Greatest NHL Players Who Never Won a Stanley Cup
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We want to say it doesn't diminish an accomplished career, but when a high-profile professional athlete ends their career without winning a league championship, we take notice. Hockey is no different.
In the history of the game, since the NHL started in 1917, there have been some great players who accomplished everything they could on the ice except for being able to lift the Stanley Cup at the end of the season. That glaring hole in their professional lives does color how we look at them.
These are the greatest NHL players of all time who never won a Stanley Cup.
30. Bernie Federko
Bernie Federko, left, spent almost his entire career with the St. Louis Blues.Born: May 12, 1956 (Foam Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada)
Position: Center
Career: 14 seasons (1976-90)
Teams: St. Louis Blues (1976-89), Detroit Red Wings (1989-90)
Career highlights: Two-time NHL All-Star (1980, 1981)
Bottom Line: Bernie Federko
Bernie Federko had at least 50 asssits in 10 consecutive seasons.Few players in NHL history could drive and dish like Bernie Federko, who set an NHL record by becoming the first player to have at least 50 assists in 10 consecutive seasons.
Unfortunately for Federko, he played the entirety of his career except for one season with the St. Louis Blues and never had a real shot at winning the Stanley Cup.
29. Curtis Joseph
Curtis Joseph wrote an autobiography titled "Cujo" when his career was over and did't get sued by Stephen King.Born: April 29, 1967 (Keswick, Ontario, Canada)
Position: Goaltender
Career: 18 seasons (1989-2004, 2005-08)
Teams: St. Louis Blues (1989-95), Edmonton Oilers (1995-98), Toronto Maple Leafs (1998-2002, 2008-09), Detroit Red Wings (2002-04), Phoenix Coyotes (2005-07), Calgary Flames (2007-08)
Career highlights: Three-time NHL All-Star (1994, 1999, 2000), King Clancy Trophy (2000)
Bottom Line: Curtis Joseph
Curtis Joseph was a three-time NHL All-Star.Curtis Joseph took more of a beating in the media than most goalies. A large part of that had to do with him being paid so much money during his career — he made over $51 million in hockey earnings, or $76 million in today's dollars.
The bottom line is that Joseph, who made it to the NHL despite being undrafted, retired with more career wins (454) than any goaltender in NHL history who never won a Stanley Cup.
28. Bernie Nicholls
Bernie Nicholls spent nine seasons on some lowly Los Angeles Kings squads.Born: June 24, 1961 (Haliburton, Ontario, Canada)
Position: Center
Career: 18 seasons (1981-99)
Teams: Los Angeles Kings (1981-90), New York Rangers (1990-92), Edmonton Oilers (1992-93), New Jersey Devils (1993-94), Chicago Blackhawks (1994-96), San Jose Sharks (1996-99)
Career highlights: Three-time NHL All-Star (1984, 1989, 1990)
Bottom Line: Bernie Nicholls
Bernie Nicholls played for five different teams over his last nine seasons.Bernie Nicholls started his career backing up one of the other players on this list with Marcel Dionne, then moving into the starting role and becoming a star with the Los Angeles Kings.
Nicholls spent the last nine seasons of his career chasing a Stanley Cup with five different teams but came up short.
He finally won a Stanley Cup as a coaching consultant with the Kings in 2012.
27. Peter Bondra
Peter Bondra was named NHL's Fastest Skater twice.Born: Feb. 7, 1968 (Bakivtsi, Lutsk Raion, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union)
Position: Right wing
Career: 17 seasons (1990-2007)
Teams: Washington Capitals (1990-2004), Ottawa Senators (2004-05), Atlanta Thrashers (2005-06), Chicago Blackhawks (2006-07)
Career highlights: Three-time NHL All-Star (1993, 1996-99), two-time NHL Fastest Skater (1997, 1999)
Bottom Line: Peter Bondra
Peter Bondra, right, is one of only 45 players in NHL history to score at least 500 goals.Peter Bondra is a two-time winner of the NHL Fastest Skater Competition, in 1997 and 1999.
He also has a pretty unique distinction in NHL history that speaks to exactly how fast he was on the ice.
