Worst No. 1 NHL Draft Picks of All Time
Eric Lindros did not live up to the hype.
The NHL is one of North America's four premier professional sports leagues with the NFL, NBA and MLB. And like its compatriots, the NHL has a tradition of royally screwing up the No. 1 overall pick over the years.
From freak injuries to bad attitudes to general on-ice incompetence, the worst No. 1 overall NHL draft picks of all time have been the result of a variety of misdeeds. Some were self-inflicted. A lot of them weren't.
These are the worst No. 1 overall picks in NHL draft history, dating back to the draft's first year in 1963.
30. Rick Nash
Rick Nash, left, became an assistant to the general manager for Columbus after his retirement in 2018.
Born: June 16, 1985 (Brampton, Ontario, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 2002, Columbus Blue Jackets
Position: Left wing
Stats for Rick Nash
Rick Nash was born and raised in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
Career: 15 seasons (2002-04, 2005-18)
Teams: Columbus Blue Jackets (2002-04, 2005-12), New York Rangers (2012-18), Boston Bruins (2018)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Rick Nash
Concussions cut Rick Nash's career short.
Rick Nash might actually still be playing in the NHL if concussions hadn't cut his career short in 2018.
He was a six-time All-Star and led the league in goals in 2004, his second season. All that being said, for some reason, Nash never could lead a team to a Stanley Cup.
And he only played for the Stanley Cup once, losing in 2014 with the New York Rangers.
29. Wendel Clark
Wendel Clark, getting ready to swing his stick, is one of the most beloved players in Toronto history.
Born: Oct. 25, 1966 (Kelvington, Saskatchewan, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1985, Toronto Maple Leafs
Position: Left wing/defense
Stats for Wendel Clark
Wendel Clark scored 46 goals during the 1993-94 season, one of his most productive years in the NHL.
Career: 15 seasons (1985-2000)
Teams: Toronto Maple Leafs (1985-94, 1996-98, 2000), Quebec Nordiques (1994-95), New York Islanders (1995), Tampa Bay Lightning (1998-99), Detroit Red Wings (1999), Chicago Blackhawks (1999-2000)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Wendel Clark
Wendel Clark played for the Islanders between three separate stints with the Maple Leafs.
Wendel Clark was a beloved player on the Toronto Maple Leafs, including as captain from 1991 to 1994.
Clark's standing with the team and the fans is best underlined by the fact he had three separate stints with the team, including part of his final season in 2000.
Clark's career was shaped by a severe back injury in 1987, and it's largely cited as the reason he never became an elite player.
28. Mel Bridgman
Mel Bridgman had one of the greatest moustaches in pro sports history.
Born: April 28, 1955 (Trenton, Ontario, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1975, Philadelphia Flyers
Position: Center
Stats for Mel Bridgman
Mel Bridgman played 977 career games in the NHL.
Career: 14 seasons (1975-89)
Teams: Philadelphia Flyers (1975-82), Calgary Flames (1982-83), New Jersey Devils (1983-87), Detroit Red Wings (1987-88), Vancouver Canucks (1988-89)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Mel Bridgman
Mel Bridgman, center, scored 87 points in the 1981-82 season.
Mel Bridgman may have never won a Stanley Cup, but he had a solid, unremarkable career and was a consistent, reliable player for five different teams over 14 seasons.
Bridgman was at his best with the Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils in the early 1980s, including an 87-point season in the 1981-82 season.
27. Owen Nolan
Owen Nolan was the first of back-to-back No. 1 picks for the Quebec Nordiques.
Born: Feb. 12, 1972 (Belfast, Northern Ireland)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1990, Quebec Nordiques
Position: Right wing
Stats for Owen Nolan
Owen Nolan, right, had speed and strength.
Career: 18 seasons (1990-2004, 2006-10)
Teams: Quebec Nordiques (1990-95), Colorado Avalanche (1995-96), San Jose Sharks (1996-2002), Toronto Maple Leafs (2002-04), Phoenix Coyotes (2006-07), Calgary Flames (2007-08), Minnesota Wild (2008-10)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Owen Nolan
Owen Nolan made five All-Star appearances.
