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

Scott Stevens

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

 

Jakub Vaverka

Jakub Vaverka

I create content for social media for a living and I live hockey. Going to NHL games and writing blogs about my most favorite game is a dream come true.

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