Richest Hockey Players: How NHL Greats Turned Goals Into Fortunes

Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky sit miles clear at the top, while Ovechkin and Crosby lead the current crop on the back of record career earnings.

Alex Ovechkin has earned more in NHL salary than anyone in history, more than $170 million according to Spotrac, yet he isn't the richest hockey player on the planet. He isn't even close.

That honour belongs to two men who did their best business away from the rink. Mario Lemieux turned an unpaid wage bill into a stake in the team he played for, and Wayne Gretzky built a brand big enough to put his name on wine, whisky, and a TV desk long after he hung up the skates.

Hockey contracts have never matched the NBA or NFL, so the fortunes at the top of this list come from ownership, endorsements, and investments rather than pay packets.

Here are the richest hockey players in 2026, ranked by estimated net worth. All figures are in US dollars and, like every net worth figure, they're estimates rather than audited numbers.

The 10 Richest Hockey Players in 2026

1. Mario Lemieux Net Worth: $300 Million

Mario Lemieux's net worth is estimated at around $300 million, and the story of how he got there is one of the best deals in sport.

When the Pittsburgh Penguins went bankrupt in 1998, the club owed him $32.5 million in deferred salary.

Rather than queue up with the other creditors, Lemieux converted $20 million of that debt into equity and pulled together an investor group that bought the franchise in 1999. His stake eventually grew to around 40%.

Fenway Sports Group bought control in 2021 at a valuation of roughly $900 million, with Lemieux keeping a minority share.

When the Hoffmann Family of Companies took over in June 2026, a deal NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said valued the club at around $1.75 billion, Lemieux and long-time partner Ron Burkle sold their remaining shares, ending his 27-year run as an owner.

On the ice he scored 690 goals and 1,723 points in just 915 games, won the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992, and did it all while battling serious back injuries and cancer.

2. Wayne Gretzky Net Worth: $250 Million

Wayne Gretzky's net worth sits at an estimated $250 million, the most consistent figure across every major tracker.

The Great One earned more than $50 million in playing salary and deferred pay, which was huge for his era, but the endorsements were bigger.

Forbes put his combined hockey and endorsement income between 1990 and 1998 alone at $93.8 million, with deals running through Coca-Cola, Nike, McDonald's, and Ford.

He became a minority owner of the Phoenix Coyotes in 2000 and coached them from 2005 to 2009. Wayne Gretzky Estates, his winery and distillery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, opened in 2017 in partnership with Andrew Peller, and he has been a fixture on TNT's NHL studio panel since 2021.

His 2,857 career points remain the league record, and plenty of people reckon they always will.

3. Alex Ovechkin Net Worth: $80 Million to $130 Million

Estimates of Alex Ovechkin's net worth range from around $80 million to $130 million, and his salary is the most bankable part of it.

Spotrac has his career earnings at about $170.7 million through 2025-26, the most of any NHL player, built on a 13-year, $124 million deal signed in 2008 and a five-year, $47.5 million extension in 2021.

He came back this season on a one-year deal with a $4.25 million cap hit, but a $4.75 million bonus for playing 10 games, which he has already triggered, takes it to about $9 million. In early October he also confirmed that 2026-27 will be his last.

He passed Gretzky as the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer in April 2025, went past 900 later that year and has spent his whole 22-season career with Washington. His farewell tour also gives him a shot at Gretzky's record for combined regular season and playoff goals.

4. Chris Chelios Net Worth: $80 Million

Chris Chelios is estimated to be worth around $80 million, which is impressive given he earned about $61 million in salary across a career that stretched from 1983 to 2010.

The defenceman won three Stanley Cups and three Norris Trophies with Montreal, Chicago, and Detroit, and he put his name on the Cheli's Chili Bar restaurants in the Detroit area.

Longevity did the rest, because few players have ever cashed NHL cheques for as long as he did.

5. Sidney Crosby Net Worth: $75 Million

Sidney Crosby's net worth is estimated at $75 million, a conservative figure for a player Spotrac credits with $165.6 million in career earnings.

Crosby has never left Pittsburgh. His 12-year, $104.4 million deal signed in 2012 set his famous $8.7 million cap hit, a nod to his birthday (8/7/87) and jersey number, and he has kept that same number through his current two-year extension, which runs to the end of 2026-27.

Three Stanley Cups, two Hart Trophies, and Olympic gold in 2010 and 2014 have kept the sponsors lining up for two decades. He passed Lemieux as the Penguins' all-time points leader last season, and he's now sixth on the NHL's all-time points list.

6. Connor McDavid Net Worth: $70 Million

Connor McDavid is estimated to be worth around $70 million, and he could have been richer if he'd wanted to be.

