Image: Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPosition: <\/strong>Defenseman<\/p>\n\n\n\nTeams: <\/strong>Los Angeles Kings (1989-01, 2006-08), Colorado Avalanche (2001-06), San\nJose Sharks (2008-10)<\/p>\n\n\n\nCareer Earnings\n(as of 2021): <\/strong>$74.8 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nEstimated\nNet Worth: <\/strong>$57 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Skinny: <\/strong>Raymond Bourque\u2019s Stanley Cup win in 2001 gets remembered, but Rob Blake was arguably the player that put the Avalanche over the top that year when he was acquired from Los Angeles. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBlake is a member of the Triple Gold club \u2014\nwinning the Stanley Cup, Olympic gold and the World Championship as a player \u2014\nand has been in the Kings front office since 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
9. Jarome Iginla – $60 Million<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nImage: Dinur\/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPosition: <\/strong>Right wing<\/p>\n\n\n\nTeams: <\/strong>Calgary Flames (1995-13), Pittsburgh Penguins (2013), Boston Bruins\n(2013-14), Colorado Avalanche (2014-17), Los Angeles Kings (2017)<\/p>\n\n\n\nCareer Earnings\n(as of 2021): <\/strong>$91.4 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nEstimated\nNet Worth: <\/strong>$60 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Skinny: <\/strong>Iginla was one of the fiercest competitors in hockey throughout his career, who also unsuccessfully chased the Stanley Cup and played in the free-spending pre-salary cap days. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBut Iginla made the bulk of his money after\nthe lockout of 2004-05 as one of the faces of the NHL \u2014 he guided Calgary to a\nsurprising run to the Stanley Cup final where they fell just a game short of\nthe championship in 2004. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The three-year, $16 million contract he signed\nwith Colorado as a 37-year-old also aided his net worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8. Nicklas Lidstrom – $60 Million<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nImage: Kalle Reimann\/Wikimedia Commons <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPosition: <\/strong>Defenseman<\/p>\n\n\n\nTeam: <\/strong>Detroit Red Wings (1991-12)<\/p>\n\n\n\nCareer Earnings\n(as of 2021): <\/strong>$42.5 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nEstimated\nNet Worth: <\/strong>$60 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Skinny: <\/strong>Lidstrom is arguably the greatest defenseman who ever lived, boasting seven Norris Trophies and four Stanley Cup wins in his Hall of Fame career with Detroit. <\/p>\n\n\n\nLidstrom also played in the height of salaries\n\u2014 the mid-1990s and early 2000s \u2014 and thus cashed in on his talent and fame by\nplaying in hockey-mad Detroit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7. Joe Thornton – $65 Million <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nImage: Twitter\/Jermz13<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPosition: <\/strong>Center<\/p>\n\n\n\nTeams: <\/strong>Boston Bruins (1997-05), San Jose Sharks (2005-20), Toronto Maple Leafs\n(2020-21), Florida Panthers (2021-present)<\/p>\n\n\n\nCareer Earnings\n(as of 2021): <\/strong>$110 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nEstimated\nNet Worth: <\/strong>$65 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Skinny: \u201c<\/strong>Jumbo Joe\u201d is something of a wealth compiler. The No. 1 pick of the 1997 NHL draft is in his fourth decade playing as he chases that elusive Stanley Cup championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThornton\u2019s career overlapped the high-earning,\npre-salary cap days, but the 2006 Hart Trophy winner also earned massive\ncontracts as the captain and face of the Sharks during the mid-2000s and early\n2010s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. Chris Pronger – $65 Million<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nImage: Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPosition: <\/strong>Defense<\/p>\n\n\n\nTeam: <\/strong>Hartford Whalers (1993-95), St. Louis Blues (1995-05), Edmonton Oilers\n(2005-06), Anaheim Ducks (2006-09), Philadelphia Flyers (2009-12) <\/p>\n\n\n\nCareer Earnings\n(as of 2021): <\/strong>$111.4 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nEstimated\nNet Worth: <\/strong>$65 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Skinny: <\/strong>Pronger also has a case as one of the best defensemen in NHL history, and he made the bulk of his career earnings as a result of not retiring midway through the seven-year, $34 million contract he signed with the Flyers \u2014 thus saving Philadelphia cap space through a loophole in the collective-bargaining agreement. <\/p>\n\n\n\nStill, Pronger earned the bulk of his pay as\none of the most physically dominant players of his era. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He won the Hart Trophy in 2001 and played for\nthe Stanley Cup in consecutive seasons in two different cities, helping Anaheim\nclaim the trophy in 2007. