Can you feel it? That tingle you feel is probably the National Hockey League playoffs, which are in full swing after a spectacular regular season filled with particularly notable storylines; there was the all-time goal record chase (Ovechkin chasing Gretzky), an inaugural season for an expansion team (Utah), and even a goalie in a rare conversation for league MVP (Hellebuyck).
Also cool: this was the first time the league dropped the All-Star game in favor of the “4 Nations Face Off” tournament, a week-long, round-robin contest featuring four countries, which predictably ended in a Canada versus USA showdown that Canada won in dramatic fashion.
We figured we could restage the drama of the 4-nations tournament using… area codes! (Look, it’s actually more exciting than it sounds.) Breaking the ice on this chilling rivalry and really getting to the bottom of Canada versus America, we examined the all-time (and current) stats of NHL players. Let’s see who and which area sticks out for the most bragging rights, netting the most NHL greats of all time.
Where Are the Most Players From? (By Area Code)
One way to measure greatness is, well, by volume. In other words, which state (or province) has been the greatest source of NHL players?
Two quick notes: hockey is a global sport, with players from all over the world aside from North America, most notably Russia, Sweden, Finland, and more. We are only analyzing stats from American and Canadian players. Secondly, in case you were unfamiliar: yes, Canada has area codes just like the USA does!
- Number of Players (All-Time)
- Number of Players (Active)
- Most-Goals-(All-Time)
- Most Assists (All-Time)
- Most-Points-Overall-(All-Time)
- Goalie Wins (All-Time)
- End-of-Year-Awards
- End of Year Unique Awards
- Other-Honors
- All-Star Team Selections
- Hall-of-Famers
Number of Players (All-Time)
| Area Code | Number of Players |
|---|---|
| 416 (Toronto, Ontario) | 502 |
| 519 (Southwestern Ontario) | 359 |
| 306 (Saskatchewan) | 343 |
| 514 (Montreal) | 323 |
| 905 (Southern Ontario) | 309 |
| 780 (Alberta) | 300 |
| 403 (Alberta/Calgary) | 243 |
| 705 (Northeastern Ontario) | 223 |
We’re not going to sugarcoat this; Canada absolutely dominated each and every single category. In fact, it was almost a clean sweep in every category. (Get used to seeing Canada area codes.)
And right at the top, the greatest source of professional hockey players is none other than the 416, greater Toronto area! And not by a little but a lot — almost a staggering 150 more players have come from the Toronto area compared to the next closest, 519’s Southwest Ontario area.
There’s almost too many names to choose from to highlight from that group of 502 players from Toronto, but you can’t go wrong with Red Wings legend (and current president of the Toronto Maple Leafs) Brendan Shanahan, as well as Hall of Fame legends Paul Coffey and Dale Hawerchuk.
Number of Players (Active)
| Active Area Code | Number of Players |
|---|---|
| 905 (Southern Ontario) | 52 |
| 416 (Toronto/Ontario) | 36 |
| 519 (Southwestern Ontario) | 26 |
| 604 (Southwestern British Columbia) | 26 |
| 780 (Alberta) | 23 |
| 403 (Alberta/Calgary) | 21 |
| 952 (Minneapolis/St.Paul, MN) | 17 |
| 204 (Manitoba) | 15 |
In terms of active players, Toronto is technically still first place (as well as second place), but more players are from a shade over in the overlay 905 area, which includes Lake Ontario, Brampton, Mississauga, and more.
Of note, you could make a heck of a team with players like Steven Stamkos, John Tavares, and arguably the greatest player alive right now, Edmonton’s Connor McDavid. (Although, since all of them play center, we’ll let them figure out who gets to play in the middle.)
Yet, given that this is the only top 10 section that features any non-Canadian area code, consider this the Anders Lee, Nick Leddy, Brock Boeser and Erik Johnson USA appreciation section. USA! USA! USA! (Or at least, three cheers to the 952, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota area!)
Most Goals (All-Time)
Okay, sure. Canadians pretty much invented hockey, so of course there are a lot of Canadian players. But besides strong attendance, who has dominated on the ice?
| Area Code | Goals |
|---|---|
| 416 (Toronto/Ontario) | 24,470 |
| 519 (Southwestern Ontario) | 20,652 |
| 514 (Montreal) | 16,411 |
| 306 (Saskatchewan) | 16,240 |
| 705 (Northeastern Ontario) | 15,908 |
| 905 (Southern Ontario) | 13,802 |
| 780 (Alberta) | 11,320 |
| 819 (Western Quebec) | 10,690 |
| 753 (Ontario/Ottawa) | 8,644 |
Alright, you may notice a trend here. Once again, the greater Toronto area dominates; it’s pumped in nearly 25,000 goals all on its own! (That’s almost 4,000 more than the next closest.) And yes, some of the huge names already listed above have a big hand in that, but it’s the Jason Spezza and Mike Cammalleri-types — good to really great players from Toronto — who have been consistent throughout the last three-quarter century of professional hockey.