Owen Nolan was the first of back-to-back No. 1 overall picks for the Quebec Nordiques, but the only one that actually played for the team after 1991 No. 1 Eric Lindros refused to play for the team.
Nolan had a more-than-respectable career with five All-Star appearances.
However, he never won a Stanley Cup and never led the league in any category.
26. Roman Hamrlik
Roman Hamrlik played 20 seasons in the NHL.
Born: April 12, 1974 (Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1992, Tampa Bay Lightning
Position: Defense
Stats for Roman Hamrlik
Roman Hamrlik never played in a Stanley Cup Final.
Career: 20 seasons (1992-2004, 2005-13)
Teams: Tampa Bay Lightning (1992-98), Edmonton Oilers (1998-2000), New York Islanders (2000-04), Calgary Flames (2005-07), Montreal Canadiens (2007-11), Washington Capitals (2011-12), New York Rangers (2012-13)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Roman Hamrlik
Roman Hamrlik played almost 1,400 games in the NHL.
Roman Hamrlik played almost 1,400 career games and was a three-time All-Star, but he never played in a Stanley Cup Final series despite 20 seasons in the NHL.
Hamrlik wasn't the first person in his family to get drafted into the NHL, either. That was his older brother, Martin, who was drafted by the Whalers in 1991 and never played in the NHL.
25. Chris Phillips
Chris Phillips played his entire career with the Ottawa Senators.
Born: March 9, 1978 (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1996, Ottawa Senators
Position: Defense
Stats for Chris Phillips
Chris Phillips made his NHL debut at the age of 19.
Career: 17 seasons (1997-2004, 2005-15)
Teams: Ottawa Senators
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Chris Phillips
Chris Phillips scored an own goal in the 2007 Stanley Cup Final.
Chris Phillips played his entire career with the Ottawa Senators and was a traditional, stay-at-home defenseman.
The franchise thought enough of him and his service to the team that they're going to retire his number, but Phillips never made an All-Star team and never scored a point in the playoffs.
In his only Stanley Cup Final, in 2007, he scored an own goal that was the game-winner in Game 5 against the Anaheim Ducks.
24. Billy Harris
Billy Harris was traded from the New York Islanders right before they won four consecutive Stanley Cup titles.
Born: Jan. 29, 1952 (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1972, New York Islanders
Position: Right wing
Stats for Billy Harris
Billy Harris was the first New York Islander.
Career: 12 seasons (1972-84)
Teams: New York Islanders (1972-80), Los Angeles Kings (1980-82, 1983-84), Toronto Maple Leafs (1981-83)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Billy Harris
Billy Harris was traded to the Los Angeles Kings.
Billy Harris, the No. 1 overall pick, became one of the more hard-luck players of all time.
He was the first player drafted in the history of the expansion New York Islanders and helped build the foundation of the team.
Then, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings before the 1980-81 season, the first of four Stanley Cup titles in a row for the Islanders.
23. Rob Ramage
Rob Ramage, No. 5, was the top pick in the famous 1979 NHL draft.
Born: Jan. 11, 1959 (Byron, Ontario, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1979, Colorado Rockies
Position: Defense
Stats for Rob Ramage
Rob Ramage scored a career-best 66 points in the 1985-86 season with the Blues.
Career: 15 seasons (1979-94)
Teams: Colorado Rockies (1979-82), St. Louis Blues (1982-88), Calgary Flames (1987-89), Toronto Maple Leafs (1989-91), Minnesota North Stars (1991-92), Tampa Bay Lightning (1992-93), Montreal Canadiens (1992-94), Philadelphia Flyers (1993-94)
Stanley Cup championships: 2 (1989, 1993)
Bottom Line: Rob Ramage
Rob Ramage played 1,044 career NHL games.
The 1979 NHL draft is considered one of the greatest of all time. Seven Hall of Famers were selected, with four in the first round alone.
The Colorado Rockies missed on all of them with the No. 1 overall pick, taking defenseman Rob Ramage. His career wasn't bad, and he made four All-Star teams and won two Stanley Cup titles.
