The Most Famous

HOCKEY PLAYERS from United States

This page contains a list of the greatest American Hockey Players. The pantheon dataset contains 676 Hockey Players, 45 of which were born in United States. This makes United States the birth place of the 5th most number of Hockey Players behind Sweden, and Finland.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary American Hockey Players of all time. This list of famous American Hockey Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of American Hockey Players.

1. Justin McCarthy (1899 - 1976)

With an HPI of 42.80, Justin McCarthy is the most famous American Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages on wikipedia.

Justin Jeremiah "Jerry" McCarthy (January 25, 1899 – April 8, 1976) was an American ice hockey player who competed in the 1924 Winter Olympics. He was a graduate of the Massachusetts Agricultural College in 1921, (later, the University of Massachusetts), where he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. He played for the Boston Athletic Association ice hockey team and was captain of the B.A.A team that won the 1923 United States Amateur Hockey Association championship. Selected for the USA squad, McCarthy was the captain of the American ice hockey team, which won the silver medal. He died in Centerville, Massachusetts.

2. Art Langley (1896 - 1967)

With an HPI of 42.27, Art Langley is the 2nd most famous American Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

John Arthur Langley (June 25, 1896 – March 5, 1967) was an American ice hockey player who competed in the 1924 Winter Olympics. Born in Melrose, Massachusetts, he was a member of the American ice hockey team, which won the silver medal. He died in Eustis, Florida.

3. Irving Small (1891 - 1955)

With an HPI of 39.72, Irving Small is the 3rd most famous American Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Irving Wheeler Small (July 19, 1891 – December 12, 1955) was an American ice hockey player who competed in the 1924 Winter Olympics. He was a member of the American ice hockey team, which won the silver medal in the 1924 Chamonix games.

4. Chris Chelios (b. 1962)

With an HPI of 37.78, Chris Chelios is the 4th most famous American Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Christos Konstantinos "Chris" Chelios (Greek: Χρήστος Κωνσταντίνος "Κρις" Τσέλιος; born January 25, 1962) is a Greek-American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He was one of the longest tenured players in the National Hockey League (NHL), and is a three-time Stanley Cup champion—one with the Montreal Canadiens and two with the Detroit Red Wings. Chelios played for the Canadiens, Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, and the Atlanta Thrashers. When he was called up from the AHL's Chicago Wolves to play for the Thrashers during the 2009–10 NHL season, Chelios was the oldest active player in the NHL and the second oldest of all time. He had played the most games of any active player in the NHL, was the last player from the 1981 NHL Entry Draft still active (or any draft from 1986 and earlier), and had the most career penalty minutes of any active player. He is the former record-holder for most games played in the NHL by a defenseman, is eighth overall with 1,651 games played, holds the record for most career playoff games played with 266 and is tied with Gordie Howe for most NHL seasons played with 26. On May 1, 2009, he appeared in the playoffs for an NHL record 24th time, having missed the playoffs only once. Chelios is also the record-holder for most career postseason losses, with 117 (also the most in any professional sport in North America). However, he only lost one Game 7 in his career, a 3–2 OT loss in the 1985 Adams Division Finals against the Nordiques. In 2017, Chelios was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history. Chelios is of Greek heritage. His cousin, Nikos Tselios, also played professional hockey and is a former first round draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes. Chelios was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 8, 2013, and inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2018.

5. Ryan Miller (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 37.41, Ryan Miller is the 5th most famous American Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Ryan Dean Miller (born July 17, 1980) is an American former ice hockey goaltender who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) mostly for the Buffalo Sabres. Miller was drafted 138th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. In 2010, he won the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender. Miller was the winningest American-born goaltender in NHL history from February 2019 until March 2024, when he was passed by Jonathan Quick. He was selected to play for the United States in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver as the team's starting goaltender. He won a silver medal with the team and was named most valuable player of the tournament. Four years later, he was selected for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Miller is one of 39 goaltenders in NHL history to win 300 games in his career. Miller is known for his hybrid style of goaltending. He is the older brother of former NHL forward Drew Miller.

