The Biggest Hitters in NHL History: Stevens, Lindros, Blake, Phaneuf, Chára, Trouba & More

If you want to be a successful team in the NHL, you have to have specific type of players on your team. A winning team needs leaders, hard workers, and goal-scorers. However, you also need guys who are not scared to hit their opponents or to be hit.

These hockey players are called hitters, and there are many of them in the history of the NHL who are legends now. The number of hits is slowly decreasing, and the NHL is trying to protect players and punish some of the most dangerous attempts.

In the meantime, it's important to mention that hits are still one of the most popular parts of ice hockey for fans. Continue reading our Rezztek® blog: these are the most memorable hitters in NHL's history and modern hockey. 

Hockey Players with the Most Hits in the NHL  

The official NHL page keeps records of almost everything. One of those stats is the number of hits by players during their professional careers. In the chart below, you can find 15 players with the most hits in NHL history. This statistic has been officially recorded since the 2005–06 season. 

Rank	Name	Teams	Games played	Hits
1	Cal Clutterbuck	MIN, NYI	1 057	4 015
2	Matt Martin	NYI, TOR	948	3 840
3	Dustin Brown	LAK	1 265	3 632
4	Alexander Ovechkin	WSH	1 418	3 610
5	Luke Schenn	TOR, PHI, LAK, ARI, ANA, VAN, TBL, NSH	989	3 345
6	Milan Lucic	BOS, LAK, EDM, CGY	1 177	3 275
7	Brooks Orpik	PIT, WSH	950	2 946
8	Ryan Reaves	STL, VGK, PIT, NYR, MIN, TOR	872	2 944
9	Radko Gudas	TBL, PHI, WSH, FLA, ANA	742	2 778
10	David Backes	STL, BOS, ANA	965	2 710
11	Chris Neil	OTT	804	2 568
12	Nick Foligno	OTT, CBJ, TOR, BOS, CHI	1 149	2 549
13	Dion Phaneuf	CGY, TOR, OTT, LAK	1 048	2 460
14	Zdeno Chára	OTT, BOS, WSH, NYI	1 221	2 455
15	Marcus Foligno	BUF, MIN	798	2 361

 Source: NHL Records

The Biggest Hitters in the History of the NHL

Before the tech advanced, it was more complicated to track individual statistics. All eras in the NHL had their own big hitters, but after a more detailed research, you'll find out, that there are some names that keep popping up in the list of the biggest hitters.

Scott Stevens is probably the biggest hitter in NHL history. A 3-time Stanley Cup champion, 1-time Stanley Cup MVP winner, and member of the NHL Hall of Fame was a true menace on the ice. His hits injured many players. Stevens was extremely dangerous and sometimes his hits targeted most vulnerable parts of a hockey player's body as his opponents surely would tell you. 

Cam Neely, Eric Lindros, or Dion Phaneuf were the true enforcers on skates too. In the chart below, you can find hockey players who hit so hard, that they could easily end the careers of their opponents.

Name	Teams	Video of his hits
Scott Stevens	WSH, STL, NJD	Scott Stevens Hits
Rob Blake	LAK, COL, SJS	Rob Blake Hits
Dion Phaneuf	CGY, TOR, OTT, LAK	Dion Phaneuf Hits
Alexander Ovechkin	WSH	Alexander Ovechkin Hits
Cam Neely	VAN, BOS	Cam Neely Hits
Dustin Byfuglien	CHI, ATL, WPG	Dustin Byfuglien Hits
Niklas Kronwall	DET	Niklas Kronwall Hits
Eric Lindros	PHI, NYR, TML, DAL	Eric Lindros Hits

The Biggest Hitters in Today's NHL

As we mentioned before, there are a lot fewer hits in today's hockey than in the past. Players' health is a big topic, and hits can lead to career-ending injuries. However, there are still guys in the NHL who can hit hard and send their rivals to the ice. 

One of the best hitters in recent years is New York Rangers leader Jacob Trouba. The captain of the New York Rangers is extremely tough, and some of his hits became instant highlights. Trouba is a very good defenseman too; you cannot make a superstar career based solely on hitting other people in today's NHL. He is both big and fast, and his big advantage is that he is not afraid to step up and lay a big hit on anyone.

Believe me, you don't want to find out how tough players like Tom Wilson, Keegan Kolesar, Ryan Reaves, or Nikita Zadorov are. These are some of the biggest hitters of today's NHL:

Name	Teams	Video of his hits
Jacob Trouba	WPG, NYR	Jacob Trouba Hits
Tom Wilson	WSH	Tom Wilson Hits
Tanner Jeannot	NSH, TBL	Tanner Jeannot Hits
Cal Clatterbuck	MIN, NYI	Cal Clatterbuck Hits
Radko Gudas	TBL, PHI, WSH, FLA, ANA	Radko Gudas Hits
Nikita Zadorov	BUF, COL, CHI, CGY, VAN	Nikita Zadorov Hits
Ryan Reaves	STL, VGK, PIT, NYR, MIN, TOR	Ryan Reaves Hits
Alexander Ovechkin	WSH	Alexander Ovechkin Hits
Matt Martin	NYI, TOR	Matt Martin Hits
Keegan Kolesar	VGK	Keegan Kolesar Hits