But Ramage didn't win them in Colorado, and he was traded to St. Louis after the franchise moved to New Jersey in 1982 and became the Devils.
22. Ed Jovanovski
Ed Jovanovski was a defensman who liked to score.
Born: June 26, 1975 (Windsor, Ontario, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1994, Florida Panthers
Position: Defense
Stats for Ed Jovanovski
Ed Jovanovski finished third in voting for the 1996 Calder Trophy for best NHL rookie.
Career: 18 seasons (1995-2004, 2005-14)
Teams: Florida Panthers (1995-99, 2011-14), Vancouver Canucks (1999-2004, 2005-06), Phoenix Coyotes (2006-11)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Ed Jovanovski
Ed Jovanovski made five All-Star teams.
It's tough to put a five-time All-Star on a list of all-time NHL busts, but here we are.
Ed Jovanovski was a perfectly built hockey player at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, but if we are looking at things objectively, he was also a defenseman who played out of position way too much.
Jovanovski tried to push the envelope too much to get points or a big hit and was often caught out of position.
21. Erik Johnson
Erik Johnson signed a seven-year, $42 million contract in 2015.
Born: March 21, 1988 (Bloomington, Minnesota)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 2006, St. Louis Blues
Position: Defense
Stats for Erik Johnson
Erik Johnson played one season for the University of Minnesota before going pro.
Career: 12 seasons (2007-08, 2009-present)
Teams: St. Louis Blues (2007-08, 2009-11), Colorado Avalanche (2011-present)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Erik Johnson
Erik Johnson made his only All-Star team in 2015.
Minnesota native Erik Johnson played one season for the University of Minnesota before he went pro and had some great timing when it came to making his first and only All-Star team in 2015.
The Colorado Avalanche signed him to a seven-year, $42 million extension before the next season.
Five years later, he's still never won a Stanley Cup.
20. Eric Lindros
Eric Lindros, right, refused to play for the team that selected him No. 1 overall in 1991, the Quebec Nordiques.
Born: Feb. 28, 1973 (London, Ontario, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1991, Quebec Nordiques
Position: Center
Stats for Eric Lindros
Eric Lindros, right, finished his career with the Stars.
Career: 13 seasons (1992-2004, 2005-07)
Teams: Philadelphia Flyers (1992-2000), New York Rangers (2001-04), Toronto Maple Leafs (2005-06), Dallas Stars (2006-07)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Eric Lindros
It would hurt to get punched by Eric Lindros.
You might think it was tough to put a Hall of Famer, Hart Trophy winner and seven-time All-Star on this list. It really wasn't.
For all of Eric Lindros' individual accolades, he 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.
19. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has made one All-Star team in 10 seasons.
Born: April 12, 1993 (Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 2011, Edmonton Oilers
Position: Center
Stats for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored 28 goals in the 2018-19 season.
Career: 9 seasons (2011-present)
Teams: Edmonton Oilers
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins signed a seven-year, $42 million contract in 2013.
It might be a little early to put Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on this list, but the proof is in the fact that his career seemed to plateau after making his only All-Star team in 2015.
It will be interesting to see what the market is for Nugent-Hopkins after he finished playing out a seven-year, $42 million contract with the Oilers in 2020.
18. Rick Green
Rick Green, with puck, was the Capitals' second No. 1 overall pick in three seasons.
Born: Feb. 20, 1956 (Belleville, Ontario, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1976, Washington Capitals
Position: Defense
Stats for Rick Green
Rick Green won the Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1986.
Career: 15 seasons (1976-89, 1990-92)
Teams: Washington Capitals (1976-82), Montreal Canadiens (1982-89), Detroit Red Wings (1990-91), New York Islanders (1991-92)
Stanley Cup championships: 1 (1986)
Bottom Line: Rick Green
Rick Green, left, played in 845 career NHL games.
Rick Green was the second No. 1 overall pick by the Washington Capitals in three years following Greg Joly in 1974, and it's pretty telling what the Capitals thought of Joly when they drafted Green, another defenseman.
