Who is the Best American in NHL History?
It’s Hockey Week Across America in the States. And it’s a great time to be an American hockey fan.
Auston Matthews continues to torch the league. Chris Chelios’ #7 heads to the United Center’s rafters on Sunday. Team USA’s World Junior entry took home gold in January. Quinn Hughes and Connor Hellebuyck are the favorites for the Norris and Vezina Trophies, respectively. Vegas and Seattle are expansion smashes, while Utah could be next. And with best-on-best international action finally resurrected, Team USA is looking lethal.
To celebrate USA Hockey’s big week and good vibes, today we’re asking the question: who is the greatest American player in NHL history?
The Trend
Before the 1967 expansion, there were three Americans in the NHL. Yes, three. All were part-time players. It was effectively an all-Canadian league. But a series of landmark moments helped change that. Six new franchises entered the NHL at once — all American. The 1980 Miracle on Ice. The iconic Gretzky trade to Los Angeles. Gordon Bombay led an underdog group to victory. The 1996 World Cup of Hockey. Slowly, but surely, an explosion of American talent emerged.
With a U.S. population nearly nine times that of Canada, the per capita gap remains massive. But the gradual shift of the NHL’s composition below is stunning.
When Chelios entered the NHL, about one in eight players had an American passport. Today, 28% of the league is American born. The growth is even more impressive given a parallel rise in European talent since the 1990s. Collectively, it’s led to a diverse and superior product, yet Americans are thriving today like no generation before.
The Candidates
Groundbreaking Forwards: LaFontaine, Modano
For starters, we’re passing on dual citizen Brett Hull. While The Golden Brett has a case for #1, he was born and raised primarily in Canada. It was a 1986 cut from Canada’s World Championship entry that started Hull’s international affiliation with USA.
Pat Lafontaine (St. Louis, MO) offers a tragic case of “what if.” One of the earliest American superstars to enter Canadian junior hockey, LaFontaine averaged 3.34 points per game in his one season in the QMJHL. Decent. Concussions ended the Michigan-raised center’s career as he played 70+ games just once after age 27. Adjusting for era, LaFontaine is second only to Patrick Kane in point pace among American-born players (minimum 800 games).
Mike Modano (Livonia, MI), the original American drafted first overall out of Canadian junior hockey remains the country’s all-time points leader (1,374). Does Kane have 114 points left in him to catch him? At his best, Modano was a top-10 NHL scorer earning serious Selke consideration, leading the Stars on deep playoff runs. He retired with 1,499 games after Mike Babcock scratched him in the fourth last game of the season as a 40-year-old on a playoff lock team.
Verdict: LaFontaine didn’t play long enough (865 games) and Modano’s lack of hardware (one second all-star team, peaked at 7th in MVP voting) exclude them from the belt.
Active MVPs: Kane, Matthews
Patrick Kane‘s (Buffalo, NY) on-ice résumé is sensational: Hart, Ross, Lindsay (2015-16), three Stanley Cups, Conn Smythe, Calder, named to 100 Greatest NHL players. But by playing in a low scoring era, Kane’s career numbers are even better than they look. Sure, his production will drop if he continues to play, but only six guys in the 1,000-game club have scored points at a better era adjusted rate: Gretzky, Crosby, Malkin, Sakic, Jagr, Ovechkin. Incredible stuff.
Yes, Auston Matthews‘ (San Ramon, CA) inclusion here is premature. We know he hasn’t won a Stanley Cup — it’s well documented. And yes, Kane has three rings. But those Chicago teams came 5th, 1st, and 1st in fewest goals allowed in the NHL. Matthews, a superior defensive player by any measure, has not played on perennial world-class defensive juggernauts. At age 26, he’s matched Kane’s Hart, Lindsay, Calder, plus two Rockets — and counting.
Through 26, the Kane vs. Matthews debate is no-contest, but it depends on who you ask. For the only Cups matter crowd, it’s Kane in a landslide. But as the head-to-head below shows, Auston blows Patrick out of the water offensively — 26 more goals and 17 more points. That’s not in total — that’s per season. No contest.
Verdict: We’ve had some fun showing Matthews’ offensive superiority at the same age, but greatest American ever is a lifetime achievement award — Kane leads the pack so far.
All-World Defensemen: Chelios, Leetch
While greatest ever conversations tend to lean toward forwards, there are two all-world defensemen entering the chat.
The legacy of Chris Chelios (Chicago, IL) is unfairly limited by the ageless warrior phenomenon. Much like Gordie Howe or Jaromir Jagr, each is remembered more for his play as a relentless graybeard than for his tremendous prime. Peak Chelios earned top-eight Norris love for 10 consecutive seasons. His three Norris wins are topped by only four prestigious blueliners: Orr, Harvey, Lidstrom, Bourque.
Chelios’ contemporary, Brian Leetch (Corpus Christi, TX) is the perfect contrast. A two-time Norris winner and Smythe recipient on the famed ’94 Rangers team, Leetch is the fifth-best era adjusted scoring D-man in NHL history. While Chelios was a blunt instrument, Leetch was silkier than your best pajamas.
Verdict: In PPS, my Hockey Hall of Fame worthiness score, Chelios grades as the #8 defenseman in NHL history. Leetch is 10th, the pair topped only by Lidstrom and Al MacInnis in their era. That feels right, Chelios getting the slight edge on longevity and team success.
The Future
Does anyone else have a shot at the title one day?
- Just 26, Matthew Tkachuk (Scottsdale, AZ) has two 100-point seasons and was an MVP finalist last year. The sky’s the limit for 22-year-old Jack Hughes (Orlando, FL), but he’s had challenges staying healthy in his formative years.
- USA offers three highly developed young defenders — Adam Fox (Jericho, NY), Quinn Hughes (Orlando, FL), Charlie McAvoy (Long Beach, NY). Fox has drawn first blood with a Norris win and a runner-up finish. Hughes is the frontrunner to win his first in 2024.
- Connor Hellebuyck (Commerce, MI) is the best goalie candidate as he’s tracking to join Tim Thomas as the only modern two-time Vezina winner among Americans.
The Best Ever
Before we label the greatest American in NHL history, we’ll review the all-time PPS leaderboards. This offers a chance to acknowledge all of the special U.S.-born talent. When comparing players in PPS, positions should be considered separately as each position accumulates value much differently.
It comes down to two players: Kane, the 21st forward of all-time; and Chelios, the #8 defensemen.
While ‘Showtime’ has three cap era Cups and an MVP season, he’s incredibly never finished top 5 in Hart voting otherwise. Chelios, the first American captain of the Montreal Canadiens, a seven-time year-end all-star, four-time Olympian, and a professional hockey player from age 22 to 48, takes the prestigious honor.
The All-American ranking: 1. Chelios, 2. Kane, 3. Leetch, 4. Matthews, 5. Modano
When Chelios’ jersey is raised on Sunday in Chicago, you’ll be watching the greatest American player in NHL history.
Follow @AdjustedHockey on X; Data from Hockey-Reference.com
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