Bondra is one of only 45 NHL players with 500 career goals and finished his career with 892 points.
26. Ryan Miller
Ryan Miller, left, won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender in 2010.Born: July 17, 1980 (East Lansing, Michigan)
Position: Goaltender
Career: 17 seasons (2002-04, 2005-present)
Teams: Buffalo Sabres (2002-04, 2005-14), St. Louis Blues (2014), Vancouver Canucks (2014-17), Anaheim Ducks (2017-21)
Career highlights: NHL All-Star (2007), Vezina Trophy (2010)
Bottom Line: Ryan Miller
Ryan Miller, his brother and three of his cousins all played for Michigan State and in the NHL.Ryan Miller holds the record for most career wins by an American-born goaltender with 382 and set the NHL record with 10 shootout wins in 2010 — the same year he won the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender. But when his career ended in 2021, it did so with him never winning a Stanley Cup.
The entire Miller family is a great American hockey story. Ryan, his brother Drew and cousins Kelly, Kevin and Kip all played for hometown Michigan State and all played in the NHL.
25. Darryl Sittler
Darryl Sittler is the last NHL player to score six goals in a game.Born: Sept. 18, 1950 (St. Jacobs, Ontario, Canada)
Position: Center
Career: 15 seasons (1970-85)
Teams: Toronto Maple Leafs (1970-82), Philadelphia Flyers (1982-84), Detroit Red Wings (1984-85)
Career highlights: Five-time NHL All-Star (1977-80, 1983)
Bottom Line: Darryl Sittler
Darryl Sittler had some epic battles with management during his career.Darryl Sittler has a few records that will most likely never be broken. On Feb. 7, 1976, he scored 10 points in one game against the Boston Bruins. He also scored six goals in that game, the last NHL player to do so in a single game.
Sittler's career was defined, somewhat, by his battles with team management and one of the more despicable figures in NHL history, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Punch Imlach.
24. Daniel Sedin
Daniel Sedin played his entire career with the Vancouver Canucks.Born: Sept. 26, 1980 (Omskoldsvik, Sweden)
Position: Left wing
Career: 17 seasons (2000-04, 2005-18)
Teams: Vancouver Canucks
Career highlights: Three-time NHL All-Star (2011, 2012, 2016), Art Ross Trophy (2011), King Clancy Trophy (2018)
Bottom Line: Daniel Sedin
Daniel Sedin came up one win shot of winning the Stanley Cup in 2011.Watching Daniel Sedin play alongside his twin brother, Henrik Sedin, on the Vancouver Canucks for 17 seasons was like watching some sort of experiment in how connected two human beings can be.
Daniel Sedin was known for being able to know exactly where his brother would be at all times with the puck, and the two came one game short of a Stanley Cup in 2011, when they lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the Stanley Cup Final.
23. P.K. Subban
P.K. Subban, right, won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman in 2013.Born: May 13, 1989 (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
Position: Defense
Career: 11 seasons (2009-present)
Teams: Montreal Canadiens (2009-16), Nashville Predators (2016-19), New Jersey Devils (2019-22)
Career highlights: Norris Trophy (2013), three-time NHL All-Star (2016-18), NHL All-Rookie Team (2011)
Bottom Line: P.K. Subban
P.K. Subban led the Nashville Predators to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017.No player on this list cashed in more on a Norris Trophy than P.K. Subban. He signed an eight-year, $72 million contract in 2014 after winning his first and only Norris to date.
Subban, a three-time All-Star, helped lead the Nashville Predators to their only Stanley Cup Final in 2017, where they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. Subban retired from hockey shortly ahead of the 2022-23 season without ever winning a Stanley Cup but will go down as one of the NHL's fan favorites of the last 20 years.
22. Mike Gartner
Mike Gartner, middle, is one of the fastest skaters in NHL history.Born: Oct. 29, 1959 (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
Position: Right wing
Career: 19 seasons (1979-98)
Teams: Washington Capitals (1979-89), Minnesota North Stars (1988-90), New York Rangers (1990-94), Toronto Maple Leafs (1994-96), Phoenix Coyotes (1996-98)
Career highlights: NHL All-Star Game MVP (1993), three-time NHL Fastest Skater (1991, 1993, 1996), NHL All-Star (1981, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1996)
Bottom Line: Mike Gartner
Mike Gartner was named NHL All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 1993.Mike Gartner was a three-time winner of the NHL Fastest Skater Competition, in 1991, 1993 and 1996. He also was the All-Star Game MVP in 1993.