Most Assists (All-Time)
| Area Code | Assists |
|---|---|
| 416 (Toronto/Ontario) | 39,098 |
| 519 (Southwestern Ontario) | 33,069 |
| 514 (Montreal) | 26,428 |
| 306 (Saskatchewan) | 26,167 |
| 705 (Northeastern Ontario) | 24,789 |
| 905 (Southern Ontario) | 21,657 |
| 780 (Alberta) | 20,562 |
| 819 (Western Quebec) | 15,717 |
| 403 (Alberta/Calgary) | 13,529 |
We reserved the “assists” category to call out the incomparable playmaker Adam Oates, also from Toronto, with his 1079 assets highlighting his Hall of Fame career. Oates had many highlights and stops during his playing career, but we’re partial to his “Hull and Oates” days in St. Louis, the nickname of course stemming from playing alongside scoring machine Brett Hull.
(And there’s only so much space, but Hall of Famer and Pittsburgh Penguins/Detroit Red Wing legend Larry Murphy wasn’t too bad in the assists category, either.)
Most Points Overall (All-Time)
| Area Code | Points |
|---|---|
| 416 (Toronto/Ontario) | 63,568 |
| 519 (Southwestern Ontario) | 53,721 |
| 514 (Montreal) | 42,839 |
| 306 (Saskatchewan) | 42,407 |
| 705 (Northeastern Ontario) | 40,697 |
| 905 (Southern Ontario) | 35,459 |
| 780 (Alberta) | 31,882 |
| 819 (Western Quebec) | 26,407 |
| 403 (Alberta/Calgary) | 21,787 |
However, it’s actually illegal to go this long into a hockey stats article and not mention Wayne Gretzky, the undisputed greatest player in NHL history (and 519 area code native, shoutout to Brantford, Ontario).
The fact that 2,857 points came from a single person (good for #2 most total points on our list), is absolutely absurd. So in honor of Gretzky’s outrageous numbers, here are some of his best “unbelievable-but-true” stats:
- If Wayne Gretzky had never scored a goal in his entire career, he still would have won four separate scoring titles. (His extraordinary number of assists alone were enough to make him the leading league scorer, even if he never directly scored himself.)
- If you cut Gretzky’s point total in half, his point total would still land among the totals of several first-ballot Hall-of-Famers.
- To date, the only player to ever score at least 200 points in a single season remains Wayne Gretzky, and he did it four times.
So while Alexander Ovechkin’s overtaking of the overall goals record this year is absolutely remarkable, and a feat previously thought not obtainable, the fact that Gretzky still somehow has over 1,200 more points than even Alexander the Great seems, well, impossible. (This concludes the obligatory Gretzky-section of the article.)
Goalie Wins (All-Time)
| Area Code | Goalie Wins |
|---|---|
| 514 (Montreal) | 4,575 |
| 416 (Toronto/Ontario) | 3,576 |
| 204 (Manitoba) | 2,305 |
| 780 (Alberta/Edmonton) | 2,127 |
| 519 (Southwestern Ontario) | 2,056 |
| 905 (Southern Ontario) | 1,997 |
| 819 (Western Quebec) | 1,893 |
| 306 (Saskatchewan) | 1,884 |
| 450 (Quebec/Montreal) | 1,658 |
Okay, finally a section free of those pesky offensive-minded players!
And Montreal’s 514 is heads and shoulder-pads above the competition, with much of the thanks going to Hall of Famer and Vancouver Canucks great Roberto Luongo, as well some random guy named Martin Brodeur. Of course we’re joking, as the New Jersey Devils icon is arguably the greatest goalie of all time, and perhaps the greatest player to ever come out of Montreal. (Which is saying a lot.) Clearly, the puck stopped here.
By the way, Manitoba’s 204 comes in third place, largely on the back of Dallas Star legend Ed Belfour, whose goalie career is definitely worth pointing out!
End of Year Awards (MVP, Rookie of the Year, etc.)
| TOTAL Area Code | Total Wins |
|---|---|
| 514 (Montreal) | 59 |
| 519 (Southwestern Ontario) | 51 |
| 306 (Saskatchewan) | 40 |
| 705 (Northeastern Ontario) | 40 |
| 819 (Western Quebec) | 37 |
| 416 (Toronto/Ontario) | 28 |
| 418 (Eastern Quebec) | 17 |
| 753 (Ontario/Ottawa) | 17 |
| 204 (Manitoba) | 16 |
| 905 (Southern Ontario) | 14 |
We’ve arrived at the final stop on our area-code masterclass, and it’s figuring out where all those MVP and MVP-type awards have all been coming from over the years.
