When kids play hockey, almost everybody wants to score a goal. But with time they realize that sometimes setting up your teammate is a similarly good feeling. There are players who prefer passing the puck to shooting it.
Of course, legends like Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Sidney Crosby, or Alexander Ovechkin have lots of goals and assists. If you want to be successful in the NHL, you should find that one skill that suits you the most.
This blog post is focused on the best assist providers in the history of the NHL. Is it possible that Connor McDavid will surpass Wayne Gretzky?
The Most Assists in NHL History: Total
Which player has the most assists in NHL history? Well, the answer is not very surprising. It's Wayne Gretzky with 1 963 assists. Ron Francis is behind him, but there is a huge gap, as you can see in the chart below. All players on this list are legends. Mark Messier, Jaromír Jágr, Joe Thornton, or Paul Coffey. There are no active players in the TOP 10, but that can change sooner than you would expect.
The Most Assists in NHL History
| Ranking | Name | Team(s) | Number of assists |
| 1 | Wayne Gretzky | EDM, LAK, STL, NYR | 1963 |
| 2 | Ron Francis | HFD, PIT, CAR, TOR | 1249 |
| 3 | Mark Messier | EDM, NYR, VAN | 1193 |
| 4 | Ray Borque | BOS, COL | 1169 |
| 5 | Jaromír Jágr | PIT, WSH, NYR, PHI, DAL, BOS, NJD, FLA, CGY | 1155 |
| 6 | Paul Coffey | EDM, PIT, LAK, DET, HFD, PHI, CHI, CAR, BOS | 1135 |
| 7 | Joe Thornton | BOS, SJS, TOR, FLA | 1109 |
| 8 | Adam Oates | DET, STL, BOS, WSH, PHI, ANA, EDM | 1079 |
| 9 | Steve Yzerman | DET | 1063 |
| 10 | Gordie Howe | DET, HFD | 1049 |
The Most Assists in today's NHL: Active Players
Sidney Crosby has 1 004 assists, which is the most from the active NHL players. This Canadian forward who plays with the Pittsburgh Penguins needs 46 more assists to overcome legendary forward Gordie Howe.
Connor McDavid, who has been in the league since 2015, already has 647 assists. If he can keep this breathtaking pace, he will definitely be among names like Coffey, Gretzky, or Messier.
It's interesting that there are not just forwards but defenders too. Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns are very productive, and their hockey vision is unique. They can provide many assists, especially during power plays.
The Most Assists by Active Players in the NHL
| Ranking | Name | Team(s) | Number of assists |
| 1 | Sidney Crosby | PIT | 1004 |
| 2 | Patrick Kane | CHI, NYR, DET | 813 |
| 3 | Evgeni Malkin | PIT | 798 |
| 4 | Anže Kopitar | LAK | 792 |
| 5 | Nicklas Bäckström | WSH | 762 |
| 6 | Claude Giroux | PHI, FLA, OTT | 716 |
| 7 | Alexander Ovechkin | WSH | 697 |
| 8 | Connor McDavid | EDM | 647 |
| 9 | Erik Karlsson | OTT, SJS, PIT | 628 |
| 10 | Brent Burns | MIN, SJS, CAR | 626 |
The Most Assists in NHL History: Playoffs
When we look at the most assists in the playoffs, there are Gretzky, Messier, Borque, and Coffey again. There is also Sidney Crosby, who has 1 more assist than legendary defenseman from Detroit, Nicklas Lidström. What about Jarri Kurri or Sergei Fedorov?
The Most Assists in NHL History: Playoffs
| Ranking | Name | Team(s) | Number of assists |
| 1 | Wayne Gretzky | EDM, LAK, STL, NYR | 260 |
| 2 | Mark Messier | EDM, NYR | 186 |
| 3 | Ray Borque | BOS, COL | 139 |
| 4 | Paul Coffey | EDM, PIT, LAK, DET, PHI, CAR | 137 |
| 5 | Sidney Crosby | PIT | 130 |
| 6 | Nicklas Lidström | DET | 129 |
| 7 | Doug Gilmour | STL, CGY, TOR, NJD, BUF, MTL | 128 |
| 8 | Jari Kurri | EDM, LAK, NYR, ANA, COL | 127 |
| 9 | Sergei Fedorov | DET, WSH | 124 |
| 10 | Jaromír Jágr | PIT, WSH, NYR, PHI, BOS, FLA | 123 |
The Most Assists in NHL History: Power Plays
The interesting situation is in the chart below, where you can see the most assists in power plays in NHL history. You will find legends like Mario Lemieux, Brian Leetch, or Al MacInnis. Yes, and of course, Gretzky, Borque, and Coffey have their place. No active players, did you notice?
The Most Assists in NHL History: Power Plays
| Ranking | Name | Team(s) | Number of assists |
| 1 | Wayne Gretzky | EDM, LAK, STL, NYR | 686 |
| 2 | Ray Borque | BOS, COL | 588 |
| 3 | Al MacInnis | CAL, STL | 556 |
| 4 | Ron Francis | HFD, PIT, CAR, TOR | 539 |
| 5 | Paul Coffey | EDM, PIT, LAK, DET, HFD, PHI, CHI, CAR, BOS | 529 |
| 6 | Phil Housley | BUF, WIN, STL, CAL, NJD, WSH, CHI, TOR | 483 |
| 7 | Mario Lemieux | PIT | 465 |
| 8 |
Niclas Lidström |
DET | 458 |
| 9 | Larry Murphy | LAK, WSH, MIN, PIT, TOR, DET | 433 |
| 10 | Brian Leetch | NYR, TOR, BOS | 431 |
The Most Assists in NHL History: Goalies
| Ranking | Name | Team(s) | Number of assists |
| 1 | Tom Barrasso | BUF, PITT, OTT, TOR, CAR, STL | 48 |
| 2 | Grant Fuhr | EDM, TOR, BUF, LAK, STL, CAL | 47 |
| 3 | Martin Brodeur | NJD, STL | 45 |
| 4 | Patrick Roy | MTL, COL | 45 |
| 5 | Mike Vernon | CAL, DET, SJS, FLA, CAL | 39 |
| 6 | John Vanbiesbrouck | NYR, FLA, PHI, NYI, NJD | 35 |
| 7 | Ed Belfour | CHI, DAL, TOR, FLA | 34 |
| 8 | Ron Hextall | PHI, NYI | 32 |
| 9 | Curtis Joseph | STL, EDM, TOR, DET | 31 |
| 10 | Kari Lehtonen | ATL, DAL | 28 |
| 11 | Sean Burke | NJD, HAR, CAR, VAN, PHI, FLA, PHX, TBL, LAK | 28 |
| 12 | Dan Bouchard | ATL, CAL, QUE, WPG | 28 |
PHOTO SOURCES: Athlon Sports, THW, NHL, Britannica, Last Word on Sports, Sporting News
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