The Oilers captain has earned about $105.6 million in NHL salary since 2015. In October 2025 he signed a two-year, $25 million extension that keeps his cap hit at $12.5 million through 2027-28, the same figure he has had since the 2018-19 season, even though he could have pushed for far more.

He isn't even the highest-paid player in his own dressing room, with Leon Draisaitl earning more each season.

The trade-off is simple: McDavid wants a Stanley Cup, and Edmonton lost back-to-back finals to Florida in 2024 and 2025. With another deep run on the cards, it is worth reading up on how to bet on the NHL playoffs before the race heats up.

7. Anze Kopitar Net Worth: $70 Million

Anze Kopitar's estimated $70 million net worth comes almost entirely from staying put. Spotrac has him on $143.2 million in career earnings, fourth on the all-time list, all of it with the LA Kings.

The Slovenian won Stanley Cups with the Kings in 2012 and 2014, took over as captain in 2016, and retired at the end of the 2025-26 season, and the club will retire his No. 11 in February.

8. Pavel Bure Net Worth: $70 Million

Pavel Bure is estimated to be worth around $70 million. The Russian Rocket scored 437 goals in 702 games for Vancouver, Florida, and the New York Rangers before knee injuries ended his career in 2005, and he went into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.

Bure's goal-scoring flair is the kind of talent that still lights up the modern game, and there are plenty of markets to bet on ice hockey across competitions old and new.

9. Mark Messier Net Worth: $65 Million

Mark Messier is estimated to be worth around $65 million, built on roughly $68 million in playing salary and a broadcasting career that now has him leading ESPN's NHL studio coverage.

He won six Stanley Cups, five with Edmonton and one with the New York Rangers in 1994, which makes him the only player to captain two different franchises to the title, and he added two Hart Trophies and 1,887 regular season points, still third on the all-time list.

10. Evgeni Malkin Net Worth: $60 Million

Evgeni Malkin's net worth is estimated at around $60 million. He made his name alongside Crosby in Pittsburgh, winning three Stanley Cups plus the Hart and Art Ross Trophies, and Spotrac has his career earnings at $151.6 million, third on the all-time list.

Highest NHL Career Earnings of All Time

Net worth is guesswork, but contracts aren't. These are the biggest career earners in NHL history according to Spotrac, counted through the end of the 2025-26 season, and the gap between salary and net worth shows how much tax, agents, and lifestyle take out of a hockey pay packet:

• Alex Ovechkin: $170.7 million
• Sidney Crosby: $165.6 million
• Evgeni Malkin: $151.6 million
• Anze Kopitar: $143.2 million
• Jaromir Jagr: $135.3 million
• Steven Stamkos: $134.9 million
• Drew Doughty: $132.9 million
• Shea Weber: $132.8 million

Jagr held the career earnings record until Crosby passed him in 2021, and in 2001 he signed a seven-year, $77 million deal with Washington that was the biggest the NHL had seen.

The NHL Players Set to Join the Richest Hockey Players List

The next generation is getting paid at a level the legends never saw. Leo Carlsson is the league's highest-paid player for 2026-27 after Anaheim matched Philadelphia's five-year, $90 million offer sheet, worth $18 million a season, while Kirill Kaprizov's eight-year, $136 million deal with Minnesota now pays him $17 million a year.

Cale Makar then blew both away in August, signing an eight-year, $163.2 million extension with Colorado that makes him the first player with an average annual value above $20 million.

It kicks in from 2027-28, so give it a few seasons and Makar should be pushing into the top 10 on this list. If you're wondering how those numbers fit under the ceiling, here's how the NHL salary cap works.

There's plenty riding on this season for the big names too, with Ovechkin's farewell year, Crosby's contract ticking down, and McDavid still chasing that first ring, which is why the NHL futures odds are worth watching as the Stanley Cup race takes shape. For how the top earners stack up in another sport, see our list of the richest NBA players.

Richest Hockey Players FAQ

Who is the richest hockey player of all time?

Mario Lemieux, with an estimated net worth of around $300 million, most of it from his ownership stake in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Wayne Gretzky is close behind at about $250 million.

Who has earned the most money in NHL history?

Alex Ovechkin, with about $170.7 million in career salary through 2025-26 according to Spotrac, just ahead of Sidney Crosby on $165.6 million.

Who is the highest-paid NHL player right now?

Leo Carlsson has the biggest salary for 2026-27 at $18 million a season. Cale Makar's $20.4 million average takes over as the league's highest from 2027-28.

What is Wayne Gretzky's net worth?

Wayne Gretzky's net worth is estimated at $250 million, built on playing salary, endorsements, his time as a Coyotes owner and coach, his Niagara winery and distillery, and his TNT broadcasting role.