Now, Gartner is one of the few players in NHL history to make the Hall of Fame without ever winning a Stanley Cup, playing in the Stanley Cup Final or earning a postseason award.
21. Dino Ciccarelli
Dino Ciccarelli, airborne, saw his career marked by some ugly incidents off the ice.Born: Feb. 8, 1960 (Sarnia, Ontario, Canada)
Position: Right wing
Career: 19 seasons (1980-99)
Teams: Minnesota North Stars (1980-89), Washington Capitals (1989-92), Detroit Red Wings (1992-96), Tampa Bay Lightning (1996-98), Florida Panthers (1998-99)
Career highlights: Four-time NHL All-Star (1982, 1983, 1989, 1997)
Bottom Line: Dino Ciccarelli
Dino Ciccarelli scored more goals than any undrafted player in NHL history.Dino Ciccarelli's 608 career goals are the most by an undrafted player in NHL history.
He set records for most goals and points by a rookie in the postseason in 1981 and became the fastest player in NHL history to 20 goals in 1986, doing it in 15 games.
Ciccarelli's long history of off-ice problems was what some point to as the reason for him not making it to the Hockey Hall of Fame until 2010 — eight years after he was first eligible.
20. Phil Housley
Phil Housley, center, was a seven-time All-Star.Born: March 9, 1964 (Saint Paul, Minnesota)
Position: Defense
Career: 21 seasons(1982-2003)
Teams: Buffalo Sabres (1982-90), Winnipeg Jets (1990-93), St. Louis Blues (1993-94), Calgary Flames (1994-96, 1998-2001), New Jersey Devils (1996), Washington Capitals (1996-98), Chicago Blackhawks (2001-03), Toronto Maple Leafs (2003)
Career highlights: NHL All-Rookie Team (1992), seven-time NHL All-Star (1984, 1989-93, 2000), Norris Trophy runner-up (1992)
Bottom Line: Phil Housley
Phil Housley is one of the most underappreciated players in NHL history.Phil Housley had one of the more understated, underappreciated careers of any American on this list.
He retired as the leading point scorer among American-born players in 2003, but another look at his stats reveals why his career may have been so underappreciated.
He also retired with the NHL record for most career games without winning a Stanley Cup.
19. Keith Tkachuk
Keith Tkachuk was the first American-born player to score 50 goals in a single season.Born: March 28, 1972 (Melrose, Massachusetts)
Position: Left wing
Career: 18 seasons (1991-2004, 2005-10)
Teams: Winnipeg Jets (1991-96), Phoenix Coyotes (1996-2001), St. Louis Blues (2001-07), Atlanta Thrashers (2007), St. Louis Blues (2007-10)
Career highlights: Five-time NHL All-Star (1997-99, 2004, 2009)
Bottom Line: Keith Tkachuk
Keith Tkachuk was a threat to score, then drop the gloves and change the bone structure of your face.Keith Tkachuk was the first American-born NHL player to score 50 goals in a season and the first to score 50 goals and rack up 200 penalty minutes in the same season.
Tkachuk's name carried as much respect as anyone in the NHL during his 18 seasons because of the two aforementioned reasons — his ability to score and his willingness to drop the gloves and fight at a moment's notice.
Tkachuk's son, Matthew, is now an NHL star in his own right for the Florida Panthers.
18. Jeremy Roenick
Jeremy Roenick was a nine-time NHL All-Star with a habit for alienating teammates and coaches.Born: Jan. 17, 1970 (Boston, Massachusetts)
Position: Center
Career: 20 seasons (1988-2004, 2005-09)
Teams: Chicago Blackhawks (1988-96), Phoenix Coyotes (1996-2001), Philadelphia Flyers (2001-04, 2006-07), Los Angeles Kings (2005-06), San Jose Sharks (2007-09)
Career highlights: Nine-time NHL All-Star (1991-94, 1999, 2000, 2002-04)
Bottom Line: Jeremy Roenick
Jeremy Roenick could never keep his mouth shut.Jeremy Roenick is one of the best-known NHL players of the last 30 years in large part because of his skill on the ice and in large part because he couldn't keep his mouth shut.
