The 54 Greatest NHL Centers of All Time

Pioneers who starred before the Original Six era share this list with today's highlight-reel playmakers, so expect arguments about eras, faceoffs and what a center is really for.

1. 1
   Wayne Gretzky

   Center who retired with 894 goals and 2,857 points, nine Hart Trophies and four Stanley Cups with Edmonton.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Denis Savard

   Chicago center known for the spin-o-rama who scored 1,338 points and entered the Hall of Fame in 2000.
   801pts
3. 3
   Bobby Clarke

   Flyers captain who led Philadelphia to Cups in 1974 and 1975 and won three Hart Trophies.
   801pts
4. 4
   Sidney Crosby

   Penguins captain who won the Art Ross Trophy in 2007 and 2014 and the Conn Smythe in 2016 and 2017.
   685pts
5. 5
   Phil Esposito

   Boston center who became the first NHL player to reach 100 points in 1968-69 and scored 76 goals in 1970-71.
   663pts
6. 6
   Darryl Sittler

   Toronto captain who set the NHL single-game record with 10 points against Boston in February 1976.
   629pts
7. 7
   Mark Messier

   Six-time champion, five times with Edmonton and once as captain of the 1994 Rangers, with two Hart Trophies.
   629pts
8. 8
   Joe Sakic

   Colorado captain who won Cups in 1996 and 2001, the 1996 Conn Smythe and the 2001 Hart Trophy.
   591pts
9. 9
   Ron Francis

   Hartford and Pittsburgh center whose 1,249 assists rank second in NHL history, with Cups in 1991 and 1992.
   591pts
10. 10
    Pavel Datsyuk

    Russian center who won three straight Selke Trophies, four Lady Byngs and Cups in 2002 and 2008.
    549pts
11. 11
    Gilbert Perreault

    Buffalo's first-ever draft pick in 1970, he spent his whole career with the Sabres and scored 512 goals and 1,326 points.
    549pts
12. 12
    Pat LaFontaine

    American center who recorded 148 points for Buffalo in 1992-93 and entered the Hall of Fame in 2003.
    549pts
13. 13
    Dave Keon

    Maple Leafs center who won four Cups, two Lady Byng Trophies and the 1967 Conn Smythe.
    502pts
14. 14
    Doug Gilmour

    Won the 1989 Cup with Calgary and the 1993 Selke Trophy, finishing with 1,414 points.
    502pts
15. 15
    Peter Šťastný

    Slovak-born Quebec Nordiques center whose 1,059 points in the 1980s trailed only Wayne Gretzky.
    502pts
16. 16
    Marcel Dionne

    Los Angeles Kings center who scored 731 goals and 1,771 points and won the 1980 Art Ross Trophy.
    502pts
17. 17
    Elmer Lach

    Center of Montreal's Punch Line who won the 1945 Hart Trophy, the first Art Ross Trophy in 1948 and three Stanley Cups.
    502pts
18. 18
    Sergei Fedorov

    Russian center who won the 1994 Hart, two Selke Trophies and three Stanley Cups with Detroit.
    449pts
19. 19
    Joe Thornton

    Playmaking center who won the 2006 Hart and Art Ross in a season split between Boston and San Jose and collected 1,109 assists.
    449pts
20. 20
    Eric Lindros

    Philadelphia's 'Legion of Doom' center who won the 1995 Hart Trophy and scored 865 points in 760 games.
    449pts
21. 21
    Anze Kopitar

    Two-time Selke winner (2016, 2018) who centered Los Angeles to Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014.
    449pts
22. 22
    Max Bentley

    Won the 1946 Hart Trophy with Chicago and three Stanley Cups after being traded to Toronto.
    449pts
23. 23
    Mats Sundin

    First European drafted first overall (Quebec, 1989), he became the Maple Leafs' career points leader with 987.
    449pts
24. 24
    Evgeni Malkin

    Pittsburgh center who led the 2009 playoffs with 36 points and won the 2012 Hart Trophy.
    389pts
25. 25
    Henrik Sedin

    Swedish center who holds Vancouver's franchise records for assists and points and won the 2010 Hart Trophy.
    389pts
26. 26
    Patrice Bergeron

    Triple Gold Club member whose six Selke Trophies are the most in the award's history.
    389pts
27. 27
    Steve Yzerman

    Red Wings captain who won three Cups, the 1998 Conn Smythe and the 2000 Selke after reinventing himself as a two-way center.
    389pts
28. 28
    Jean Béliveau

