Mark Messier

Born:	January 18, 1961	Draft:	1979 Oilers #48 Overall
Hometown:	Edmonton, AB, CAN	Position:	Centre
Known For:	Nicknamed “The Moose”	Shoots/Catches:	Left
National Team:	Canada

Mark John Douglas Messier OC (/ˈmɛsieɪ/; born January 18, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played a quarter of a century in the NHL (1979–2004) with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver Canucks. He also played professionally with the World Hockey Association (WHA)’s Indianapolis Racers and Cincinnati Stingers. He was the last former WHA player to be active in professional hockey, and the last active player who had played in the NHL in the 1970s. After his playing career he served as special assistant to the president and general manager of the Rangers.

Messier is considered one of the greatest ice hockey players of all time. He is second on the all-time career lists for playoff points (295) and third for regular season games played (1756) and regular season points (1887). He is a six-time Stanley Cup champion—five with the Oilers and one with the Rangers—and is the only player to captain two teams to Stanley Cup championships. His playoff leadership while in New York, which ended a 54-year Stanley Cup drought in 1994, earned him the nickname “The Messiah”, a play on his name. He was also known, over the course of his career, as “The Moose” for his aggression and strength. He twice won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player, in 1990 and 1992, and in 1984 he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player during the playoffs. He is a 15-time NHL All-Star. In 2007, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, in his first year of eligibility. In 2017 Messier was named one of the “100 Greatest NHL Players” in history.

On June 30, 2017, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada by Governor General David Johnston for “contributions to hockey as an outstanding player and captain, and for his leadership in encouraging children to take up the sport.”

Canadian hockey player Mark Messier of the Edmonton Oilers (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images)

Mark Messier Statistics

Trade Tracker

Date	Traded From	Traded With	Traded To	Traded For
October 4, 1991		Jeff Beukeboom		Louie DeBrusk Bernie Nicholls Steven Rice David Shaw
June 30, 2003		–		Fourth-Round Pick (Ryan Callahan)

Deeper Dive

Achievements

Captain of the Edmonton Oilers (1988-1991)
Captain of the New York Rangers (1991-1997)
Captain of the Vancouver Canucks (1997-2000)
Five-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Edmonton Oilers (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990)
Stanley Cup with the Rangers (1994)
Conn Smythe Trophy (1984)
Hart Memorial Trophy (1990, 1992)
Lester B. Pearson Award (1990, 1992)
Four-time NHL First-Team All-Star (1982, 1983, 1990, 1992)
Played in the NHL All-Star Game 15 times (1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2004)
Three-time Canada Cup Champion (1985, 1988, 1992)
World Championship Silver Medal with Team Canada (1989)

Other Notable Achievements

The only player to have captained two Stanley Cup championship teams.
In 1998, he was ranked number 12 on The Hockey News’ list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
On November 13, 2006, the National Hockey League created the Mark Messier Leadership Award, given to an individual in the sport who leads by example on the ice, motivates his teammates, and is dedicated to community activities and charitable causes.
He was the last active player to have played in the 1970s.
Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007
Elected as an inaugural inductee into the World Hockey Association Hall of Fame in the “Legends of the Game” category.
Named to the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2013
Ranked third all-time in regular season points behind Jaromir Jagr and Wayne Gretzky
Ranked second all-time in games played (1,756) behind Gordie Howe (1,767)

Mark Messier Statistics

Trade Tracker

Deeper Dive

Achievements

Other Notable Achievements

Sources