# Top 58 NHL Players Born in the 1980s

> Franchise faces, Vezina-winning goaltenders and Norris-winning defensemen share this list with grinders and late bloomers who quietly stacked Stanley Cup rings.

*By YPB Team · Published November 5, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/top-58-nhl-players-born-in-the-1980s*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **P. K. Subban** — score 1000/1000
   Montreal defenseman who won the 2013 Norris Trophy and later reached the 2017 Final with Nashville.
2. **Cam Ward** — score 969/1000
   Carolina goaltender who won the 2006 Conn Smythe Trophy as a rookie while backstopping the Hurricanes to the Cup.
3. **Eric Staal** — score 969/1000
   Carolina center who led the 2006 playoffs in points as the Hurricanes won their first Stanley Cup.
4. **Patrick Kane** — score 898/1000
   Buffalo-born winger who won three Stanley Cups with Chicago and in 2016 became the first American to win the Hart Trophy.
5. **Jakub Voráček** — score 887/1000
   Czech winger who played more than 1,000 NHL games, most of them in Philadelphia.
6. **Sergei Bobrovsky** — score 858/1000
   Russian goaltender with two Vezina Trophies (2013, 2017) who backstopped Florida to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025.
7. **Sidney Crosby** — score 858/1000
   Pittsburgh captain born in 1987 who has won three Stanley Cups, two Hart Trophies and two Conn Smythe Trophies.
8. **Ryan Getzlaf** — score 840/1000
   Anaheim's longtime captain who won the 2007 Stanley Cup and retired as the franchise's career points leader.
9. **Vincent Lecavalier** — score 814/1000
   First overall pick in 1998 who won the 2004 Cup with Tampa Bay and the 2007 Rocket Richard Trophy with 52 goals.
10. **Claude Giroux** — score 765/1000
   Philadelphia captain from 2013 to 2022 who put up 102 points in 2017-18.
11. **Alex Ovechkin** — score 765/1000
   Washington winger born in 1985 who passed Wayne Gretzky's career goal record in 2025 and led the Capitals to the 2018 Cup.
12. **Braden Holtby** — score 727/1000
   Washington goaltender who won the 2016 Vezina Trophy and the 2018 Stanley Cup.
13. **Justin Williams** — score 711/1000
   Winger nicknamed 'Mr. Game 7' who won Cups with Carolina in 2006 and Los Angeles in 2012 and 2014, taking the 2014 Conn Smythe.
14. **Thomas Vanek** — score 710/1000
   Austrian winger who scored 373 NHL goals, including 43 for Buffalo in 2006-07.
15. **Ilya Kovalchuk** — score 710/1000
   First overall pick in 2001 who shared the 2004 Rocket Richard Trophy and scored over 400 NHL goals.
16. **Marian Gáborík** — score 710/1000
   Slovak sniper who scored 407 NHL goals and won the 2014 Stanley Cup with Los Angeles.
17. **Anze Kopitar** — score 710/1000
   Slovenian center who captained Los Angeles and won the Cup in 2012 and 2014 plus the 2016 Selke Trophy.
18. **Jonathan Quick** — score 650/1000
   American goaltender who won the 2012 Conn Smythe and Stanley Cups with Los Angeles in 2012 and 2014.
19. **Jason Spezza** — score 650/1000
   Ottawa center who tied for the 2007 playoff scoring lead and finished with more than 900 career points over 19 seasons.
20. **Jonathan Toews** — score 650/1000
   Chicago's captain for three Stanley Cups (2010, 2013, 2015), the first of which also brought him the Conn Smythe.
21. **Dustin Byfuglien** — score 650/1000
   Forward-turned-defenseman who won the 2010 Cup with Chicago before starring on Winnipeg's blue line.
22. **Henrik Sedin** — score 650/1000
   Vancouver's captain and career points leader who won both the Hart and Art Ross Trophies in 2010.
23. **Blake Wheeler** — score 581/1000
   Winnipeg captain from 2016 to 2022 who recorded 91 points in both 2017-18 and 2018-19.
24. **Zach Parise** — score 581/1000
   Minnesota-born winger who captained New Jersey to the 2012 Final and won 2010 Olympic silver.
25. **Tuukka Rask** — score 581/1000
   Boston goaltender who won the 2014 Vezina Trophy and retired as the Bruins' all-time leader in wins.
26. **Duncan Keith** — score 581/1000
   Chicago defenseman with two Norris Trophies, three Stanley Cups and the 2015 Conn Smythe Trophy.
27. **Shea Weber** — score 581/1000
   Defenseman famous for his slapshot who captained Nashville and Montreal and won two Olympic golds with Canada.
28. **Pekka Rinne** — score 581/1000