For all of his bluster, Roenick never produced a Stanley Cup victory for the five teams he played for in his 20-year career.
17. Pierre Turgeon
Pierre Turgeon, left, refused to fight with his teammates in one of the most infamous brawls in hockey history.Born: Aug. 28, 1969 (Rouyn, Quebec, Canada)
Position: Center
Career: 19 seasons(1987-2004, 2005-07)
Teams: Buffalo Sabres (1987-92), New York Islanders (1992-95), Montreal Canadiens (1995-97), St. Louis Blues (1997-2001), Dallas Stars (2001-04), Colorado Avalanche (2005-07)
Career highlights: Five-time NHL All-Star (1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2000), Lady Byng Trophy (1993)
Bottom Line: Pierre Turgeon
Pierre Turgeon was labeled a coward before he even played in the NHL.You can make a good argument that the arc of Pierre Turgeon's career was defined, somewhat, by one of the greatest fights in hockey history — the "Punch-Up in Piestany" between Canada and the Soviet Union at the 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
Turgeon, playing for Canada, was the one player for his team that refused to leave the bench and, unfair or not, carried around the "coward" tag for the remainder of his career. Even with five All-Star nods and a Lady Byng Trophy.
Would a Stanley Cup have changed that reputation? We'll never know.
16. Harry Howell
Get someone who loves you like Harry Howell's mom loved him.Born: Dec. 28, 1932 (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)
Died: March 9, 2019 (age 86, Ancaster, Ontario, Canada)
Position: Defense
Career: 21 seasons (1952-73)
Teams: New York Rangers (1952-69), Oakland Seals (1969-70), California Golden Seals (1970-71), Los Angeles Kings (1971-73)
Career highlights: Norris Trophy (1967), New York Rangers career record games played (1,160)
Bottom Line: Harry Howell
Harry Howell or Sean Connery? You decide.Harry Howell was the last NHL player to win the Norris Trophy before Bobby Orr reeled off eight consecutive Norris Trophy wins.
Howell never won the Stanley Cup as a player, giving 17 seasons to the New York Rangers before he spent his final four seasons in California playing for the Oakland Seals, California Golden Seals and Los Angeles Kings.
15. Rod Gilbert
Rod Gilbert made the NHL All-Star team eight times.Born: July 1, 1941 (Montreal, Quebec, Canada0
Position: Right wing
Career: 18 seasons (1960-78)
Teams: New York Rangers
Career highlights: Eight-time NHL All-Star (1964, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1977), Masterson Trophy (1976)
Bottom Line: Rod Gilbert
Rod Gilbert is one of the most beloved players in New York Rangers history.Rod Gilbert was only 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds but became one of the most beloved New York Rangers in history, playing his entire career with the franchise and becoming the first player in team history to have his number retired — despite never winning a Stanley Cup.
Gilbert was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982. In a cool aside, he was one of 10 athletes featured in famed artist Andy Warhol's Athlete Series of paintings in 1979.
14. Adam Oates
Adam Oates led the NHL in assists three times.Born: Aug. 27, 1962 (Weston, Ontario, Canada)
Position: Center
Career: 19 seasons (1985-2004)
Teams: Detroit Red Wings (1985-89), St. Louis Blues (1989-92), Boston Bruins (1992-97), Washington Capitals (1997-2002), Philadelphia Flyers (2002), Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002-03), Edmonton Oilers (2003-04)
Career highlights: Five-time NHL All-Star (1991-94, 1997), three-time NHL assists leader (1993, 2001, 2002)
Bottom Line: Adam Oates
Adam Oates played in the NHL for 19 seasons and lost twice in the Stanley Cup Final.Adam Oates was one of the more unselfish players in NHL history — a pass-first center who led the league in assists three times and finished in the top 10 in assists 12 times.
