5 oldest players to ever make an NHL All-Star appearance ft. Gordie Howe

By Ryan Gagne

Modified Jan 31, 2024 17:46 GMT

We celebrate NHL players' achievements by naming them to the annual NHL All-Star Game. Playing a game in the NHL is one of the hardest things a hockey player can achieve. Once in the league, a payer's goals include staying in the league, contributing at a high level, and forging a career in professional hockey.

Of course, some players do better than others, so playing alongside the league's best is an honorable achievement while playing in multiple NHL All-Star Games is a rare feat.

If a hockey player is lucky, they could have a great career and depart the game in their late 30s. However, a handful of hockey legends have defied the odds and played during their 40s, actually earning their way into the annual All-Star Game.

Today, we will look at the five oldest players to skate at the NHL All-Star Game.

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5 oldest players to ever make an NHL All-Star Game appearance

5.) Gump Worsley - 42 years (1972)

Gump Worsley is a Hall of Fame netminder who won four Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens during the Original Six era. Additionally, he won the Calder Trophy in 1952 and the Vezina Trophy on two occasions in 1966 and 1968.

Although one of his generation's best goalies, Worsley was selected to the 1972 NHL All-Star Game at 42, becoming the oldest skater (at the time) to play in the event. To this day, he remains the oldest netminder to be named an NHL All-Star.

4.) Jaromir Jagr - 43 years (2016)

Jaromir Jagr made his NHL debut at 18 and won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in his first two seasons. During his first decade in the league, he won multiple scoring titles and MVP honors, dressing in six NHL All-Star Games.

Jaromir Jagr was a 10-time NHL All-Star

Eventually, Jagr left the NHL at 35 to skate in the KHL for a few seasons before returning to North America in 2011. Upon resuming his career in the NHL, he continued to play at a high level, scoring 66 points with the Florida Panthers during the 2015-16 season and getting selected for his 10th and final NHL All-Star Game at 43.

3.) Mark Messier - 43 years (2004)

Mark Messier remains the only player to captain two different franchises to the Stanley Cup, guiding the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers to the championship in the early 1990s. Upon retiring, he had collected the second most points in NHL history, sitting behind his former teammate Wayne Gretzky on the scoring chart.

Mark Messier was a 15-time NHL All-Star

Messier played 25 seasons in the league and appeared in 15 NHL All-Star Games, including the 2004 event held in Minnesota. At 43, he became the third oldest player to earn the all-star honors in his final season.

2.) Doug Harvey - 44 years (1969)

Doug Harvey is considered one of the greatest defensemen to ever play in the NHL. Besides winning six Stanley Cups with the Canadiens, he won the Norris Trophy a record seven times from 1954 to 1962, eventually becoming the second-winningest defender once Bobby Orr won eight.

After a legendary run in Montreal, Harvey moved on to skate with the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, and St. Louis Blues. During his final season in 1968-69, he was selected to participate in his 13th NHL All-Star Game, becoming the oldest skater in the event's history at 44.

1.) Gordie Howe - 51 years (1980)

"Mr. Hockey" Gordie Howe dominated the NHL record book like everyone else. At 18, he began his career in 1946-47 and eventually retired from professional hockey at 51 in 1979-80.

Even though he didn't skate in the NHL for 33 consecutive seasons, he briefly played in the WHA and remains the only player to ever dress in his 50s in the league.

Gordie Howe at the 2012 NHL All-Star Game

After six years away from the NHL, Howe played 80 games for the Hartford Whalers in 1979-80, racking up the final 41 points of his legendary career. As a tribute to his status as the league's all-time leading scorer, Howe was named to the 1980 All-Star Game at 51, becoming the oldest player to earn such an honor.

Even though today's hockey players train better than anyone from the previous eras, Howe's record as the oldest NHL All-Star is a mark that may never be broken.