In short, yes, it’s Canada. In long, across all awards (the Hart (MVP), the Norris (best defenseman), the Calder (Rookie of the Year), the Art Ross (top scorer), the Conn Smyth (playoff MVP), and others, Montreal has amassed the most collective awards.
Yes, aforementioned players like Martin Brodeur have helped, but we still somehow haven’t mentioned Pittsburgh Penguins icon and Montreal native Mario Lemieux, with his three MVPs, six top scorer trophies, a rookie of the year trophy, and probably even more awards stuffed in his closet somewhere.
We should also mention there are many classic players from the 1950s and 60s who’ve contributed to Montreal’s dominance as well, including Hall-of-Fame players like Maurice Richard, Nels Stewart, Gump Worsley, and more.
End of Year Unique Awards (No Duplicate Players)
| Area Code | Total Wins |
|---|---|
| 514 (Montreal) | 30 |
| 306 (Saskatchewan) | 23 |
| 519 (Southwestern Ontario) | 22 |
| 819 (Western Quebec) | 22 |
| 705 (Northeastern Ontario) | 20 |
| 416 (Toronto, Ontario) | 18 |
| 204 (Manitoba) | 12 |
| 418 (Eastern Quebec) | 9 |
| 584 (Manitoba) | 9 |
| 753 (Ottawa, Ontario) | 9 |
We wanted to make sure that the Lemieux’s and Richard’s of the hockey world weren’t single handedly tipping the scales, and they generally kind of weren’t, as the top 10 list remained relatively similar by counting each player only once. (Although did we mention that Gretzky somehow won eight MVP awards in a row? Okay, we promise we’ll stop now.)
It’s worth noting that there were a ton of old-school Hall of Fame players from the 306Saskatchewan area that propelled it to a very impressive second place: Al Rollins, Chuck Rayner, Sid Abel, and Eddie Shore, among others, are all to thank for Saskatchewan’s hockey legacy. (Though the fact that Gordie Howe would be considered a new-school Saskatchewan legend by the same measure is kind of funny.)
Other Honors
| Area Code | Number of 100 Greatest NHL Players |
|---|---|
| 514 (Montreal) | 13 |
| 306 (Saskatchewan) | 8 |
| 416 (Toronto/Ontario) | 7 |
| 519 (Southwestern Ontario) | 7 |
| 705 (Northeastern Ontario) | 7 |
| 819 (Western Quebec) | 7 |
| 584 (Manitoba) | 4 |
| 780 (Alberta) | 4 |
| 418 (Eastern Quebec) | 3 |
| 613 (Ontario/Ottawa) | 3 |
All-Star Team Selections
| Area Code | 1st Team | 2nd Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 514 (Montreal) | 64 | 51 | 115 |
| 519 (Southwestern Ontario) | 35 | 47 | 82 |
| 306 (Saskatchewan) | 46 | 35 | 81 |
| 416 (Toronto/Ontario) | 34 | 41 | 75 |
| 705 (Northeastern Ontario) | 30 | 27 | 57 |
| 584 (Manitoba) | 15 | 24 | 39 |
| 905 (Southern Ontario) | 13 | 23 | 36 |
| 819 (Western Quebec) | 13 | 17 | 30 |
| 418 (Eastern Quebec) | 17 | 11 | 28 |
| 753 (Ontario/Ottawa) | 14 | 14 | 28 |
Then there’s just looking at the data by way of All-Star selections and the NHL’s “100 Greatest Players” list, which honestly have many of the names we’ve already highlighted.
So instead of giving them another round of applause, here are some hockey greats we somehow haven’t mentioned yet: 780-Alberta’s Mark Messier and Grant Fuhr, 705-Northeastern Ontario’s Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr, Eastern Quebec’s Patrick Roy, and why not throw in future Hall-of-Famer and San Jose Shark star “Jumbo” Joe Thornton, hailing from 519’sSouthwestern Ontario.
Hall-of-Famers
| Area Code | Number Of Player |
|---|---|
| 514 (Montreal) | 24 |
| 519 (Southwestern Ontario) | 21 |
| 705 (Northeastern Ontario) | 19 |
| 306 (Saskatchewan) | 18 |
| 416 (Toronto, Ontario) | 16 |
| 753 (Ottawa, Ontario) | 16 |
| 819 (Western Quebec) | 12 |
| 584 (Manitoba) | 10 |
| 204 (Manitoba/Winnipeg) | 9 |
| 418 (Eastern Quebec) | 9 |
And finally, we wanted to know which city’s water was most suspect for creating Hall-of-Famers. As we always say, even having a single player make it into the Hall of Fame is absolutely incredible. The fact that Montreal has 24 of them is pretty much unfair. But that’s just how it is in the NHL when one country has come to utterly dominate the sport, with the rest of the world still somehow playing catch-up in the greatest sport in the world. (Please don’t tell baseball, football, soccer, or basketball we said that, though.)
