Gordie Howe
Nicklas Lidstrom
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Gordie Howe leads 2 of 3 categories. Our all-time ranking places Gordie Howe at #4 and Nicklas Lidstrom at #9.
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 Nicklas Lidstrom
The finest European player of all time and perhaps the most flawless defenceman the game has seen, Nicklas Lidstrom anchored the Detroit Red Wings for two decades of sustained excellence. The Perfect Human won seven Norris Trophies as the NHL's best defenceman, a total behind only Bobby Orr, and four Stanley Cups, and in 2008 became the first European-trained captain to hoist the Cup. He was awarded the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP in 2002. Lidstrom played 1,564 games across 20 seasons and never missed the playoffs, retiring at 42 still performing at an elite level. His genius was positional and cerebral rather than physical: he seemed never out of position, defended with an impeccably timed stick rather than crushing hits, and moved the puck with quiet precision. He scored 1,142 points, remarkable for a defender who prioritized responsibility, and his metronomic consistency made him the model two-way blueliner. Where Orr overwhelmed, Lidstrom perfected, redefining defensive greatness through economy and intelligence.