A full list of NHL players with 1,000 or more career assists

Throughout the nearly 110-year history of the NHL, only 14 players have recorded 1,000 or more assists – with an unbreakable record leading the way.

When I was first getting into hockey as a young child, one of my earlier interests revolved around looking up all-time records for all of the major statistics to get a better idea of who the best to ever play the game were.

I entered with a bit of knowledge that Wayne Gretzky was far above every other player, but I was enamored learning about the entire era of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s – a league dominated by extremely high scoring, frequent penalties and superstars.

Growing up watching a league where a 100-point season or 40-goal campaign was especially noteworthy, it was wild to see what players of the past had accomplished, even expanding beyond the otherworldly accomplishments of Gretzky.

Efforts like Steve Yzerman’s 155-point campaign of 1988-89 or Brett Hull’s 86-goal season in 1990-91 served as proof that the game was radically different at that time, and that points were simply easier to come by.

While the league has undoubtedly shifted back in a more offensive direction during the 2020’s, I can’t help but think about the stars of my childhood when seeing all-time leaderboards, with Joe Thornton’s career always standing out to me.

A player with unparalleled longevity and clubhouse leadership, Thornton never reached the 500-goal mark despite finishing his career with over 1,500 points – thanks to his elite playmaking that remains the stuff of legends today.

Thornton’s 1,109 career assists make him stand out as a playmaking-first superstar, placing him well within the top 10 for the metric all-time – a crowning achievement as no one will ever approach Wayne Gretzky’s 1,963 helpers.

As of the early parts of the 2026-27 season, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins is the only active player on the list, with the next-closest player, Patrick Kane, still over 100 assists away from joining the club.

Here’s a look at the 14 players to have reached the milestone:

*italicized name denotes active player

1. Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers): 1,963 assists
2. Ron Francis (Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs): 1,249 assists
3. Mark Messier (Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks): 1,193 assists
4. Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche): 1,169 assists
5. Jaromír Jágr (Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers, Calgary Flames): 1,155 assists
6. Paul Coffey (Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers, Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins): 1,135 assists
7. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins): 1,109 assists
8. Joe Thornton (Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers): 1,109 assists
9. Adam Oates (Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Edmonton Oilers): 1,079 assists
10. Steve Yzerman (Detroit Red Wings): 1,063 assists
11. Gordie Howe (Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers): 1,049 assists
12. Marcel Dionne (Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers): 1,040 assists
13. Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins): 1,033 assists
14. Joe Sakic (Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche): 1,016 assists