The 51 skaters with the most assists, 1917–18 to 2017–18

Every skater on this list is ranked on one number: assists in the regular season between 1917–18 and 2017–18. Nothing else is weighed, and the figures each ranking rests on are in the table.

Assists — the leading 15. Every one of the 51 is in the table below.

#	Player	Pos	Seasons	Assists	Games	Goals	Points
1	Wayne Gretzky	C	1979–80 to 1998–99	1,963	1,487	894	2,857
2	Ron Francis	C	1981–82 to 2003–04	1,249	1,731	549	1,798
3	Mark Messier	C	1979–80 to 2003–04	1,193	1,756	694	1,887
4	Raymond Bourque	D	1979–80 to 2000–01	1,169	1,612	410	1,579
5	Jaromir Jagr	R	1990–91 to 2017–18	1,155	1,733	766	1,921
6	Paul Coffey	D	1980–81 to 2000–01	1,135	1,409	396	1,531
7	Adam Oates	C	1985–86 to 2003–04	1,079	1,337	341	1,420
8	Steve Yzerman	C	1983–84 to 2005–06	1,063	1,514	692	1,755
9	Gordie Howe	R	1946–47 to 1979–80	1,049	1,767	801	1,850
10	Marcel Dionne	C	1971–72 to 1988–89	1,040	1,348	731	1,771
11	Mario Lemieux	C	1984–85 to 2005–06	1,033	915	690	1,723
12	Joe Thornton	C	1997–98 to 2017–18	1,030	1,493	397	1,427
13	Joe Sakic	C	1988–89 to 2008–09	1,016	1,378	625	1,641
14	Doug Gilmour	C	1983–84 to 2002–03	964	1,474	450	1,414
15	Mark Recchi	R	1988–89 to 2010–11	956	1,652	577	1,533
16	Al MacInnis	D	1981–82 to 2003–04	934	1,416	340	1,274
17	Larry Murphy	D	1980–81 to 2000–01	929	1,615	287	1,216
18	Stan Mikita	C	1958–59 to 1979–80	926	1,394	541	1,467
19	Bryan Trottier	C	1975–76 to 1993–94	901	1,279	524	1,425
20	Phil Housley	D	1982–83 to 2002–03	894	1,495	338	1,232
21	Dale Hawerchuk	C	1981–82 to 1996–97	891	1,188	518	1,409
22	Nicklas Lidstrom	D	1991–92 to 2011–12	878	1,564	264	1,142
23	Phil Esposito	C	1963–64 to 1980–81	873	1,282	717	1,590
24	Denis Savard	C	1980–81 to 1996–97	865	1,196	473	1,338
25	Bobby Clarke	C	1969–70 to 1983–84	852	1,144	358	1,210
26	Henrik Sedin	C	2000–01 to 2017–18	830	1,330	240	1,070
27	Alex Delvecchio	C	1950–51 to 1973–74	825	1,549	456	1,281
28	Gilbert Perreault	C	1970–71 to 1986–87	814	1,191	512	1,326
29	John Bucyk	L	1955–56 to 1977–78	813	1,540	556	1,369
29	Mike Modano	C	1988–89 to 2010–11	813	1,499	561	1,374
31	Pierre Turgeon	C	1987–88 to 2006–07	812	1,294	515	1,327
32	Jari Kurri	R	1980–81 to 1997–98	797	1,251	601	1,398
33	Guy Lafleur	R	1971–72 to 1990–91	793	1,126	560	1,353
34	Peter Stastny	C	1980–81 to 1994–95	789	977	450	1,239
35	Mats Sundin	C	1990–91 to 2008–09	785	1,346	564	1,349
36	Brian Leetch	D	1987–88 to 2005–06	781	1,205	247	1,028
37	Jean Ratelle	C	1960–61 to 1980–81	776	1,281	491	1,267
38	Vincent Damphousse	C	1986–87 to 2003–04	773	1,378	432	1,205
38	Teemu Selanne	R	1992–93 to 2013–14	773	1,451	684	1,457
40	Chris Chelios	D	1983–84 to 2009–10	763	1,651	185	948
41	Bernie Federko	C	1976–77 to 1989–90	761	1,000	369	1,130
42	Doug Weight	C	1990–91 to 2010–11	755	1,238	278	1,033
43	Larry Robinson	D	1972–73 to 1991–92	750	1,384	208	958
44	Denis Potvin	D	1973–74 to 1987–88	742	1,060	310	1,052
45	Norm Ullman	C	1955–56 to 1974–75	739	1,410	490	1,229
46	Bernie Nicholls	C	1981–82 to 1998–99	734	1,127	475	1,209
47	Rod Brind'Amour	C	1988–89 to 2009–10	732	1,484	452	1,184
48	Luc Robitaille	L	1986–87 to 2005–06	726	1,431	668	1,394
49	Daniel Alfredsson	R	1995–96 to 2013–14	713	1,246	444	1,157
50	Jean Beliveau	C	1950–51 to 1970–71	712	1,125	507	1,219
50	Scott Stevens	D	1982–83 to 2003–04	712	1,635	196	908

How this list is made

Ranked on assists in the regular season, 1917–18 to 2017–18. Players are ranked on that number alone and on nothing else: there is no judgement here about who was better. Where two are level they share a rank, and the list runs past fifty when fiftieth place is shared, because splitting a tie would mean choosing between them on no stated basis.

Counting statistics only. A rate — an average, a percentage — needs a minimum number of appearances before it means anything, and no such minimum is published that this site could cite. Inventing one would put a number nobody chose at the centre of a ranking. A total needs no cut-off: most goals is a fact with nothing hidden in it.

Some of these careers were not over. Jaromir Jagr, Joe Thornton and Henrik Sedin played in 2017–18, the last season these figures cover, so their totals are what they had reached by then and not what they finished with. This site has no source for what has happened since.

Career figures from the Hockey Databank project, obtained free of charge and copyrighted by it. Regular season only; the play-offs are not counted.

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