The 15 Best NHL Players After Turning 35

Hockey is supposed to take the legs first. These players kept scoring, stopping pucks and logging minutes into their late thirties and past forty. Pick the one whose late career impresses you most.

1. 1
   Gordie Howe

   Scored 103 points at 40 and was still an All-Star at 51.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Jaromir Jagr

   Played NHL games at 45 and led a team in scoring at 39.
   1000pts
3. 3
   Ray Bourque

   Won his only Cup at 40 in his 22nd season, then retired that summer.
   945pts
4. 4
   Martin Brodeur

   Won 40 games at 35 and kept the Devils in the playoffs into his 40s.
   862pts
5. 5
   Nicklas Lidstrom

   Won two Norris Trophies after 35 and retired as a first-pair defenceman at 42.
   764pts
6. 6
   Zdeno Chara

   Anchored a Cup-final defence at 42 and played his last NHL game at 45.
   647pts
7. 7
   Wayne Gretzky

   Still put up 100 points in the season he turned 35.
   647pts
8. 8
   Johnny Bucyk

   Set a career high of 116 points at 35 and scored 51 goals at 35.
   503pts
9. 9
   Chris Chelios

   A Norris Trophy finalist at 40 and an NHL defenceman at 48.
   503pts
10. 10
    Joe Thornton

    Played 1,714 games and was still centring a line at 42.
    503pts
11. 11
    Patrick Marleau

    Passed Gordie Howe's games-played record at 41.
    503pts
12. 12
    Teemu Selanne

    Scored 80 points at 40 and won the Cup at 36.
    323pts
13. 13
    Alex Ovechkin

    The oldest player to score 50 goals in a season, and he kept going past 40.
    323pts
14. 14
    Mark Recchi

    Won the Cup at 43 as Boston's oldest player and retired the same night.
    323pts
15. 15
    Dominik Hasek

    Won a Vezina at 36 and a Cup at 43.
    323pts