6. Mike Modano (b. 1970)

With an HPI of 35.79, Mike Modano is the 6th most famous American Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Michael Thomas Modano Jr. (; born June 7, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played as a center and spent most of his career with the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise. He spent the final season of his career with his hometown Detroit Red Wings. As the all-time goal-scoring and points leader amongst American-born players in NHL history, Modano is widely regarded as one of the greatest American-born ice hockey players of all time. He was drafted first overall by the North Stars in 1988, and after the team moved to Texas he helped the Stars win the Stanley Cup in 1999. Modano is considered one of the most influential figures in popularizing ice hockey in Texas and the southern United States. Modano was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 17, 2014. In 2017, he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players. In 2019, he was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame.

7. Mark Howe (b. 1955)

With an HPI of 35.16, Mark Howe is the 7th most famous American Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Mark Steven Howe (born May 28, 1955) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman and left winger who played sixteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) following six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA). Howe is the son of Gordie and Colleen Howe, younger brother of Marty Howe, and nephew of Vic Howe. Despite the enormous shadow cast by his father and splitting time between two leagues, Howe shone as one of the best two-way NHL defensemen of the 1980s, being a three-time runner-up for the Norris Trophy and making the Stanley Cup finals three times as a player. He is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011. The Howe family received the Wayne Gretzky International Award in 2000, for major contributions to the growth and advancement of hockey in the United States.

8. Taffy Abel (1900 - 1964)

With an HPI of 34.99, Taffy Abel is the 8th most famous American Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Clarence John "Taffy" Abel (May 28, 1900 – August 1, 1964) was an American professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks between 1926 and 1934. Born in 1900 in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States, as a Native American Ojibwe, he was forced to hide his Native American ancestry until 1939. He was a silver medalist in ice hockey at the 1924 Winter Olympics and the U.S. flagbearer for those games, making him the first Native American to play, and to win a medal, in the Winter Olympics. He was a member of two Stanley Cup championship teams. On November 16, 1926, he became the first United States–born Native American player to become an NHL regular, with the New York Rangers. He is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

9. Keith Tkachuk (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 34.61, Keith Tkachuk is the 9th most famous American Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Keith Matthew Tkachuk (; born March 28, 1972) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) in a 18-year career with the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues and Atlanta Thrashers, retiring in 2010. He is one of five American-born players to score 500 goals, and is the sixth American player to score 1,000 points. Tkachuk is considered to be among the elite power forwards of his era, and is considered one of the best American-born players to play in the NHL. One of 47 NHL players to have scored 500 goals, Tkachuk remains one of only four eligible players to not be a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He is the father of Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, who play for the Florida Panthers and the Ottawa Senators, respectively.

10. Pat LaFontaine (b. 1965)

With an HPI of 34.06, Pat LaFontaine is the 10th most famous American Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Patrick Michael LaFontaine (born February 22, 1965) is an American former ice hockey center who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and spent his entire playing career with the league's New York State-based teams. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003. LaFontaine played for the New York Islanders from 1983 until 1991, the Buffalo Sabres from 1991 until 1997, and the New York Rangers from 1997 until his retirement in 1998, scoring 468 goals and 1,013 points along the way before his career was ended by concussions. His 1.17 points per game (1,013 points over 865 games) is the best among American-born ice hockey players, active or retired. In 2017, LaFontaine was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history. LaFontaine served as an executive of the Buffalo Sabres as the president of hockey operations until March 2014.

People

Pantheon has 67 people classified as American hockey players born between 1891 and 2001. Of these 67, 61 (91.04%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living American hockey players include Chris Chelios, Ryan Miller, and Mike Modano. The most famous deceased American hockey players include Justin McCarthy, Art Langley, and Irving Small. As of April 2024, 22 new American hockey players have been added to Pantheon including Justin McCarthy, Art Langley, and Irving Small.