Green wasn't much better than Joly, though, and the second half of his career was a wasteland except for winning a Stanley Cup title as a reserve with the Canadiens in 1986.
17. Michel Plasse
Michel Plasse won a Stanley Cup title in 1973.
Born: June 1, 1948 (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
Died: Dec. 30, 2006 (age 58, La Visitation-de-I'lle-Dupas, Quebec, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1968, Montreal Canadiens
Position: Goaltender
Stats for Michel Plasse
Michel Plasse had a career 3.79 goals-against average.
Career: 11 seasons (1970-71, 1972-82)
Teams: St. Louis Blues (1970-71), Montreal Canadiens (1972-74), Kansas City Scouts (1974-75), Pittsburgh Penguins (1975-76), Colorado Rockies (1976-80), Quebec Nordiques (1980-82)
Stanley Cup championships: 1 (1973)
Bottom Line: Michel Plasse
Michel Plasse was the first goalie to score in an NHL game.
The 1968 NHL draft was another wasteland — just two All-Star players and no Hall of Famers in 24 picks.
Goaltender Michel Plasse never became a star but did have a pair of remarkable career highlights when he became the first goalie to score a goal in a professional game in 1971, his rookie year, and when he won a Stanley Cup as the Canadiens' backup goalie in 1973.
16. Garry Monahan
Garry Monahan, right, was the first No. 1 overall pick in NHL draft history.
Born: Oct. 20, 1946 (Barrie, Ontario, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1963, Montreal Canadiens
Position: Center
Stats for Garry Monahan
Garry Monahan socred 116 career goals.
Career: 12 seasons (1967-79)
Teams: Montreal Canadiens (1967-69), Detroit Red Wings (1969-70), Los Angeles Kings (1970), Toronto Maple Leafs (1970-75, 1978-79), Vancouver Canucks (1975-78)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Garry Monahan
Garry Monahan was 16 years old when he was drafted No. 1 overall.
The NHL draft really didn't have a good understanding of what it should be in the first decade of its existence, and that was never more on display than in the first draft in 1963.
Players were limited to 16-year-old players in the minor leagues, and the Canadiens took Garry Monahan, who played just parts of two seasons in Montreal.
15. Doug Wickenheiser
Doug Wickenheiser, left, was taken ahead of three Hall of Famers in the first round of the 1980 NHL draft.
Born: March 30, 1961 (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada)
Died: Jan. 12, 1999 (age 37, St. Louis, Missouri)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1980, Montreal Canadiens
Position: Center
Stats for Doug Wickenheiser
Doug Wickenheiser played in 556 games in the NHL.
Career: 10 seasons (1980-90)
Teams: Montreal Canadiens (1980-84), St. Louis Blues (1984-87), Vancouver Canucks (1987-88), New York Rangers (1988-89), Washington Capitals (1989-90)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Doug Wickenheiser
Doug Wickenheiser, right, died of cancer at just 37 years old.
The Montreal Canadiens struck out with Doug Wickeheiser at No. 1 overall in 1980.
Three Hall of Famers were taken in the next five picks, including two who played the same position as Wickenheiser in Paul Coffey and Larry Murphy.
Wickenheiser died of cancer in 1999 at just 37 years old.
14. Barry Gibbs
Barry Gibbs' name was strikingly familiar to a member of The Bee Gees, Barry Gibb.
Born: Sept. 28, 1948 (Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1966, Boston Bruins
Position: Defense
Stats for Barry Gibbs
Barry Gibbs played 13 seasons in the NHL.
Career: 13 seasons (1967-80)
Teams: Boston Bruins (1967-69), Minnesota North Stars (1969-75), Atlanta Flames (1974-78), St. Louis Blues (1978-79), Los Angeles Kings (1979-80)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Barry Gibbs
Barry Gibbs was taken one spot before Hall of Famer Brad Park.
The NHL draft started to turn around as a whole in 1966, with a Hall of Famer taken in the first round for the first time.
Unfortunately for the Bruins, they picked defenseman Barry Gibbs at No. 1 overall and defenseman Brad Park, the future Hall of Famer, went No. 2 overall to the New York Rangers.
