NHL Top 10 Defensemen All-Time

NHL Top 10 Defensemen All-Time

#10 Phil Housley

Housley was drafted 6th overall in 1982 by the Buffalo Sabres. He played professional hockey in the NHL from 1982-83 to 2002-03. Housley played for eight NHL franchises. The Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and Toronto Maple Leafs. He is currently an assistant coach for the Arizona Coyotes and was previously employed as the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres from 2017-2019.

Housley never won the Norris Trophy or the Stanley Cup, but he was one of the most consistent offensive defensemen of All-Time. He sits fourth among defensemen in total points and is the second-leading scorer amongst American-born players with 1,232 points in 1495 games played.

Housley was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 9, 2015. The closest he came to winning a Stanley Cup was when his Washington Capitals were swept by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1998 Finals.

#9 Larry Murphy

Murphy was drafted 4th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 1980. He played from 1980-81 until 2000-01. He patrolled NHL bluelines for the Los Angeles Kings, Washington Capitals, Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Detroit Red Wings.

He is a four-time Stanley Cup winner. Two with Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992, and two more in 1997 and 1998 with Detroit. He is the fifth highest-scoring defenseman in NHL history. Murphy was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004. He played 1615 games, registering 288 goals and 929 assists for 1217 points. He is currently employed as a studio analyst for the Detroit Red Wings on Bally Sports Detroit.

#8 Al MacInnis

MacInnis was drafted 15th overall in 1981 by the Calgary Flames; his playing career was from 1981-2004. He played in the NHL for the Calgary Flames (11) years and the St. Louis Blues (10) years. He won the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy with the Flames in 1989. He won a second Stanley with the St. Louis Blues in 2019 as an executive. MacInnis finally won his first Norris Trophy in 1998-99 after finishing as runner-up in three consecutive seasons from 1989-91.

MacInnis was feared around the league for his powerful shot registering over 100 mph. His shot was so hard that on January 17, 1984, in a game against the St. Louis Blues, he took a slapshot from outside the blueline that struck goaltender Mike Liut in the face cracking his mask and scoring on the play.

Al MacInnis finished his NHL career with 340 goals and 934 assists for 1274 points in 1416 games. In 2017 MacInnis was named one of the ‘100 Greatest NHL Players in history.

#7 Denis Potvin

Potvin was drafted 1st overall in 1973 by the New York Islanders. He played his entire NHL career with the Islanders, winning four Stanley Cups from 1980-1983. He is also a three-time winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman. The Ottawa, Ontario native was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991 and was named one of the “100 Greatest NHL Players” in history.

Potvin was a prolific defensive specialist and made an immediate impact on the Islanders. He won the Calder Trophy as the league’s Rookie of the Year in 1973-74. He was also a capable scoring threat, scoring 30 goals or more three times and registering 31 goals and 101 points in just 73 games in 1978-79, a career-best. He played in every All-Star game of his career except for the 1979-80 season, when he played only 31 games due to injury. He averaged nearly a point per game during his NHL career (.992). He is currently fifth in career goals and seventh in career points among defensemen. Potvin retired from the NHL with 310 goals, 742 assists, and 1052 points in 1060 games.

His Jersey #5 was retired by the Islanders on February 1, 1992, making his number the first to be retired by the Islanders franchise.

#6 Larry Robinson

Robinson was drafted 20th overall in 1971 by the Montreal Canadians. He played 17 seasons from 1972-73 to 1988-89 for the Canadians, winning 6 Stanley Cups. He was dubbed “The Big Bird” for his lanky stature (6′ 4″ and 225 pounds). He was an incredibly mobile man for his size and a gifted playmaker. He twice won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league’s best defenseman (1976-77 and 1979-80). He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player during the 1978 playoffs.

