Gordie Howe
Mark Messier
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Mark Messier leads 3 of 5 categories. Our all-time ranking places Gordie Howe at #4 and Mark Messier at #12.
Head-to-head FAQ
Who leads more shared metrics?
How do the published ranks compare?
Are these live stats?
The case for Gordie Howe
Mr. Hockey combined scoring, toughness and almost supernatural longevity across an astonishing five decades of professional play. Gordie Howe won four Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings, six Hart Trophies as MVP and six Art Ross scoring titles, finishing in the NHL's top five in scoring for 20 consecutive seasons, a record of sustained excellence unmatched in the sport. He retired, then returned at 45 to play alongside his sons in the WHA, and skated one final NHL shift at age 52 in 1980. Howe scored 801 NHL goals and 1,850 points, figures that stood atop the all-time list until Gretzky surpassed them. He was as feared as he was skilled: the Gordie Howe hat trick, a goal, an assist and a fight in one game, immortalizes his willingness to punish anyone who challenged him. Ambidextrous, powerful and endlessly durable, he defined the complete power forward and served as the standard against which every scorer was measured for a generation.
The case for Mark Messier
The Messiah is remembered as hockey's ultimate leader, the only man to captain two different franchises to the Stanley Cup. Mark Messier won five Cups alongside Gretzky with the powerhouse Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s, then delivered the signature moment of his career in 1994, guaranteeing a win and scoring a hat trick in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final to drag the New York Rangers toward their first championship in 54 years. He retired with 1,887 points, second only to Gretzky on the all-time list at the time, and 694 goals, won two Hart Trophies, and played 25 punishing seasons. Messier combined a power forward's ferocity with a scorer's hands and an intimidating will that teammates and opponents alike describe in almost mythic terms. Where Gretzky was serene artistry, Messier was force and fire, the emotional engine of every team he played for. His blend of production, longevity and championship leadership secures his place among the immortals.