Gibbs never made an All-Star team.
13. Bryan Berard
Bryan Berard almost lost his right eye during a game in 1999.
Born: March 5, 1977 (Woonsocket, Rhode Island)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1995, Ottawa Senators
Position: Defense
Stats for Bryan Berard
Bryan Berard, left, was not afraid to mix it up on the ice.
Career: 10 seasons (1996-2000, 2001-04, 2005-08)
Teams: New York Islanders (1996-99, 2007-08), Toronto Maple Leafs (1999-2000), New York Rangers (2001-02), Boston Bruins (2002-03), Chicago Blackhawks (2003-04), Columbus Blue Jackets (2005-07)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Bryan Berard
Bryan Berard was the 1997 NHL Rookie of the Year.
Bryan Berard was hit in the eye with a stick during a game in 1999, almost had the eye removed and was out of hockey for almost two years.
Berard, the 1997 NHL Rookie of the Year, collected a $6.5 million insurance policy after the injury and tried to return to the ice but became famous again for another reason.
He was the first NHL player to test positive for anabolic steroids in 2006.
12. Greg Joly
The Washington Capitals thought Greg Joly would be the next Bobby Orr. He was not.
Born: May 30, 1954 (Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1974, Washington Capitals
Position: Defense
Stats for Greg Joly
Greg Joly played 365 games in his NHL career, 98 with the Capitals and 267 with the Red Wings.
Career: 9 seasons (1974-83)
Teams: Washington Capitals (1974-76), Detroit Red Wings (1976-83)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Greg Joly
Greg Joly was out of the NHL by the time he was 28 years old.
Washington Capitals general manager Milt Schmidt put an undue amount of pressure on Greg Joly when he drafted him No. 1 overall in 1974 and called him "the next Bobby Orr."
Joly was hardly that, lasting only nine seasons in the NHL and was out of the league by the time he was 28 years old.
11. Patrik Stefan
Patrik Stefan's breakaway, empty-net miss in 2007 lives on in blooper reels.
Born: Sept. 16, 1980 (Pribram, Czechoslovakia)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1999, Atlanta Thrashers
Position: Center
Stats for Patrik Stefan
Patrik Stefan, left, finished his career with the Dallas Stars.
Career: 7 seasons (1999-2004, 2005-07)
Teams: Atlanta Thrashers (1999-2004, 2005-06), Dallas Stars (2006-07)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Patrik Stefan
Patrik Stefan, right, had a memorable miss on a breakaway goal.
Injuries plagued Patrik Stefan's brief NHL career — he only lasted seven seasons — but he's best known for another moment.
Leading 5-4 in a game against the Oilers in 2007, Stefan missed a breakaway goal on an open net, then cleared the puck to the other end and allowed the Oilers to tie the score with two seconds left.
10. Dale McCourt
Dale McCourt sued the Red Wings when they tried to trade him to the Los Angeles Kings.
Born: Jan. 26, 1957 (Falconbridge, Ontario, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1977, Detroit Red Wings
Position: Center
Stats for Dale McCourt
Dale McCourt scored 478 points in his NHL career.
Career: 7 seasons (1977-84)
Teams: Detroit Red Wings (1977-82), Buffalo Sabres (1982-84), Toronto Maple Leafs (1984)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Dale McCourt
Detroit Red Wings general manager Ted Lindsay, left, with No. 1 overall pick Dale McCourt.
The Detroit Red Wings embarked on one of the more bizarre sagas with a No. 1 pick in Dale McCourt.
After one season, the Red Wings traded McCourt to the Los Angeles Kings. Then, McCourt sued both the Kings, Red Wings and the NHL.
He won, but the relationship was ruined, and he was traded to the Sabres in 1981.
9. Gord Kluzak
Gord Kluzak's career ended early because of injuries.
Born: March 4, 1964 (Climax, Saskatchewan, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1982, Boston Bruins
Position: Defense
Stats for Gord Kluzak
Gord Kluzak scored 123 points in 299 career games.
