# 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.

*By YPB Team · Published August 21, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-15-best-nhl-players-after-turning-35*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Gordie Howe** — score 1000/1000
   Scored 103 points at 40 and was still an All-Star at 51.
2. **Jaromir Jagr** — score 1000/1000
   Played NHL games at 45 and led a team in scoring at 39.
3. **Ray Bourque** — score 945/1000
   Won his only Cup at 40 in his 22nd season, then retired that summer.
4. **Martin Brodeur** — score 862/1000
   Won 40 games at 35 and kept the Devils in the playoffs into his 40s.
5. **Nicklas Lidstrom** — score 764/1000
   Won two Norris Trophies after 35 and retired as a first-pair defenceman at 42.
6. **Zdeno Chara** — score 647/1000
   Anchored a Cup-final defence at 42 and played his last NHL game at 45.
7. **Wayne Gretzky** — score 647/1000
   Still put up 100 points in the season he turned 35.
8. **Johnny Bucyk** — score 503/1000
   Set a career high of 116 points at 35 and scored 51 goals at 35.
9. **Chris Chelios** — score 503/1000
   A Norris Trophy finalist at 40 and an NHL defenceman at 48.
10. **Joe Thornton** — score 503/1000
   Played 1,714 games and was still centring a line at 42.
11. **Patrick Marleau** — score 503/1000
   Passed Gordie Howe's games-played record at 41.
12. **Teemu Selanne** — score 323/1000
   Scored 80 points at 40 and won the Cup at 36.
13. **Alex Ovechkin** — score 323/1000
   The oldest player to score 50 goals in a season, and he kept going past 40.
14. **Mark Recchi** — score 323/1000
   Won the Cup at 43 as Boston's oldest player and retired the same night.
15. **Dominik Hasek** — score 323/1000
   Won a Vezina at 36 and a Cup at 43.

Tags: sports, hockey, players, nhl, legends