Oates played and lost in the Stanley Cup Final twice, in 1998 with the Washington Capitals and 2003 with the Anaheim Ducks.
He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.
13. Gilbert Perreault
Gilbert Perreault played his entire career for the Buffalo Sabres.Born: Nov. 13, 1950 (Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada)
Position: Center
Career: 17 seasons (1970-87)
Teams: Buffalo Sabres
Career highlights: Calder Trophy (1971), Lady Byng Trophy (1973), eight-time NHL All-Star (1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1984)
Bottom Line: Gilbert Perreault
Gilbert Perreault was the first draft pick for the Buffalo Sabres in franchise history.Gilbert Perreault was the first draft pick in Buffalo Sabres franchise history and played his entire career with the club.
Perreault was the center of the famed "French Connection" line alongside Rene Robert and Richard Martin, and the trio helped lead the Sabres to the Stanley Cup Final in 1975.
Perreault still holds Sabres career records for games (1,191), goals (512), assists (814) and points (1,326).
12. Erik Karlsson
Erik Karlsson has won the Norris Trophy twice.Born: May 31, 1990 (Landsbro, Sweden)
Position: Defense
Career: 11 seasons (2009-present)
Teams: Ottawa Senators (2009-18), San Jose Sharks (2018-present)
Career highlights: Two-time Norris Trophy winner (2012, 2015), six-time NHL All-Star (2011, 2012, 2016-19)
Bottom Line: Erik Karlsson
Erik Karlsson is one of the few players on this list still active in the NHL.The only thing missing from Erik Karlsson's resume at this point is a Stanley Cup. He's a six-time All-Star and has won the Norris Trophy twice.
Karlsson owns almost all of the Senators' records for defensemen from his nine seasons with the club, including a single-season-record 78 points in 2012, when he won his first Norris Trophy.
11. Peter Stastny
Peter Stastny, on the ice, was one of the first players in NHL history to defect from an Eastern bloc country.Born: Sept. 18, 1956 (Bratislava, Czechoslovakia)
Position: Center
Career: 15 seasons (1980-95)
Teams: Quebec Nordiques (1980-90), New Jersey Devils (1990-93), St. Louis Blues (1993-95)
Career highlights: Calder Trophy (1981), six-time NHL All-Star (1981-84, 1986, 1988)
Bottom Line: Peter Stastny
Peter Stastny, right, tries to check Wayne Gretzky during an NHL All-Star Game.Say what you will about Peter Stastny not winning a Stanley Cup, but his influence off the ice was as important as anything he ever did on the ice.
That's because Stastny, a fervent anti-Communist, was one of the first players from an Eastern bloc country to defect to Canada, when he and brother Anton left their native Czechoslovakia to play for the Quebec Nordiques in 1980.
Stastny's son, Paul Stastny, currently plays for the Winnipeg Jets.
10. Cam Neely
Cam Neely, right, had a propensity to fight that hurt his on-ice productivity early in his career.Born: June 6, 1965 (Comox, British Columbia, Canada)
Position: Right wing
Career: 13 seasons (1983-96)
Teams: Vancouver Canucks (1983-86), Boston Bruins (1986-96)
Career highlights: Masterson Trophy (1994), four-time NHL All-Star (1988-91, 1996)
Bottom Line: Cam Neely
Cam Neely couldn't fly, but he tried to right here."Bam Bam Cam" — Cam Neely — was one of the more beloved Boston Bruins in history and known for his ability to dole out physical punishment to his opponents at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, and for his elite goal-scoring ability.
Neely won a Stanley Cup as an executive but never as a player, and is almost as well known for his role as Sea Bass in the Jim Carrey comedy "Dumb and Dumber" in 1994.
9. Dale Hawerchuk
Dale Hawerchuk was named NHL Rookie of the Year in 1982.Born: April 4, 1963 (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
Died: Aug. 18, 2020 (age 57, Barrie, Ontario, Canada)
Position: Center
Career: 16 seasons (1981-97)
Teams: Winnipeg Jets (1981-90), Buffalo Sabres (1990-95), St. Louis Blues (1995-96), Philadelphia Flyers (1996-97)
Career highlights: Calder Trophy (1982), five-time NHL All-Star (1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1997)
Bottom Line: Dale Hawerchuk
Dale Hawerchuk played in the Stanley Cup Final once in 16 seasons.Dale Hawerchuk was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1981 NHL draft and played his first NHL game just a few months past his 18th birthday.