Career: 7 seasons (1982-84, 1985-86, 1987-91)
Teams: Boston Bruins
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Gord Kluzak
Gord Kluzak, center, played just nine seasons.
The Bruins were desperate to find a replacement for Bobby Orr and tabbed Gord Kluzak as the player who might fill that role.
But they missed on two Hall of Fame defensemen with Scott Stevens and Phil Housley, who went fifth and sixth, respectively.
Kluzak's career lasted just nine seasons, including two full seasons missed because of major knee surgeries.
8. Brian Lawton
Brian Lawton was the first U.S.-born player taken No. 1 overall in the NHL draft.
Born: June 29, 1965 (New Brunswick, New Jersey)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1983, Minnesota North Stars
Position: Center
Stats for Brian Lawton
Brian Lawton was picked before Steve Yzerman in the 1983 NHL draft.
Career: 9 seasons (1983-90, 1991-93)
Teams: Minnesota North Stars (1983-88), New York Rangers (1988-89), Hartford Whalers (1989-90), Quebec Nordiques (1990), Boston Bruins (1990), San Jose Sharks (1991-93)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Brian Lawton
Brian Lawton went to work for the NHL Network after his career.
Brian Lawton was the first U.S.-born player selected No. 1 overall in the NHL draft and the only U.S.-born high school player taken No. 1 overall.
Lawton was one of three centers taken in the first four picks but the only one who didn't make the Hall of Fame — Pat LaFontaine and Steve Yzerman were the other two centers.
7. Rick DiPietro
Rick DiPietro retired in 2013 but will continue to receive paychecks from the Islanders until 2029.
Born: Sept. 19, 1981 (Lewiston, Maine)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 2000, New York Islanders
Position: Goaltender
Stats for Rick DiPietro
Rick DiPietro had a career .902 save percentage.
Career: 11 seasons (2000-04, 2005-13)
Teams: New York Islanders
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Rick DiPietro
Rick DiPietro gets paid $1.5 million every year through 2029.
Rick DiPietro's 15-year, $65.75 million, fully guaranteed contract signed with the New York Islanders in 2006 is the stuff of legend.
Injuries limited DiPietro to just 50 more regular-season games after he signed the deal, and he accepted a contract buyout in 2013 that pays him $1.5 million per year through the end of the 2028-29 season — hockey's version of the Bobby Bonilla deal.
6. Andre Veilleux
Andre Veilleux was the second of two consecutive No. 1 overall picks who never played in the NHL.
Born: Unknown
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1965, New York Rangers
Position: Right wing
Stats for Andre Veilleux
Emille Francis was the New York Rangers general manager when they selected Andre Veilleux No. 1 in 1965.
Career: N/A
Teams: N/A
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Andre Veilleux
New York Rangers coach Red Sullivan picked Andre Veilleux No. 1 overall.
Three years into its existence, the NHL draft really still didn't have a clue. Andre Veilleux was the second straight pick to never play an NHL game.
It wasn't just the top of the draft that was striking out. There were only three All-Star and one Hall of Famer taken in the first three years of the draft.
5. Joe Murphy
Joe Murphy's life took a sad turn after his hockey career was over.
Born: Oct. 16, 1967 (London, Ontario, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1986, Detroit Red Wings
Position: Right wing
Stats for Joe Murphy
Joe Murphy played for seven teams in the NHL.
Career: 15 seasons (1986-2001)
Teams: Detroit Red Wings (1986-90), Edmonton Oilers (1990-92), Chicago Blackhawks (1992-96), St. Louis Blues (1996-98), San Jose Sharks (1998-99), Boston Bruins (1999-2000), Washington Capitals (2000-01)
Stanley Cup championships: 1 (1990)
Bottom Line: Joe Murphy
Joe Murphy, left, won a Stanley Cup four years after winning the NCAA national championship.
The early part of Joe Murphy's career was defined by an NCAA championship with Michigan State in 1986 and Stanley Cup title in 1990 with the Edmonton Oilers.
His later career and life has been a much sadder story as he flamed out of the NHL after multiple beefs with teammates and coaches.
In recent years, he's been living on the streets in Kenora, Ontario, despite making $15 million during his NHL career.