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pronger dipped his toe into a career as a\nhockey executive but left to assist his wife\u2019s travel business in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Joe Sakic – $65 Million<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nImage: Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPosition: <\/strong>Center<\/p>\n\n\n\nTeam: <\/strong>Quebec Nordiques\/Colorado Avalanche (1988-09)<\/p>\n\n\n\nCareer Earnings\n(as of 2021): <\/strong>$109.9 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nEstimated\nNet Worth: <\/strong>$65 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Skinny: <\/strong>Sakic was the face of two Stanley Cup championship teams in Colorado and the bulk of his career was spent before the NHL adopted a salary cap in 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSakic also played for the high-spending\nAvalanche, who needed to keep up with the rival Detroit Red Wings in the\nWestern Conference arms race, and they famously matched an offer sheet from the\nNew York Rangers in 1997 \u2014 which entitled him to a $17 million salary in\n1997-98 alone according to Cap Friendly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He is adding to his net worth too as the\ngeneral manager of the Avalanche, where he is one of the best executives in the\ngame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Pavel Bure –<\/strong> $70 Million<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nImage: Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPosition: <\/strong>Right wing<\/p>\n\n\n\nTeams: <\/strong>Vancouver Canucks (1991-99), Florida Panthers (1999-02), New York\nRangers (2002-03)<\/p>\n\n\n\nCareer Earnings\n(as of 2021): <\/strong>$66 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nEstimated\nNet Worth: <\/strong>$70 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Skinny: <\/strong>Bure helped put hockey in south Florida on the map as one of the few true superstars in Panthers history, and they rewarded him with a lucrative five-year contract after acquiring him from the Canucks in a blockbuster, midseason deal during the 1999-00 season. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBure led Florida to the playoffs in 2000, but\ninjuries damaged his on-ice production, and he was traded to the Rangers\nmidseason in 2001-02, where he finished his career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
3<\/strong>. Alexander Ovechkin – $80 Million<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nImage: Michael Miller\/Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPosition: <\/strong>Left wing<\/p>\n\n\n\nTeam: <\/strong>Washington Capitals (2005-present)<\/p>\n\n\n\nCareer Earnings\n(as of 2021): <\/strong>$127.2 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nEstimated\nNet Worth: <\/strong>$80 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Skinny: \u201c<\/strong>The Great Eight\u201d famously signed a record 13-year, $124 million contract in 2007 as a 22-year-old, before the NHL banned such contracts from being signed, and lived up to the billing. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe 37-year-old recently signed another\nfive-year contract, worth $47.5 million, as he pursues Waye Gretzky\u2019s all-time\ngoal streak. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If he can catch Gretzky, he may have a chance\nto climb this list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Mario Lemieux – $200 Million<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nImage: Michael Miller\/Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPosition: <\/strong>Center<\/p>\n\n\n\nTeam: <\/strong>Pittsburgh Penguins (1984-97, 2000-06) <\/p>\n\n\n\nCareer Earnings\n(as of 2021): <\/strong>$54.5 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nEstimated\nNet Worth: <\/strong>$200 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Skinny: <\/strong>Lemieux is arguably the greatest NHL player who ever lived, yet whose career was unfortunately cut short due to a litany of injuries and physical ailments. <\/p>\n\n\n\nInterestingly, that coupled with Pittsburgh\u2019s\nfinancial woes of the mid-2000s led to his exponential gain in wealth as he was\ngiven an ownership stake in the team as compensation for a lawsuit where he\nsought fulfillment of his contract. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lemieux and the Penguins continue to make\nmoney hand over fist as one of the NHL\u2019s marquee franchises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Wayne Gretzky – $250 Million<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nImage: Kris Kr\u00fcg\/Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPosition: <\/strong>Center<\/p>\n\n\n\nTeams: <\/strong>Edmonton Oilers (1979-88), Los Angeles Kings (1988-96), St. Louis Blues\n(1996), New York Rangers (1997-99)<\/p>\n\n\n\nCareer Earnings\n(as of 2021): <\/strong>$46 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nEstimated\nNet Worth: <\/strong>$250 million<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Skinny: <\/strong>Gretzky is the most famous hockey player ever and played at the height of NHL salaries, so it\u2019s no surprise he\u2019s atop this list. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHis on-ice prowess led to a run of pop-culture\nrelevance in the 1980s and 1990s, which aided his bottom line, as did forays in\nmanagement with Hockey Canada and the Arizona Coyotes \u2014 where he was coach and\nheld an ownership stake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gretzky remains in the public eye working for\nTurner as part of their NHL coverage, meaning his net worth should continue to\nrise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All career earnings are courtesy of Cap\nFriendly. Net worth estimates are via CelebrityNetWorth.com and TheRichest.com.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Most hockey players have had a hard time keeping up with the Joneses financially. Sure, there was a time \u2014 …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":29792,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,18],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Top 10 Richest Hockey Players In History \u2013 Richest NHL Players<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n