GOAT Index

Two legends at a time. Thousands of votes. One ranking.

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Who is the greatest hockey player of all time?

Who's greater?

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    NHL GOAT ranking: the fans' top 25

    Based on 20 head-to-head votes from 2 fans. Updated live.

    1. Wayne Gretzky C · Oilers, Kings · rating 1822 · 4–0
    2. Mario Lemieux C · Penguins · rating 1671 · 2–0
    3. Patrick Kane RW · Blackhawks · rating 1633 · 2–1
    4. Dominik Hašek G · Sabres · rating 1625 · 1–0
    5. Sidney Crosby C · Penguins · rating 1615 · 2–1
    6. Peter Forsberg C · Avalanche · rating 1614 · 2–0
    7. Alex Ovechkin LW · Capitals · rating 1524 · 1–1
    8. Connor McDavid C · Oilers · rating 1517 · 1–1
    9. Jean Béliveau C · Canadiens · rating 1502 · 1–1
    10. Bobby Orr D · Bruins · rating 1499 · 0–0
    11. Jaromír Jágr RW · Penguins · rating 1499 · 0–0
    12. Maurice Richard RW · Canadiens · rating 1499 · 0–0
    13. Nicklas Lidström D · Red Wings · rating 1499 · 0–0
    14. Patrick Roy G · Canadiens, Avalanche · rating 1499 · 0–0
    15. Guy Lafleur RW · Canadiens · rating 1495 · 1–1
    16. Mark Messier C · Oilers, Rangers · rating 1491 · 1–1
    17. Joe Sakic C · Avalanche · rating 1486 · 1–1
    18. Martin Brodeur G · Devils · rating 1451 · 1–2
    19. Steve Yzerman C · Red Wings · rating 1429 · 0–1
    20. Gordie Howe RW · Red Wings · rating 1414 · 0–1
    21. Bobby Hull LW · Blackhawks · rating 1379 · 0–1
    22. Mike Bossy RW · Islanders · rating 1362 · 0–1
    23. Terry Sawchuk G · Red Wings · rating 1331 · 0–2
    24. Phil Esposito C · Bruins · rating 1330 · 0–2
    25. Ray Bourque D · Bruins · rating 1313 · 0–2

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    Questions

    Who is the NHL GOAT according to fans?

    Wayne Gretzky currently leads the GOAT Index NHL ranking after 20 head-to-head votes from 2 fans.

    How is the ranking calculated?

    Fans vote on head-to-head matchups between two legends. Every vote counts like a game result, and a Bradley–Terry model (the idea behind chess ratings) turns thousands of results into one ranking, where beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot.

    More GOAT debates

    Men: NBA · Men's football · Men's tennis · NFL · MLB · Men's boxing · Formula 1 · Men's table tennis

    Women: Women's basketball · Women's football · Women's tennis · Women's ice hockey · Women's boxing · Women's table tennis

    How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.

    One vote per matchup per person. If you see a pairing again in another session your new answer replaces the old one, so nobody can stuff the ballot by repeating a matchup.

    Anonymous by design. No account needed. A quick bot check from Cloudflare runs once when you arrive, and your votes are tied to a random ID kept in your browser, not to your name or email. Privacy policy.

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