The 5 Best NHL Defensemen of All-Time Ranked

The best defensemen in NHL history patrolled the blue line and were able to consistently create offensive opportunities generated by strong defensive play. Our list of the best all-time NHL defensemen looks at the players that changed the game forever with their speed, power, and comprehensive knowledge of how the game works.

1. Bobby Orr

• Years Played: 1966–1979
• Teams: Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks
• Stanley Cups: 2
• Hart Trophies (MVP): 3
• Norris Trophies (Best Defensemen): 8

Bobby Orr revolutionized how the position of defensemen is played more than any single athlete has in any sport ever. Up until Orr, most defensemen in hockey hung back in their own zones.  However, Orr used his blistering speed to skate from behind his own net and attack the other team, often taking the puck directly to the opposing goal himself.

Orr captured the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year in 1967 and came in second in Norris Trophy (best defensemen) voting. The player that won the Norris that year said that he was glad to win the award, because he suspected Orr would own the trophy from then on; Bobby Orr won it for the next eight consecutive years. 

He won the Stanley Cup in 1970 and in 1972, scoring the cup-clinching goal in both seasons. His “flying goal” that won the 1970 Stanley Cup is one of the most iconic images in hockey history. 

That same year he became the first and only player in NHL history to win the Hart Trophy (league MVP), Norris Trophy, Conn Smythe (playoff MVP), and Art Ross Trophy (regular season points leader) in the same season. He’s the only defensemen in league history to have ever won the Art Ross scoring trophy — and he did it twice.

1970 would also be the first of three consecutive years that Orr won the Hart Trophy as league MVP. The next year the Bruins signed him to the first $1,000,000 contract in league history, and in 1972 Orr became the first player to ever win the Conn Smythe Trophy two times. 

Unfortunately, Bobby Orr’s freewheeling style of play took a toll on his body, and 1974–1975 was the last full season he ever played. He set the record for most goals by a defenseman that year, however, finding the back of the net 46 times. 

Orr retired in 1978 with 915 points in only 657 career games. At the time of his retirement, he held the records for most goals, assists, and points for a defenseman in NHL history. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame at age 31, then the youngest inductee ever. 

He still holds the records for most points in a single season for a defensemen (139), most assists in a season by a defenseman (102), and most 100-point seasons by a defensemen (6). Orr was also the first player in league history to get 100 assists in a season, and at the time of his retirement held the record for highest career +/- with 597; he now sits second behind Larry Robinson. Bobby Orr still has the highest +/- total in a single season in history (+124). 

2. Niklas Lidström

• Years Played: 1991–2012
• Team: Detroit Red Wings
• Stanley Cups: 4
• Hart Trophies (MVP): 0
• Norris Trophies (Best Defensemen): 7

Despite being drafted in the third round, 53rd overall, Sweden’s Niklas Lidström went on to make the playoffs every single year of his Hall of Fame career. His 20 consecutive playoff appearances are tied for the most in NHL history alongside Larry Robinson, and his 236 playoff games played is second behind Chris Chelios; and nobody has played more playoff games for a single team than Lidström did for the Red Wings.

His 1,564 regular season games for Detroit are the most in history for one team too. He was always known as a reliable defender, and during his entire career he only finished with a minus rating once, and even that was only -2.

Lidström won the Stanley Cup four times, and he played in another two finals. He was the first European captain to win the Cup and was the first European to win the Conn Smythe for playoff MVP as well. 

During his career, Lidström won seven Norris Trophies for best defensemen in the league, tied for second with Doug Harvey, and only Bobby Orr has more. Lidström won the trophy three consecutive years from 2001 to 2003, the first since Bobby Orr to win three in a row. In 2011, he became the oldest player to win the Norris at 41 years and 57 days. 

That same season, he became the oldest player in NHL history to score a hat trick, as well as the oldest defensemen to accomplish the feat as well. Among his NHL records are the most regular season wins played (900), highest career post season +/- (+61), and the all-time games played record for a European player. He was also the first European defensemen to score 1,000 points, and only the eighth defensemen ever to reach 1,000.

3. Ray Bourque

• Years Played: 1979–2001
• Teams: Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche
• Stanley Cups: 1
• Hart Trophies (MVP): 0
• Norris Trophies (Best Defensemen): 5

Not only did Ray Bourque begin his Hall of Fame career with the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year, but he also broke the points record for a rookie defensemen while he was at it. The prolific scorer had an offence-first mentality despite playing defense and is currently fourth all-time in NHL career assists. He’s also 11th all-time in points, and has the most career goals, assists, and points by a defenseman in NHL history. 

His 6,206 shots on goal are the most in history by a defenseman too, and he holds the NHL record for most shots in a single game (19). Only Larry Robinson and Bobby Orr have higher career +/- ratings than Bourque.

Bourque won five Norris Trophies in his career and finished second in voting another six times on top of that. He also finished second in voting for the Hart Trophy (league MVP) twice, which is rare; defensemen don’t usually win Hart Trophies since they have the Norris Trophy dedicated to the position.

Most of his career was spent with the Boston Bruins, and he only missed the playoffs in one season. Bourque is third all-time in NHL playoff assists, and 10th all-time in playoff points. He retired as the longest serving captain in NHL history, and is the all-time leader in Bruins games played, assists, and points. 

Bourque played in the 1988 and 1990 finals but had never won the Cup. In 2000 his career was nearing its end, and with the Bruins going downhill, he asked to be traded to a contender. He went to the Colorado Avalanche that year, and the next season he finally won the Stanley Cup after 22 seasons. He became the player with the most games ever played before winning the Stanley Cup in history, after playing 1,612 regular season and 214 playoff games.

