Several NHL records define a player’s career, whether those skaters played the most games or collected the most goals, points, and wins. During the 2020-21 season, Patrick Marleau broke one of the NHL’s most iconic records, held by Gordie Howe for 41 years, suiting up for 1,767th game to become the all-time leader in games played.
Related: San Jose Sharks Rightly Retired Patrick Marleau’s Jersey
Marleau spent 21 years with the San Jose Sharks, but he played for two other teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Despite all his accomplishments, he didn’t spend his entire career with one franchise, which very few professional hockey get to do. So, with that in mind, which skaters played their whole career with one NHL team?
10. Daniel Sedin – Vancouver Canucks (1,306 games)
Daniel Sedin, like his twin brother Henrik, spent his entire career with the Vancouver Canucks, winning the Art Ross Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Awards in 2010-11. Furthermore, he was a key member of the team that won the Presidents’ Trophy that year before losing in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
After Daniel made his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2000, he would skate in the franchise’s second-most games, trailing only his brother. Upon retirement in 2018, the Canucks retired his number before he eventually earned enshrinement into the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) in 2022.
9. Henrik Sedin – Vancouver Canucks (1,330 games)
In the Canucks record books, Henrik Sedin ranks as the best player in franchise history, playing in the most games and scoring the most points. Additionally, he served as team captain for eight seasons, tying a record held by Stan Smyl.
After Henrik debuted on the same day as Daniel, Oct. 5, 2000, he would skate in 1,330 games over the next 17 seasons, winning the Art Ross and Hart Trophies in 2009-10. Considering he had a sixth sense of the game, he connected with his brother on several highlight-reel plays. After leaving the NHL, he had his number retired and entered the HHOF in 2022.
8. Joe Sakic – Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche (1,378 games)
To a younger generation of fans, Joe Sakic is just the president of hockey operations for the Colorado Avalanche. However, many will remember that he was the team captain for 17 years, winning two Stanley Cup titles, a Hart Trophy, and a Conn Smythe Trophy, on top of being the Avalanche’s all-time leading scorer with 1,641 points.
Sakic was the 15th overall pick from the 1988 NHL Entry Draft and debuted months later as a 19-year-old with the Quebec Nordiques on Oct. 6, 1988. Upon retiring 20 seasons later, the Avalanche retired his number, and he entered the HHOF as a first-ballot candidate in 2012.
7. Anze Kopitar* – Los Angeles Kings (1,390+ games)
Anze Kopitar has played his entire career with the Los Angeles Kings, who drafted him with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Since debuting as a 19-year-old in 2006-07, he played alongside Dustin Brown, winning two Stanley Cups with the former captain, who previously held the Kings’ games played record.
On Oct. 21, 2023, Kopitar broke Brown’s record, adding another accolade to his resume, which includes two Frank J. Selke and Lady Byng Memorial Trophies plus the Mark Messier Leadership Award. Now, at 37, he’s less than 100 points away from Marcel Dionne’s team record of 1,307 points while remaining a ways off from Luc Robitalle’s goal record of 557. Whenever he retires, it will be a while before someone catches his assist record, which stands at 805 and counting.
6. Stan Mikita – Chicago Blackhawks (1,396 games)
Stan Mikita is a legendary player, not just with the Chicago Blackhawks but from the Original Six era. Thanks to a career point-per-game average of 1.05, he scored 1,467 points in 1,396 games, setting franchise records that remain intact 40 years later.
After debuting as an 18-year-old on Nov. 27, 1958, Mikita won the Stanley Cup three seasons later in 1961. Additionally, he won four scoring titles and two league MVP awards, playing in eight All-Star Games. As one of just six players to have his number retired in Chicago, he was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1983.
5. Alex Ovechkin* – Washington Capitals (1,440+ games)
Alexander Ovechkin is the second active skater on this list, playing his entire career (thus far) with the Washington Capitals. As the former first overall pick from the 2004 NHL Entry Draft closes in on Wayne Gretzky’s career goal mark (894), he remains the only captain in team history to win the Stanley Cup.
Whenever Ovechkin decides to retire from professional hockey, debuting 19 years ago on Oct. 5, 2005, he’ll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer who would need his own section to showcase his accomplishments. After the 2022-23 season, he’s won 19 awards, been to nine All-Star Games, and has 13 additional honors on his resume.
4. Steve Yzerman – Detroit Red Wings (1,514 games)
Steve Yzerman currently serves as the general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, the same team that drafted him fourth overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. Eventually, at 40, he retired after 22 seasons, serving as one of the league’s longest captains for 19 years.
Surprisingly, playing for an Original Six franchise that once employed Howe for 25 years, Yzerman ranks second behind “Mr. Hockey” in goals and points while surpassing him in assists. After debuting on Oct. 5, 1983, he hung up his skates with three Stanley Cup titles. Within a short time, the Red Wings retired his number, and he entered the HHOF in 2009.
3. Shane Doan – Winnipeg Jets/Arizona Coyotes (1,540 games)
Shane Doan is one of three players (the others being the Sedin twins) on this list without a Stanley Cup championship, having played his entire career with the Winnipeg Jets/Arizona Coyotes franchise. As the seventh overall selection in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, he debuted with the Jets on Oct. 7, 1995. Eventually, the franchise relocated to the desert the following season, where he played the final 20 years of his career.
Thanks to his longevity, including 13 years as captain, Doan holds several franchise records, including games played, goals, assists, points, power-play, and game-winning goals. As one of seven players to have his number retired by the team, he remains with the Coyotes, serving as an executive for hockey development.
2. Alex Delvecchio – Detroit Red Wings (1,550 games)
Alex Delvecchio played alongside Howe during the 1950s and 1960s and is one of the best players from his era. After playing just one game as an 18-year-old on Mar. 25, 1951, he became an NHL regular the following season, winning the Stanley Cup.
Eventually, Delvecchio surpassed Howe as team captain in 1962 and served as their leader for the next 11 seasons. He won three Stanley Cups and three Lady Byng Trophies, went into the HHOF in 1977, and the Red Wings retired his number in 1991.
1. Nicklas Lidström – Detroit Red Wings (1,564 games)
Nicklas Lidström was the 53rd pick in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, making his debut two years later on Oct. 3, 1991. Statistically, he is considered the greatest player from Sweden and one of the game’s all-time best players.
Eventually, Lidström won four Stanley Cup titles, becoming the first European-born captain to lead a team to victory. Additionally, he won seven Norris Trophies as the league’s best defenseman, a number only surpassed by Bobby Orr, who has eight wins.
Related: Swedish Players in the Hockey Hall of Fame
Historically, he is the fifth-highest-scoring defenseman of all time and the top skater in terms of games played when discussing players who spent their career with one franchise. Upon retirement, Detroit honored him with a jersey retirement, and he entered the HHOF on the first ballot in 2015.
The Future of Players Skating With One Franchise
Marc-Édouard Vlasic (1,296 games) and Sidney Crosby (1,289) are the other closest active players who can make this list. Considering both players have already played for over 18 years with their respective franchises, the Sharks and Penguins, there are no guarantees that health and contract extensions will get them on the list.
Although it is an honor to play in the NHL, it’s a more significant achievement when a franchise values a player enough to allow them to stay in the same city for their entire career, like so many iconic names on this list.
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