In 16 seasons, Hawerchuk only made it past the second round once, in his final season, when the Philadelphia Flyers were swept by the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final.
Hawerchuk died of stomach cancer in Aug. 2020, at 57 years old.
8. Eric Lindros
Eric Lindros never played for the Quebec Nordiques, the team that drafted him No. 1 overall.Born: Feb. 28, 1973 (London, Ontario, Canada)
Position: Center
Career: 14 seasons (1992-2004, 2005-07)
Teams: Philadelphia Flyers (1992-2000), New York Rangers (2001-04), Toronto Maple Leafs (2005-06), Dallas Stars (2006-07)
Career highlights: Hart Trophy (1995), seven-time NHL All-Star (1994, 1996-2000, 2002), NHL All-Rookie Team (1993)
Bottom Line: Eric Lindros
Eric Lindros played in the Stanley Cup Finals just once, losing in 1997.You won't find many Hart Trophy winners on this list, but Eric Lindros played in just one Stanley Cup Final and lost, in 1997, and beefed with teammates and management at every stop in his career.
Not to mention he never even played for the Quebec Nordiques, the team that picked him No. 1 overall.
Instead, he forced a trade to the Philadelphia Flyers.
7. Henrik Sedin
Henrik Sedin won the Hart Trophy as NHL Most Valuable Player in 2010.Born: Sept. 26, 1980 (Omskoldsvik, Sweden)
Position: Center
Career: 17 seasons (2000-04, 2005-18)
Teams: Vancouver Canucks
Career highlights: Hart Trophy (2010), three-time NHL All-Star (2008, 2011, 2012), Art Ross Trophy (2010), Sporting News Player of the Year (2010), two-time King Clancy Trophy (2016, 2018)
Bottom Line: Henrik Sedin
Henrik Sedin played in the Stanley Cup Final once in 17 seasons.Henrik Sedin is one of the few Hart Trophy winners on this list, but NHL fans know him well from playing his entire 17-season career alongside twin brother Daniel Sedin on the Vancouver Canucks.
Henrik Sedin and his brother won a gold medal for Sweden in the 2006 Olympics but came up short of a Stanley Cup in 2011, their one appearance in the finals where they lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games.
6. Pavel Bure
Pavel Bure's career was cut short by knee injuries.Born: March 31, 1971 (Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union)
Position: Right wing
Career: 12 seasons (1991-2003)
Teams: Vancouver Canucks (1991-98), Florida Panthers (1998-2002), New York Rangers (2001-03)
Career highlights: Calder Trophy (1992), seven-time NHL All-Star (1993, 1994, 1996-98, 2000, 2001), NHL All-Star Game MVP (2001)
Bottom Line: Pavel Bure
Pavel Bure was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.Pavel Bure was one of the most exciting players to grace the NHL in the last 30 years — a phenom who defected from Moscow and was nicknamed "The Russian Rocket" for his speed and his similar playing style to former Montreal great Maurice Richard.
Of all the great modern players who didn't win a Stanley Cup, Bure's career is one of the shortest as a result of recurring knee injuries, but he was still inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.
5. Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist is one of the most beloved players in New York Rangers history.Born: March 2, 1982 (Are, Sweden)
Position: Goaltender
Career: 15 seasons (2005-20)
Teams: New York Rangers
Career highlights: Five-time NHL All-Star (2009, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2019), Vezina Trophy (2012), NHL All-Rookie Team (2006), NHL All-Decade team (2010s)
Bottom Line: Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender in 2012.One of the most physically and mentally tough NHL players of all time, you can't find an NHL circle where Henrik Lundqvist's name doesn't draw a certain amount of respect.
The 2012 Vezina Trophy winner has been named the New York Rangers team MVP a franchise-record nine times.
