Top Five Oldest Players In The NHL

By Neil Misola, The Hockey News Intern

The oldest NHL player ever was ‘Mr. Hockey' himself, Gordie Howe. He was 52 years old when he played his last NHL game with the Hartford Whalers in 1980. Today's generation of older NHL players are nowhere near that age, but as the 2024-25 season continues to unfold, the NHL’s old guard is showing their worth.

Here are the five oldest players in the NHL this season: 

The Minnesota Wild goaltender has had a long and storied career. He has played in the NHL for 21 seasons and has suited up for four NHL teams. Having turned 40 in November, he’s the oldest active player in the league. Fleury is also one of the most decorated players with three Stanley Cup wins during his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Among his individual accomplishments, he’s the second-winningest goaltender of all time, with 573 career victories and counting. Last year, he declared that the 2024-25 season would be his last. Fans should watch his games while they still can.

Suter, who turned 40 in January, played his first seven NHL seasons for the Nashville Predators, then spent nine years with Minnesota before three campaigns with the Dallas Stars, and now he’s with the St. Louis Blues. He’s also represented the United States in many international tournaments over the past two-plus decades and has won three gold medals in the process. His penchant for international play runs in the family, as his father, Bob Suter, was a member of the U.S. ‘Miracle on Ice’ team at the 1980 Olympics.

In most sports, it can be said that defense is key, and that certainly holds true in the game of hockey. A timely defensive play can mean the difference between victory and defeat. That’s why Burns has been so effective throughout his career. While he started his NHL tenure as a right winger, he soon moved back to the blueline and has played as a defenseman for the vast majority of his time in the big leagues. It’s a role for which he is well suited, with his 6-foot-5, 228-pound frame and smooth mobility. Burns, who turned 40 on March 9, may be past his athletic prime, but his skill and experience make him invaluable.

Nicknamed ‘The Worm’ for his grimy approach to the game, Perry – a one-time 50-goal scorer and Hart Trophy recipient – remains as intense as ever. Perry, who turns 40 in May, won a Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007 and has also been to the Cup final four times – with four different teams – since 2020. He’s the first player to reach the Cup final with five separate teams. 

The man known as ‘The Great 8’ is 39 years old (he turns 40 in September). Incredibly, he has been playing elite hockey for nearly 25 years, making his debut with Dynamo Moscow of the Russian Super League way back in 2001. On the verge of becoming the NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer, Ovechkin has amassed a great deal of personal achievements as a player. Among his accomplishments, he’s won the Stanley Cup, a Calder Trophy, three Hart Trophies and has been the NHL’s leading goal-scorer nine times. 

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