In a continuation of diving into the oldest players to suit up in each league, here’s a look into the impressive recent history of NHL players contributing well into their 40’s.
Beyond the attention that’s always afforded to a sport’s biggest stars at their prime, it’s also worth noting that fan interest skyrockets when other anomalies occur – including when players significantly younger or older than most of their colleagues don the colors of a fan’s favorite team.
Longevity is certainly a story on its own right now across professional sports, with 44-year-old Philip Rivers having made two starts for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts despite not having played since January 2021. On the hardwood, LeBron James is just days away from his 41st birthday, remaining a top contributor for the Los Angeles Lakers, who are among the playoff contenders in the NBA’s Western Conference.
While there aren’t any extreme old-timers on any NHL roster right now, the league has an expansive history of players making an impact and contributing well into their 40s, with one of the game’s greatest players of all-time in Gordie Howe known for his unparalleled longevity and consistency.
Though Howe remains the oldest skater in NHL history, having played his final game at 52 years, 11 days old, three of the five oldest skaters to have played in the NHL have done so in the last 25 years.
Between goaltenders and skaters, there have been 18 players in league history to have hit the ice on after their 43rd birthday, with six of them remaining on an NHL roster past their 45th birthday.
The five oldest players to suit up for an NHL team since 2000 are all skaters, with Dominik Hašek remaining the oldest goaltender to play in the 21st century at 43 years, 78 days old.
Here’s a look at the five oldest NHL players in the last 25 years – a list that does not include all-time Games Played leader Patrick Marleau.
5. Claude Lemieux – 43 years, 277 days
Revered as a preeminent enforcer and excellent playoff performer, Lemieux was a mainstay on NHL rosters for two decades, winning four Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the postseason.
Lemieux debuted in 1983-84 with the Montreal Canadiens, a team he remained with through the 1989-90 season in a tenure that included a Stanley Cup victory in 1986. The then-25-year-old went on to play five years with the New Jersey Devils afterwards, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy and his second Stanley Cup in 1995.
The winger would end up winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, as he began a four-plus season tenure with the Colorado Avalanche highlighted by a Stanley Cup in 1996 and his pivotal role in the development of a fierce rivalry between the Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings.
Lemieux returned to New Jersey as a midseason acquisition in the 1999-00 season, winning his third Stanley Cup with the Devils that season. The forward then played two-plus seasons with the then-Phoenix Coyotes before finishing out the 2002-03 season with the Dallas Stars.
Appearing to retire at age 37, Lemieux was out of NHL action for the next five seasons, which included the 2004-05 season that was a complete loss due to a lockout. However, at 43 years old, Lemieux returned to the NHL as a member of the San Jose Sharks in the 2008-09 season.
The veteran played 18 regular season games and one playoff game for the Presidents’ Trophy winners, recording just one assist. Lemieux’ final NHL game came in a 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks in Game 2 of the 2009 Western Conference Quarterfinals on April 19, 2009.
4. Teemu Selänne – 43 years, 317 days
Nicknamed “The Finnish Flash,” Teemu Selänne quickly emerged as one of the league’s premier players upon his 1992 debut, a status he never truly relinquished during his 21-year Hall of Fame career.
Though Selänne never came close to replicating his unreal 76-goal campaign in his rookie season with the Winnipeg Jets, he went on to play a 21-year career as a point-per-game player, recording at least 90 points in a season on six occasions in his career.
Selänne played the first three-plus seasons of his career with the Jets, getting shipped to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim midway through the 1995-96 season, where he remained until a midseason deal sent him to the San Jose Sharks during the 2000-01 campaign. During his first tenure in Anaheim, Selänne led the league in goals twice, scoring 52 goals in 1997-98 and 47 goals in 1998-99.
After finishing the 2000-01 season with the Sharks, Selänne remained in San Jose for the following two seasons before spending the 2003-04 season with the Colorado Avalanche, his lone campaign with the club.
Following the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Selänne returned to Anaheim, where he would spend the final nine seasons of his career in a tenure that included a Stanley Cup championship in 2007.
Selänne retired following the 2013-14 season, playing his final NHL game in a 6-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in Game 7 of that year’s Western Conference Second Round on May 16, 2014.