4. Rick Pagnutti
Rick Pagnutti had a lengthy career overseas but never played in the NHL.
Born: Nov. 14, 1946 (Sudbury, Ontario, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1967, Los Angeles Kings
Position: Defense
Stats for Rick Pagnutti
Rick Pagnutti was taken No. 1 overall in the 1967 NHL draft.
Career: N/A
Teams: N/A
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Rick Pagnutti
Rick Pagnutti was inducted into the Rochester Americans Hall of Fame as part of the 2012 class.
The 1967 NHL draft occurred one day after the talent-filled expansion draft. Three Hall of Famers went in the first three picks of the expansion draft with Terry Sawchuck, Bernie Parent and Glenn Hall.
Rick Pagnutti, who went No. 1 overall in the actual draft, was the last No. 1 pick to never play a game in the NHL, but had a 10-year career in the minor leagues.
3. Nail Yakupov
Nail Yakupov lasted just six seasons in the NHL.
Born: Oct. 6, 1993 (Nizhnekamsk, Russia)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 2012, Edmonton Oilers
Position: Right wing
Stats for Nail Yakupov
Nail Yakupov was born in Nizhnekamsk, Russia.
Career: 6 seasons (2012-18)
Teams: Edmonton Oilers (2012-16), St. Louis Blues (2016-17), Colorado Avalanche (2017-18)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Nail Yakupov
Nail Yakupov scored 136 points in his career.
The signs were there that Nail Yakupov was going to be a terrible pro.
He was described as "sulky and uncooperative" by several teams in the interview process leading up to the draft, and allegedly offended teams who didn't have the No. 1 pick and wanted to talk to him.
Yakupov's NHL career lasted just six seasons, including the last three with three different teams.
2. Claude Gauthier
Detroit Red Wings head coach Sid Abel, pictured, selected Claude Gauthier No. 1 overall in 1964.
Born: Sept. 12, 1947 (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1964, Detroit Red Wings
Position: Forward
Stats for Claude Gauthier
Claude Gauthier (not pictured) never got to play with Gordie Howe (left) or Ted Lindsay (center) after Sid Abel (right) drafted Gauthier.
Career: N/A
Teams: N/A
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Claude Gauthier
Sid Abel won a Stanley Cup as a player for the Detroit Red Wings before becoming the team's head coach.
One of three players taken No. 1 overall who never played in the NHL, Claude Gauthier was picked by the Red Wings off a midget league team in Quebec.
Of 24 total picks in the 1964 draft, Gauthier was one of nine who never played in the NHL. His career was so unmemorable that the internet doesn't even a photo of him playing anywhere. Blame Detroit Red Wings head coach Sid Abel (pictured), who took Gauthier.
One Hall of Famer was picked in 1964. Goaltender Ken Dryden was taken by Montreal in the third round.
1. Alexandre Daigle
Alexandrea Daigle was selected one spot before future Hall of Famer Chris Pronger.
Born: Feb. 7, 1975 (Laval, Quebec, Canada)
Drafted No. 1 overall: 1993, Ottawa Senators
Position: Center
Stats for Alexandre Daigle
Alexandre Daigle made his NHL debut at the age of 18.
Career: 10 seasons (1993-2000, 2002-2004, 2005-06)
Teams: Ottawa Senators (1993-98), Philadelphia Flyers (1998-99), Tampa Bay Lightning (1999), New York Rangers (1999-2000), Pittsburgh Penguins (2002-03), Minnesota Wild (2003-04, 2005-06)
Stanley Cup championships: None
Bottom Line: Alexandre Daigle
Alexandre Daigle, left, briefly retired in 2000.
Alexandre Daigle's famous quote on draft day — "I'm glad I was picked No. 1 because nobody remembers No. 2" — still resonates to this day.
Mainly because the No. 2 pick in 1993, Chris Pronger, went on to a Hall of Fame career, and Daigle is widely regarded as one of the worst draft busts in NHL history.
Daigle briefly retired in 2000, at 25 years old, but returned in 2002 and played three more seasons.