"King Henrik" also led Sweden to a gold medal at the 2006 Olympics, but in 16 NHL seasons was never able to win a Stanley Cup.
4. Paul Kariya
Paul Kariya won an NCAA championship and Olympic gold medal but never a Stanley Cup.Born: Oct. 16, 1974 (North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Position: Left wing
Career: 15 seasons (1994-2004, 2005-10)
Teams: Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1994-2003), Colorado Avalanche (2003-04), Nashville Predators (2005-07), St. Louis Blues (2007-10)
Career highlights: Seven-time NHL All-Star (1996, 1997, 1999-2003), two-time Lady Byng Trophy winner (1996, 1997), NHL All-Rookie Team (1995)
Bottom Line: Paul Kariya
Paul Kariya won a national title with the University of Maine in 1993.Bottom line: Paul Kariya is essentially the Carmelo Anthony of the NHL. Like Melo, Kariya won an NCAA championship in his one college season, with Maine in 1993, and also won the Hobey Baker Award that season.
Like Melo, Kariya also won an Olympic gold medal, winning with Canada in 2002.
And, like Melo, who never won an NBA championship, Kariya has never won a Stanley Cup in the NHL.
3. Brad Park
Brad Park, left, was runner-up for the Norris Trophy a record six times.Born: July 6, 1948 (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
Position: Defense
Career: 17 seasons (1968-85)
Teams: New York Rangers (1968-76), Buffalo Bisons (1969), Boston Bruins (1976-83), Detroit Red Wings (1983-85)
Career highlights: Nine-time NHL All-Star (1970-78), six-time Norris Trophy runner-up (1970-72, 1974, 1976, 1978)
Bottom Line: Brad Park
Brad Park was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.If you're looking for an all-time NHL "bridesmaid but never the bride," you've found him in Hall of Famer Brad Park.
Park played 17 seasons in the NHL and never missed the playoffs, but lost three times in the Stanley Cup Final. He also finished as runner-up for the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman six times, which is also an NHL record.
Park was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1988, his first year of eligibility. When Park retired in 1985, he was the last active NHL player to take the ice in the 1960s.
2. Pat LaFontaine
Pat LaFontaine, right, joined the New York Islanders the season after they won four consecutive Stanley Cup titles.Born: Feb. 22, 1965 (St. Louis, Missouri)
Position: Center
Career: 15 seasons (1983-98)
Teams: New York Islanders (1983-91), Buffalo Sabres (1991-97), New York Rangers (1997-98)
Career highlights: Five-time NHL All-Star (1988-91, 1993), Masterson Memorial Trophy (1995)
Bottom Line: Pat LaFontaine
Pat LaFontaine was a five-time All-Star.Pat LaFontaine isn't just one of the greatest American-born hockey players in history. He's one of the greatest hockey players of all time, period.
Not only that but you can make an argument that Pat LaFontaine is the greatest player in NHL history to never win a Stanley Cup.
He joined the New York Islanders in the 1983-84 season, which was one year after they won four straight Stanley Cup titles.
1. Marcel Dionne
Marcel Dionne didn't win a Stanley Cup, but his younger brother Gilbert did.Born: Aug. 3, 1951 (Drummondville, Quebec, Canada)
Position: Center
Career: 18 seasons (1971-89)
Teams: Detroit Red Wings (1971-75), Los Angeles Kings (1975-87), New York Rangers (1987-89)
Career highlights: Two-time Lady Byng Trophy winner (1975, 1977), Art Ross Trophy (1980), eight-time NHL All-Star (1975-78, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985)
Bottom Line: Marcel Dionne
Marcel Dionne is the greatest NHL player to never win a Stanley Cup.Marcel Dionne is one of just eight players in NHL history to score 700 goals and ranks fifth on the all-time career goal list. That makes him the greatest NHL player to never win a Stanley Cup.
Outside of the NHL, Dionne may have been part of the two greatest lines of all time at the 1976 Canada Cup, alongside Bobby Hull and Phil Esposito, and at the 1981 Canada Cup alongside Wayne Gretzky and Guy LaFleur.
In a weird twist, Marcel Dionne's much younger brother, Gilbert Dionne, won a Stanley Cup with the Canadiens.