3. Zdeno Chára – 45 years, 42 days
A stalwart of consistency and the tallest player in NHL history, Chára played an incredible 24 seasons in the league, beginning with his debut with the New York Islanders in the 1997-98 season and concluding with a one-year tenure with the same club in 2021-22.
Chára would not be known for his time with the Islanders, however, spending the first four seasons of his career on Long Island before joining the Ottawa Senators ahead of the 2001-02 season, where he would play the next four seasons of his NHL career.
Already a perennial Norris Trophy contender as the league’s top defenseman, Chára became a member of the rival Boston Bruins ahead of the 2006-07 season, where he went on to spend the next 14 seasons of his career. During his storied tenure with Boston, Chára won the lone Norris Trophy of his career in 2009, while also taking home the Mark Messier Leadership Award and Stanley Cup in 2011.
Chára finally moved on from Boston following his age-42 season, with the defenseman then playing a single season with the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders each before concluding his career in 2022.
The 6’9 defenseman scored a goal in his final NHL game, a 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 29, 2022.
2. Jaromír Jágr – 45 years, 319 days
Perhaps the most unique and storied career in hockey history, Jágr remains active in professional hockey in the Czech Republic, where he has continued his career as a player-owner even at the age of 53.
As for the NHL, his 24-year career ran from the 1990-91 season through the 2017-18 season, with Jágr playing overseas from 2008 to 2011, missing three NHL seasons during that timespan.
Primarily known for his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jágr spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the club before a two-plus season tenure with the rival Washington Capitals. Jágr then went on to finish the 2003-04 season with the New York Rangers, a team he remained with for three full seasons following the 2004-05 lockout.
After his three-year tenure playing in Russia’s KHL, Jágr returned to the NHL as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2011-12, spending a full season with the club before splitting the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season with the Dallas Stars and Boston Bruins, playing in that year’s Stanley Cup Final for the latter.
Jágr then played almost two full seasons with the New Jersey Devils before being shipped to the Florida Panthers as a trade deadline acquisition in the 2014-15 season. Jágr remained with the Panthers through the 2016-17 season, taking on the role of an elder statesman for a young team while still recording 66 points as a 43-year-old in 2015-16.
After the 2016-17 season, Jágr played a 22-game stint with the Calgary Flames in 2017-18 to conclude his storied NHL career. Jágr ranks 2nd all-time in points scored and 5th all-time in assists, while also holding two Stanley Cup rings from his first two seasons in the NHL.
Other career highlights include the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s MVP in 1998-99, eight All-Star appearances and five Art Ross Trophies as the league’s top scorer.
1. Chris Chelios – 48 years, 71 days
Unmatched by all in NHL history besides Gordie Howe when it comes to longevity, Chris Chelios played a mind-boggling 26 seasons in the league, spanning from 1983-84 through 2009-10.
Unlike Jágr, Chelios’ career path was a bit more straight forward, with fewer stops and longer tenures throughout his playing days. Debuting with the Montreal Canadiens in March 1984, Chelios played the first seven seasons of his career with the club, which included a Stanley Cup victory in 1986 and a Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman in 1989.
Chelios then spent eight-plus seasons with his hometown Chicago Blackhawks in a tenure that comprised the prime of his career. Receiving Norris Trophy votes every year during his time in Chicago, Chelios won the award in 1993 and 1996, strengthening the backend for what was an incredibly high-octane offense.
Much to the chagrin of Chicago fans, Chelios was dealt to the archrival Detroit Red Wings midway through the 1998-99 season, where he began a remarkable third leg of his career as a prized veteran and stay-at-home defenseman.
Following the 1998-99 season, Chelios went on to spend the next nine full seasons of his career in Detroit, taking him through his age-47 season in 2008-09. Though the lengthy tenure wasn’t filled with offense and featured Norris Trophy votes in just two seasons, Chelios also took home two more Stanley Cups in 2002 and 2008, respectively.
After sitting out most of the 2009-10 season, Chelios took the ice for seven games late in the year as a member of the Atlanta Thrashers to conclude his career. Chelios’ final NHL game came in a 3-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils on April 6, 2010, with Chelios recording a single shot on goal. Perhaps most notably, Chelios was teammates with the still-active Evander Kane for this game, providing a direct link from a player active in the NHL today back to the start of Chelios’ career in 1984.
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