Robinson was a member of Team Canada in the 1976, 1981, and 1984 Canada Cup tournaments. He shares the record for most consecutive playoff appearances with Nicklas Lidstrom at 20. Robinson’s career totals are 208 goals, 750 assists, and 958 regular-season points in 1384 games. His playoff resume reads 144 points in 227 games. The Big Bird compiled a staggering career plus-minus rating of +730, an NHL record. He recorded a career-best plus-minus of +120 in 1976-77 (second only to Bobby Orr’s record of +124 in 1970-71), making him one of only three players to have ever achieved +100 or greater during a season, with the other two players being Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky (+100 1984-85).

Larry Robinson into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995. IN 1998 he was listed as number 24 on The Hockey News list of the 100 Greatest Players. In 2000 he was inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame. On November 19, 2007, in a pre-game ceremony before a game against the Ottawa Senators, the Montreal Canadians retired his jersey #19 to the rafters. Robinson has won the Stanley Cup 10 times, six times as a player, three as a coach or assistant coach, and once as a scout.

#5 Nicklas Lidstrom

Lidstrom was drafted 53rd overall in 1989 by the Detroit Red Wings. He played his entire 20-year NHL career in Detroit, from 1991-92 until 2011-2012. Over the course of his stellar career, Lidstrom won the Stanley Cup four times (1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008). He won many other accolades, including 7 James Norris Memorial Trophies (2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2011), Conn Smythe Trophy (2002), One World Championship gold medal (Sweden 1991), Olympic gold medal winner (Sweden 2006), 12 NHL All-Star Game selections with 10 of them being to the First Team All-Stars and two NHL Second All-Star Team. He was inducted into both the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2014. On March 6, 2014, the Detroit Red Wings retired his #5 jersey. In 2015 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and in 2020 he was inducted into the IIHF All-Time Sweden Team. He set numerous team records and in a game against the Washington Capitals on October 22, 2011. He became the 14th player in NHL history to play in 1,500 games. He is also the first Swedish/European player to play 1,500 games in his 20th NHL season. On February 12, 2012, in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Lidstrom played his 1,550th game surpassing Alex Delvecchio’s 1549 games and making him one of only three Red Wings to play more than 1,500 games with the same franchise. Steve Yzerman is the other.

Nicklas Lidstrom is widely regarded as the best player of his generation. His NHL career totals are 264 goals, 878 assists, and 1,142 points in 1,564 games.

#4 Tim Horton

Tim Horton broke into the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1949-50, playing in just one game. By the 1952-53 NHL season, he was a mainstay for the Maple Leafs, playing with them from 1952-53 until being traded to the New York Rangers 59 games into the 1969-70 season. Horton was traded from the Rangers to the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he played 44 games with them in 1971-72. His NHL career ended in Buffalo 55 games into the 1973-74 season after dying in an automobile accident on February 24, 1974.

Horton won four Stanley Cups with the Maple Leafs (1962,1963,1964, and 1967). He was named to NHL First All-Star Team in 1964, 1968, and 1969. He was named to NHL Second Team All-Star in 1954, 1963, and 1967. In 1977 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 1998 he was ranked #43 by The Hockey News list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. He is the only NHL player to have his jersey retired by two teams (Toronto Maple Leafs #7 and Buffalo Sabres #2). He holds the Maple Leaf’s iron-man record for appearing in 486 regular-season games.

He is also the co-founder of the popular Tim Hortons coffee/doughnut chain.

Tim Horton played in 1446 regular-season NHL games, compiling 115 goals, 403 assists, and 518 points.

Horton is remembered as a demure man with incredible strength.

#3 Doug Harvey

Doug Harvey broke into the NHL with the Montreal Canadians during the 1947-48 season. He played the majority of his NHL career in Montreal (14 years). Later in his career, he played for the New York Rangers (3 years), a two-game stint with the Detroit Red Wings in (1966-67) and finished his career with the St. Louis Blues in 1968-69.

