVP award nine times (1980–87, 1989) and helped popularize ice hockey in the United States after being traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988.
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Bobby Orr
Bobby Orr is widely regarded as the best defenseman in the game, winning eight James Norris Memorial Trophies (1968–75). He became the first defenseman to lead the NHL in scoring (1970) while playing for the Boston Bruins and was named the league's MVP three times (1970–72).
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Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux, despite being 6 feet 4 inches tall, displayed impressive speed and agility during his 17 years with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He won two Stanley Cups (1991–92) and scored 690 career goals, despite missing several seasons after being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. He later became the majority owner of the Penguins and returned as a player for several seasons before retiring in 2006. He was the first person to win the Stanley Cup as both a player and an owner.
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Maurice Richard
Maurice Richard, also known as "The Rocket," was a right-winger who rewrote the record books. He was the first player to score 500 goals and the first to score 50 goals in a single season. Richard won eight Stanley Cups (1944, 1946, 1953, 1956–60) during his 18-year career with the Montreal Canadiens. He was known for his aggressive play and hot temper and was an idol among French Canadians. His suspension for fighting in 1955 caused fans to riot in Montreal.
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Jean Béliveau
Jean Béliveau, widely regarded as one of the best centers in hockey, achieved a remarkable feat of winning 10 Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens (1956-60, 1965-66, 1968-69, 1971). He scored a then-record of 507 career goals and received the league’s MVP award twice (1956, 1964). Béliveau was so exceptional that he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972, without waiting for the customary three-year retirement period.
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Terry Sawchuk
Considered by many as the greatest goalie in hockey, Terry Sawchuk won four Stanley Cups during his 21-year career, three with the Red Wings (1952, 1954-55) and one with the Toronto Maple Leafs (1967). Sawchuk also won four Vezina Trophies (1952-53, 1955, 1965), registering an impressive 447 career wins, including a record-breaking 103 shutouts, which was unbeaten until 2009. Sawchuk's contribution to hockey was significant, but he suffered from depression and alcoholism, and his life was tragically cut short at 40 after a fatal internal injury sustained during a drunken fight with a teammate.
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Steve Yzerman
Steve Yzerman of the Detroit Red Wings, the longest-serving captain in NHL history, was instrumental in transforming the struggling team into one of the game's most dominating forces, earning them the moniker of Hockeytown. Yzerman was a well-rounded player, with a great ability to score and play defense, and his leadership skills were highly respected. He led the team to three Stanley Cups (1997-98, 2002), providing the city with something to cheer about.
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Jacques Plante
Jacques Plante, the Montreal Canadiens goalie, is credited with revolutionizing the game by popularizing face masks. In 1959, Plante suffered an injury from a slap shot that required 21 facial stitches. Despite this, he refused to take the ice without wearing a face mask, becoming the first NHL goalie to do so.
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Alex Ovechkin
Alex Ovechkin, known as "Ovie," has established himself as a great hockey player since his NHL debut in 2005 with the Washington Capitals. He has won the Maurice Richard Trophy multiple times (2008-09, 2013-16, 2018-19, 2020) for the most goals scored and is a three-time recipient of the Hart Memorial Trophy (2008-09, 2013) for being the most valuable player in the NHL. Although his coworker may have exaggerated, Ovechkin's skills on the ice are undeniable.
Top 10 Best Hockey Players In The World In 2023 - FAQs
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium.
There are many types of hockey. Some games make the use of skates, either wheeled, or bladed while others do not.
Two teams play in a hockey game.
Gordie Howe is in the first position in the top 10 Best hockey players of the world in 2023.