    Montreal captain who won 10 Stanley Cups as a player, two Hart Trophies and the first Conn Smythe Trophy in 1965.
    389pts
29. 29
    Joe Nieuwendyk

    Center who won Stanley Cups with Calgary (1989), Dallas (1999) and New Jersey (2003), took the 1999 Conn Smythe and scored 564 goals.
    389pts
30. 30
    Syl Apps

    Toronto captain who won the first Calder Trophy in 1937 and three Stanley Cups with the Maple Leafs.
    389pts
31. 31
    Nels Stewart

    Montreal Maroons center who won Hart Trophies in 1926 and 1930 and retired as the NHL's career goals leader.
    389pts
32. 32
    Frank Boucher

    Rangers center who won the Lady Byng seven times in eight seasons, after which he was given the original trophy to keep.
    389pts
33. 33
    Jean Ratelle

    Rangers and Bruins center who totaled 1,267 points and won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1972 and 1976.
    321pts
34. 34
    Milt Schmidt

    Center of Boston's Kraut Line who won Cups in 1939 and 1941 and the 1951 Hart Trophy.
    321pts
35. 35
    Adam Oates

    Undrafted playmaker who recorded 1,079 assists, setting up Brett Hull in St. Louis and Cam Neely in Boston.
    321pts
36. 36
    Joe Malone

    Scored 44 goals in 20 games in the NHL's first season, 1917-18, and holds the record of seven goals in one game.
    321pts
37. 37
    Ted Kennedy

    Toronto captain who won five Stanley Cups and the 1955 Hart Trophy.
    321pts
38. 38
    Stan Mikita

    Chicago center who won four Art Ross Trophies and, in both 1967 and 1968, the Hart, Art Ross and Lady Byng in the same season.
    321pts
39. 39
    Mario Lemieux

    Pittsburgh center who won six Art Ross Trophies and three Hart Trophies while averaging 1.88 points per game.
    321pts
40. 40
    Alex Delvecchio

    Spent 24 seasons with Detroit, winning three Stanley Cups in the 1950s and three Lady Byng Trophies.
    321pts
41. 41
    Dale Hawerchuk

    Winnipeg's first overall pick in 1981 who won the 1982 Calder Trophy and finished with 1,409 points.
    321pts
42. 42
    Bryan Trottier

    Islanders center who won the 1979 Hart and Art Ross, the 1980 Conn Smythe and six Stanley Cups in all.
    321pts
43. 43
    Henri Richard

    Montreal center whose 11 Stanley Cup titles are the most ever won by a player.
    321pts
44. 44
    Connor McDavid

    Edmonton captain with three Hart Trophies who posted 153 points in 2022-23 and won the 2024 Conn Smythe.
    242pts
45. 45
    Norm Ullman

    Detroit and Toronto center who scored 490 goals and 1,229 points over 20 NHL seasons.
    242pts
46. 46
    Mike Modano

    Dallas center who won the 1999 Cup and holds the record for most goals by a U.S.-born NHL player (561).
    242pts
47. 47
    Peter Forsberg

    Swedish center who won the Hart and Art Ross in 2003, two Cups with Colorado and Olympic gold in 1994 and 2006.
    242pts
48. 48
    Jonathan Toews

    Chicago center who won the 2010 Conn Smythe, the 2013 Selke and three Stanley Cups.
    242pts
49. 49
    Howie Morenz

    Montreal Canadiens star of the 1920s and 1930s who won three Hart Trophies and three Stanley Cups.
    150pts
50. 50
    Nathan MacKinnon

    Colorado center who won the 2022 Stanley Cup and the 2024 Hart Trophy after a 140-point season.
    150pts
51. 51
    Leon Draisaitl

    German center who won the Hart and Art Ross Trophies in 2020 and has scored 50 goals in multiple seasons for Edmonton.
    150pts
52. 52
    Steven Stamkos

    Scored 60 goals in 2011-12, won two Rocket Richard Trophies and captained Tampa Bay to Cups in 2020 and 2021.
    150pts
53. 53
    Auston Matthews

    Toronto center who won the 2022 Hart Trophy and scored 69 goals in 2023-24.
    0pts
54. 54
    Frank Nighbor

    Ottawa Senators center who received the first Hart Trophy in 1924 and the first Lady Byng Trophy in 1925.
    0pts

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