Harvey was an innovative defenseman. In his era, defensemen were expected to pass the puck up the ice to their forwards or to dump it into the defensive zone; instead, Harvey developed his own unique style of play. He would maintain control of the puck as long as possible and wait for a speeding forward before dishing the puck off to that teammate in order to maintain puck possession in the offensive zone rather than giving up possession back to the opposition. Initially, fans and his coaches felt that Harvey was a selfish, lazy player, but in time they began to see the effectiveness of his methods, and he began to gain their adoration.

Harvey’s creative style helped to enhance the already powerful Montreal offense, so much so that the Canadians would score multiple times on a two-minute powerplay, thus prompting the league to implement a new rule at the end of the 1955-56 season allowing only one goal on a two-minute man advantage.

Harvey won six Stanley Cups with the Canadians (1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960) and played in 11 Stanley Cup Finals. He also won the James Norris Memorial Trophy seven times (1955, 1956, 1957, 1958,1960, 1961, 1962) and is tied for most second place with Nicklas Lidstrom and one win behind Bobby Orr’s record of eight Norris titles. He played in the NHL All-Star game (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1969) and was an NHL First Team All-Star from (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1969) and an NHL Second All-Star Team in (1959).

Doug Harvey’s NHL career totals are 88 goals, 452 assists, and 540 points in 1113 NHL games. Harvey was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973 and was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history in 2017.

#2 Paul Coffey

Paul Coffey was drafted 6th overall in 1980 by the Edmonton Oilers. Coffey played for nine NHL teams beginning with the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers, Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes, and Boston Bruins. He won four Stanley Cups, three with Edmonton (1984, 1885, 1987) and Pittsburgh (1991).

Coffey was an electrifying player, he would gather the puck deep in his own end, and with a couple of powerful strides, he would quickly speed up the ice, gracefully maneuvering past opponents in a style reminiscent of Bobby Orr. Coffey holds or shares 33 NHL regular season and playoff records. He is second All-Time among defensemen in goals, assists, and points behind Ray Bourque. He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy three times (1985, 1986, and 1995), Named to the NHL First All-Star Team (1985, 1986, 1989, 1995), and Named to the NHL Second All-Star Team (1982, 1983, 1984, 1990), he played in 14 NHL All-Star Games (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997). He was named to the Canada Cup All-Star Team in 1984 and won the Canada Cup with Canada in (1984, 1987, and 1991). He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004. In 1998 Coffey was ranked number 28 on The Hockey News‘ list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

Coffey holds the NHL record for most goals in a season by a defenceman with 48 in 1985-86. He was also the only defenceman to score 40 goals in a season more than once, accomplishing the feat in 1983-84. Coffey, along with Bobby Orr, are the only two defensemen to score 100 points in a season more than once. Coffey did it five times, and Orr did it six times. Coffey was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history. He is second in goals, assists, and points only to Ray Bourque, finishing his career with 396 goals, 1135 assists, and 1531 points in 1409 games.

Coffey was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004 in his first year of eligibility. The Edmonton Oilers retired his number 7 in 2005.

#1 Bobby Orr

Bobby Orr is regarded as the best defenseman ever to put on a pair of skates. Many view him as the best player to ever play the game. Orr played in the NHL for 12 short season’s 10 with the Boston Bruins and two with the Chicago Blackhawks. At that time, he revolutionized the game of hockey. He was blessed with incredible offensive skills. Orr had the ability to read the play like a master chess player, always several moves ahead of his opponents. He would gather the puck in his own end and speed up the ice leaving fans, teammates, and opposition players mesmerized by his dazzling speed and finesse. Orr was a humble player. He never took delight in embarrassing his opponents. After effortlessly glided up the ice on an end-to-end rush and leaving opposition players in chaos, he would often put his head down almost to say he felt bad about the mayhem he caused with his uncanny ability. Although he was a graceful player, Bobby Orr could play a physical game and wouldn’t back down from a fight, tragically, his knees could no longer sustain him, and he was forced to retire six games into the 1978-79 season.

