# Who is the best NHL player born in 1974?

> The 1974 class is light on household names and deep in useful ones: Selke-caliber checkers, a Vezina-winning goalie, Cup-clinching scorers and defensemen who logged huge minutes.

*By YPB Team · Published November 5, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-best-nhl-player-born-in-1974*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Paul Kariya** — score 1000/1000
   Anaheim's star winger scored 402 goals and 989 points in 989 games, won two Lady Byng Trophies and entered the Hall of Fame in 2017.
2. **Sergei Gonchar** — score 835/1000
   Russian defenseman who amassed 811 points in 1,301 games and won the 2009 Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh.
3. **Chris Pronger** — score 800/1000
   Defenseman who won both the Hart and Norris Trophies with St. Louis in 2000 and the 2007 Stanley Cup with Anaheim.
4. **Miroslav Šatan** — score 762/1000
   Slovak winger who scored 363 NHL goals, won 2002 world championship gold with Slovakia and lifted the 2009 Cup with Pittsburgh.
5. **Steve Sullivan** — score 734/1000
   Undersized winger who recorded 747 points in 1,011 games and won the 2009 Masterton Trophy with Nashville after a back injury.
6. **Jaroslav Špaček** — score 734/1000
   Czech defenseman who collected 355 points over 880 NHL games with seven franchises.
7. **Patrick Lalime** — score 659/1000
   Goaltender who started his career with a 16-game unbeaten run for Pittsburgh in 1996-97 and won 200 NHL games, most for Ottawa.
8. **Jason Arnott** — score 571/1000
   Center with 417 career goals whose double-overtime winner in Game 6 clinched the 2000 Stanley Cup for New Jersey.
9. **Fredrik Modin** — score 467/1000
   Swedish winger who won the 2004 Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay and Olympic gold with Sweden in 2006.
10. **Sami Salo** — score 467/1000
   Finnish defenseman with a heavy shot who played 878 NHL games, most of them for Vancouver.
11. **Valeri Bure** — score 467/1000
   Pavel Bure's younger brother, a winger who totaled 174 goals and 400 points in 621 NHL games.
12. **Sergei Brylin** — score 467/1000
   Russian forward who spent his entire NHL career in New Jersey and won the Cup in 1995, 2000 and 2003.
13. **Saku Koivu** — score 467/1000
   Montreal captain from 1999 to 2009 who returned from cancer treatment to win the 2002 Masterton Trophy and finished with 832 points.
14. **Michael Peca** — score 343/1000
   Two-time Selke Trophy winner (1997, 2002) who captained Buffalo to the 1999 Stanley Cup Final.
15. **Ian Laperrière** — score 343/1000
   Gritty forward who played 1,083 NHL games and received the Masterton Trophy in 2011.
16. **Pavol Demitra** — score 343/1000
   Slovak forward who produced 768 points in 847 games, mostly with St. Louis, and won the Lady Byng Trophy in 2000.
17. **Tim Thomas** — score 343/1000
   Boston goaltender who won Vezina Trophies in 2009 and 2011 and took the 2011 Conn Smythe on the way to the Cup.
18. **Roman Hamrlík** — score 0/1000
   First overall pick by Tampa Bay in 1992 who went on to play 1,395 NHL games on defense.
19. **Rob Niedermayer** — score 0/1000
   Florida's fifth overall pick in 1993 who won the 2007 Stanley Cup alongside his brother Scott in Anaheim.

Tags: sports, 70s, hockey, players, nhl, 1974