Three days after winning the Cup Bourque brought it back to Boston, and more than 20,000 attended the celebration despite the fact he didn’t win it with the Bruins. A few days later, Bourque announced his retirement. He still holds the records for most all-time goals, assists, and points scored by a defenseman in NHL history.

4. Paul Coffey

• Years Played: 1980–2001
• Teams: Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers, Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins
• Stanley Cups: 4
• Hart Trophies (MVP): 0
• Norris Trophies (Best Defensemen): 3

For my money, Paul Coffey is more like 3A alongside Ray Bourque, as opposed to #4 behind him. Coffey was known for his high-powered scoring prowess and quick speed that contributed to his winning four Stanley Cups: three with the Edmonton Oilers and one with the Pittsburgh Penguins, alongside one of the best right-wingers in NHL history, Jaromír Jágr.

In the 1983–1984 season, Coffey scored 40 goals and 86 assists, and his 126 points was second only to Edmonton teammate Wayne Gretzky that year. In 1985, he broke the records for goals (12), assists (25), and points (37) in a single playoff year by a defenseman; all records that still stand to this day. 

The next year, he broke Bobby Orr’s defensemen goal-scoring record by finding the back of the net 48 times, and his 138 points that year was only one shy of tying Bobby Orr’s single-season scoring record.

By 1990 Coffey was playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins and became only the second defensemen to reach 1,000 points, doing so in a still-record 770 games. He led his Los Angeles Kings in scoring during the lockout-shortened 1994 season too.

Coffey and Ray Bourque both retired after the 2000–2001 season. Coffey entered the season with the most goals, assists, and points ever scored by a defenseman, but Bourque overtook him for all three records by the end of the year. Paul Coffey still owns the highest single season goals total for a defenseman (48) and is the only defensemen in NHL history to have more than one 40-goal season. He’s also one of two defensemen (along with Bobby Orr) to have ever scored more than 100 points twice in a career, having accomplished the feat six times. 

Paul Coffey owns or shares 33 NHL regular and post-season scoring records. Included among those records are most combined regular season and playoff goals by a defensemen (455), most shorthanded goals in a season by a defensemen (9), fastest defensemen to 100 points in a season (59 games), and longest point streak in NHL history by a defenseman (28 games). 

5. Chris Chelios

• Years Played: 1983–2010
• Teams: Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Atlanta Thrashers
• Stanley Cups: 3
• Hart Trophies (MVP): 0
• Norris Trophies (Best Defensemen): 3

Chris Chelios entered the NHL in 1983 and quickly established himself as one of the premiere defensemen in the entire league. He finished second in Calder Trophy voting his rookie season behind Mario Lemiuex, scoring 64 points in his first 74 career games. In 1990, the Chicago-born defensemen became co-captain of the Montreal Canadiens, the first non-Canadian to serve as captain of the franchise. He won the Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1986. 

After nine years with his hometown Blackhawks, Chelios was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, where he’d win another two Cups in 2002 and 2008, respectively. In 2002, he led the entire league with a +40 rating, and in 2008 he became the oldest player to win the Stanley Cup in history.

Chelios retired in 2010 at age 48 as the oldest player in the league, and the second oldest to ever play in the NHL behind only Gordie Howe, who retired at 52. The gritty Chelios retired with the most penalty minutes of any active player and had the most games played by any active player as well. 

He formerly held the record for most career games by a defenseman, and now sits eighth all-time. Chelios still holds the record for most NHL playoff games played in history, as well as the record for most overall playoff appearances at 24; he only missed the playoffs twice in his entire 25-year career.

Chris Chelios was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011. 

Honorable Mentions

• Denis Potvin: Captain of the New York Islanders dynasty of the 1980s that won four Cups in a row. Potvin also won the Norris Trophy three times.
• Larry Robinson: Owns the record for highest career +/- with +722 and is one of only three players in history to have higher than +100 in a single-season, along with Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky.
• Chris Pronger: Won the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP in 2000, the first defenseman to win the award since Bobby Orr in 1972.
• Doug Harvey: Was one of the first defensemen to successfully carry the puck into the offensive zone, rather than pass it to forwards or dump it in. He won four Stanley Cups with Montreal.
• Scott Neidermeyer: Four-time Stanley Cup winner who also won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2007 as playoff MVP.

Denis Potvin was the first defensemen to reach 300 career goals and 1,000 career points and was the first player overall to ever reach 100 playoff assists in history. He retired as the NHL career leader in playoff goals, assists, and points for a defenseman. 

Larry Robinson shares the record for most consecutive playoff seasons (20) along with Lidström and has the league’s highest +/- rating in history. He won the Stanley Cup six times as a player and four times as a coach/scout. Robinson won the Stanley Cup as coach of the New Jersey Devils in 2000, the first interim coach in league history to do so.

Chris Pronger appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals for three different teams, winning the Cup with Anaheim in 2007. He also won the Norris Trophy in 2000. Doug Harvey helped power a high-scoring Montreal Canadiens team. You used to be able to score as many goals as you could on the power play, but Harvey’s Canadiens scored so many that the league changed the rule so that the power play ended after a goal was scored. 

Scott Neidermayer thrived as a defenseman for the New Jersey Devils, putting up large point totals despite the team’s famously suffocating defensive style of play. He won the Norris Trophy in 2004, and in 2007 won the Stanley Cup in Anaheim along with Chris Pronger and his brother Rob.

Looking for more all-time greats by position? Check out our list of the best NHL right wings of all time for another era-by-era breakdown.

The Best Defensemen in NHL History

Bobby Orr is the best defensemen ever to play in the NHL, and you could make a case that he’s the best overall player in NHL history as well. No single player in any sport changed how their entire game is played than Orr did. He’s the only player to have won eight Norris Trophies, winning the award in consecutive years. Orr is also the only defensemen to have ever led the league in scoring; and he did it twice.

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