Bobby Orr employed a style of play that the NHL had never witnessed before, only Doug Harvey played a similar style, but Orr was simply on another level. Darryl Sittler once said, “Bobby Orr was better on one leg than anybody else was on two.“

Despite playing only twelve seasons and 657 games (of which only his first nine seasons, totaling 621 games, were full seasons), and only playing 47 NHL games after his 27th birthday, Orr accomplished many records and achievements, a number of which still stand today, and are listed below.

This is my list of the NHL’s Top 10 defensemen of All Time. Agree or disagree, there are many honorable mentions that are every bit as worthy of being considered Top Ten. Here are a few.

• Ray Bourque-Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche.
• Brad Park-New York Rangers, Boston Bruins.
• Zdeno Chara-New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals.
• Eddie Shore-Boston Bruins, New York Americans.
• Scott Niedermayer-New Jersey Devils, Anaheim Ducks.
• Scott Stevens-Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues, New Jersey Devils.
• Brian Leetch-New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs.
• Anders Borje Salming-Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings.
• Serge Savard-Montreal Canadians, Winnipeg Jets.
• Chris Chelios-Montreal Canadians, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Atlanta Thrashers.

Bobby Orr

• First and only defenceman to score nine hat tricks
• First defenceman to score 30 goals (1969–70) and 40 goals (1974–75) in a season.
• The first player to record 100 assists in a season (1970–71)
• Only defenceman to win the Art Ross Trophy as the league leader in scoring (1969–70, 1974–75)
• Only defenceman to win the Lester B Pearson Award
• Only player ever to win the Norris Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, Hart Trophy, and Conn Smythe Trophy in one season (1969–70)
• Highest single-season plus-minus rating, +124 in 1970–71
• Second all-time in career plus-minus rating (+597; retired as the overall leader)
• Never finished a full season less than +30 since +/- became a statistic (beginning with the 1968–69 season)
• Fourth in league history in career point-per-game average, all-time, (1.393) (highest among defencemen, minimum 500 career points)
• Sixty-sixth overall in league history in career assists and tied for 109th in career points

Awards

• OHA First All-Star Team – 1964, 1965, 1966
• Awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy (rookie of the year) in 1967, the youngest ever to win the award and the youngest ever to win a major NHL award up to that time
• Named to the Second All-Star Team in 1966–67 (his only full season when he did not make the First Team as a rookie)
• Named to the NHL First All-Star Team eight times consecutively (1968-1975)
• Awarded the James Norris Trophy eight times (from 1968 to 1975, his last full season)
• Played in the NHL All-Star Game eight times (from 1968 to 1975)
• Won the Art Ross Trophy in 1969–70 and 1974–75[NHL Plus/Minus leader in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974 and 1975, the most in history
• Awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy three times consecutively (1970–1972)
• Awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1970 and 1972, the first two-time winner of the playoff MVP award
• Stanley Cup winners in 1970 and 1972
• Won Lou Marsh Trophy as Canadian athlete of the year in 1970
• NHL All-Star Game MVP in 1972
• Received Sports Illustrated magazine’s “Sportsman of the Year” award in 1970
• Voted the greatest athlete in Boston history in the Boston Globe newspaper’s poll of New Englanders in 1975, beating out baseball and basketball stars such as Ted Williams, Bill Russell, Carl Yastrzemski, and Bob Cousy
• Awarded the Lester B. Pearson Award in 1975
• Named the Canada Cup Tournament MVP in 1976
• Awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy in 1979

Skates used by Orr during the 1970s, at the Orr exhibit of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Orr was inducted into the Hall in 1979.

• Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979, with the mandatory three-year waiting period waived, making him the youngest inductee at 31 years of age
• Voted the second greatest hockey player of all time by an expert committee in 1997 by The Hockey News. Orr is behind only Wayne Gretzky and ahead of Gordie Howe as well as being named the top defenceman of all time. Gretzky said he’d have voted for Orr or for his hero, Gordie Howe.
• Ranked 31 in ESPN’s SportsCentury: 50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century in 1999
• Named the top defenceman of all time in 2010 by The Hockey News

Records

• Most points in one NHL season by a defenceman (139; 1970–71)
• Most assists in one NHL season by a defenceman (102; 1970–71).
• Most 100-point seasons by a defenceman (1969-70 – 1974-75).
• Highest plus/minus in one NHL season (+124; 1970–71) Most assists in one NHL game by a defenceman (6; tied with Babe Pratt, Pat Stapleton, Ron Stackhouse, Paul Coffey, and Gary Suter)
• One of two players to win four major NHL awards in one season (Hart, Norris, Art Ross, and Conn Smythe in 1970), as well as the only player to win the Norris and Art Ross in the same season. The other was Alexander Ovechkin in 2007–08. 
• The fastest goal from the start of overtime to clinch the Stanley Cup (0:40; 1970, game 4)

Records since surpassed

• Most assists in one NHL season from 1970 to 1981 (87 in 1969–70, which he surpassed in 1970–71 with 102; broken by Wayne Gretzky and also bettered by Mario Lemieux
• Most goals in one NHL season by a defenceman from 1969 to 1986 (21, in 1968–69, 33 in 1969–70, 37 in 1970–71, broke own record in 1974–75 with 46; broken in 1985–86 by Paul Coffey with 48)
• Most points by a defenceman in one game from 1973 until 1977 (7) in-game November 15, 1973)
• Longest consecutive point-scoring streak by a defenceman from 1971 until 1984 (15 games, set in 1970–71 and 1973–74)
• Career goal-scoring by a defenceman (270) until surpassed by Denis Potvin in 1986.
• Held record for most consecutive 100-or-more point seasons by any player from 1974 until 1980 (6, from 1969–70 until 1974–75)
• Career plus-minus rating from 1978 until 1985 (+597)

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

NHL Top 10 Defensemen All-Time

• Career highs in each statistical category are marked in bold

		Regular season		Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1962–63	Oshawa Generals	Metro Jr.A	34	6	15	21	45	—	—	—	—	—
1963–64	Oshawa Generals	OHA	56	29	43	72	142	6	0	7	7	21
1964–65	Oshawa Generals	OHA	56	34	59	93	112	6	0	6	6	10
1965–66	Oshawa Generals	OHA	47	38	56	94	92	17	9	19	28	14
1966–67	Boston Bruins	NHL	61	13	28	41	102	—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Boston Bruins	NHL	46	11	20	31	63	4	0	2	2	2
1968–69	Boston Bruins	NHL	67	21	43	64	133	10	1	7	8	10
1969–70	Boston Bruins	NHL	76	33	87	120	125	14	9	11	20	14
1970–71	Boston Bruins	NHL	78	37	102	139	91	7	5	7	12	25
1971–72	Boston Bruins	NHL	76	37	80	117	106	15	5	19	24	19
1972–73	Boston Bruins	NHL	63	29	72	101	99	5	1	1	2	7
1973–74	Boston Bruins	NHL	74	32	90	122	82	16	4	14	18	28
1974–75	Boston Bruins	NHL	80	46	89	135	101	3	1	5	6	2
1975–76	Boston Bruins	NHL	10	5	13	18	22	—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL	20	4	19	23	25	—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL	6	2	2	4	4	—	—	—	—	—
OHA totals	193	107	173	280	391	29	9	32	41	45
NHL totals	657	270	645	915	953	74	26	66	92	92

International play

• He was named to Canada’s 1972 Summit Series team but did not play due to injuries.
• Played for Team Canada in the 1976 Canada Cup.

International statistics

Year	Team	Event	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1972	Canada	Summit Series	0	0	0	0	0
1976	Canada	Canada Cup	7	2	7	9	8

Keep Your Stick on the Ice.

NHL Top 10 Defensemen All-Time

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