   Finnish goaltender who spent his whole NHL career with Nashville, winning the 2018 Vezina and reaching the 2017 Final.
29. **T. J. Oshie** — score 504/1000
   American winger famed for his 2014 Olympic shootout heroics who won the 2018 Stanley Cup with Washington.
30. **Nicklas Bäckström** — score 504/1000
   Swedish center who is Washington's career assists leader and won the 2018 Stanley Cup.
31. **Ryan Suter** — score 504/1000
   American defenseman with more than 1,400 NHL games for Nashville, Minnesota, Dallas and St. Louis and a 2010 Olympic silver.
32. **Henrik Lundqvist** — score 504/1000
   Swedish goaltender who won 459 games for the New York Rangers, the 2012 Vezina Trophy and 2006 Olympic gold.
33. **Henrik Zetterberg** — score 504/1000
   Swedish center who captained Detroit, won the 2008 Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe, and took 2006 Olympic gold.
34. **Brent Burns** — score 504/1000
   Bearded San Jose defenseman who won the 2017 Norris Trophy after a 29-goal season.
35. **Jamie Benn** — score 415/1000
   Dallas captain who won the Art Ross Trophy in 2015 with 87 points.
36. **Jeff Carter** — score 415/1000
   Center-winger who scored more than 400 NHL goals and won Cups with Los Angeles in 2012 and 2014.
37. **Corey Crawford** — score 415/1000
   Chicago goaltender who won Stanley Cups in 2013 and 2015 and two Jennings Trophies.
38. **Rick Nash** — score 415/1000
   Columbus winger who shared the 2004 Rocket Richard Trophy at age 19 and won Olympic gold in 2010 and 2014.
39. **Dany Heatley** — score 415/1000
   Winger who won the 2002 Calder Trophy and posted back-to-back 50-goal seasons with Ottawa.
40. **Joe Pavelski** — score 415/1000
   San Jose captain who scored more than 450 NHL goals and reached the 2020 Final with Dallas.
41. **Brad Marchand** — score 415/1000
   Agitating winger who won the 2011 Cup with Boston and a second title with Florida in 2025.
42. **Brad Richards** — score 415/1000
   Conn Smythe winner for Tampa Bay's 2004 title who added a second Cup with Chicago in 2015.
43. **Patrick Sharp** — score 415/1000
   Chicago winger who won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015 and scored 287 NHL goals.
44. **Daniel Sedin** — score 415/1000
   Swedish winger who won the 2011 Art Ross Trophy and retired as Vancouver's all-time leading goal scorer.
45. **Dustin Brown** — score 415/1000
   Los Angeles captain who lifted the Stanley Cup in 2012 and again in 2014.
46. **Evgeni Malkin** — score 313/1000
   Russian center born in 1986 who won the 2009 Conn Smythe, two Art Ross Trophies and three Cups with Pittsburgh.
47. **Kris Letang** — score 313/1000
   Pittsburgh defenseman who won the Stanley Cup in 2009, 2016 and 2017.
48. **Marc-André Fleury** — score 313/1000
   Goaltender who won three Cups with Pittsburgh, the 2021 Vezina with Vegas, and retired second in all-time wins.
49. **Corey Perry** — score 313/1000
   Winger who won the 2007 Cup with Anaheim and both the Hart Trophy and Rocket Richard Trophy in 2010-11.
50. **Phil Kessel** — score 313/1000
   American winger who won Cups with Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017 and Vegas in 2023, and set the NHL record of 1,064 consecutive games.
51. **Ryan Kesler** — score 313/1000
   Two-way center who won the 2011 Selke Trophy and reached that year's Final with Vancouver.
52. **Ryan Miller** — score 313/1000
   American goaltender who won the 2010 Vezina Trophy with Buffalo and was named MVP of the 2010 Olympic tournament.
53. **Carey Price** — score 194/1000
   Montreal goaltender who swept the Hart, Vezina and Ted Lindsay awards in 2015 and won 2014 Olympic gold.
54. **David Krejčí** — score 194/1000
   Czech center who led the playoffs in scoring in 2011 and 2013 and won the 2011 Cup with Boston.
55. **Patrice Bergeron** — score 194/1000
   Boston center who won a record six Selke Trophies and the 2011 Stanley Cup over a 19-season Bruins career.
56. **Logan Couture** — score 194/1000
   San Jose captain who led the 2016 playoffs with 30 points during the Sharks' run to the Final.
57. **Drew Doughty** — score 0/1000
   Los Angeles defenseman who won Cups in 2012 and 2014, the 2016 Norris Trophy and two Olympic golds with Canada.
58. **Mark Giordano** — score 0/1000
   Undrafted Calgary defenseman who won the Norris Trophy in 2019 at age 35.

Tags: 80s, sports, hockey, players, nhl