The 2024-25 season marked two decades in the NHL for superstars Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. While 20 years in the league is a long time, they still have quite a few more games to log on the ice before approaching the NHL record.
Here’s a look at the players with the most NHL seasons under their belts:
All-time
26 seasons
▪︎ Chris Chelios (1983-2010)
▪︎ Gordie Howe (1946-71, 1979-80)
25 seasons
▪︎ Mark Messier (1979-2004)
24 seasons
▪︎ Tim Horton (1949-74)
▪︎ Alex Delvecchio (1950-74)
▪︎ Zdeno Chara (1997-2022)
▪︎ Joe Thornton (1997-2022)
▪︎ Jaromir Jagr (1990-08, 2011-18)
23 seasons
▪︎ Al MacInnis (1981-2004)
▪︎ Johnny Bucyk (1955-78)
▪︎ Dave Andreychuk (1982-2006)
▪︎ Ron Francis (1981-2004)
▪︎ Patrick Marleau (1997-2021)
22 seasons
▪︎ Ray Whitney (1991-2014)
▪︎ Dean Prentice (1952-74)
▪︎ Doug Mohns (1953-75)
▪︎ Stan Mikita (1958-80)
▪︎ Steve Yzerman (1983-2006)
▪︎ Ray Bourque (1979-2001)
▪︎ Scott Stevens (1982-2004)
▪︎ Mark Recchi (1988-2011)
Active (total at the end of the 2024-25 season)
▪︎ Brent Burns, 21
▪︎ Marc-Andre Fleury, 21
*Retired at the end of the 2024-25 season
▪︎ Sidney Crosby, 21
▪︎ Alex Ovechkin, 21
▪︎ Corey Perry, 21
▪︎ Ryan Suter, 21
▪︎ Jack Johnson, 20
▪︎ Anze Kopitar, 20
▪︎ Kris Letang, 20
▪︎ Evgeni Malkin, 20
▪︎ Jordan Staal, 20
▪︎ Marc-Edouard Vlasic, 20
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