Winning the Stanley Cup is one of the most challenging accomplishments a professional hockey player can achieve. If you don’t believe it, ask some of the members of the Hockey Hall of Fame who played over 1,400 games in the NHL and didn’t.
Despite being high draft picks and some of the best players, many legendary players never hoisted a Stanley Cup. For example, the NHL’s sixth-leading scorer, Marcel Dionne (1,771 points), never won, and neither did Roberto Luongo, the fourth-winningest goalie of all time with 489 victories.
Related: 10 NHL Players with the Most Stanley Cups
Although all the players on this list have unique NHL legacies, they share a common bond: they have played the most games without ever winning the Stanley Cup.
Editors note: Players with an * next to their name indicate they are active participants in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Brent Burns* – 1,415 games (119 playoffs)
Brent Burns made his NHL debut in 2003-04, skating 36 games with the Minnesota Wild, the team that drafted him 20th overall in the 2003 Entry Draft. He stayed with the organization for seven seasons (453 games), skating in the playoffs in 2007 and 2008 but not advancing out of the first round. Then, in 2011, Burns was traded to the San Jose Sharks, where he played 798 games over 11 seasons.
While in the Bay Area, he won the Norris Trophy in 2018 and made it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016. Burns played in 83 playoff games, collecting 59 points with the Sharks. In July 2022, he was dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes, where he skated 164 games in the past two seasons, including 25 games in the postseason. Burns hasn’t missed a game since 2013-14.
Luke Richardson – 1,417 games (69 playoffs)
Luke Richardson was a top pick (seventh overall) in the 1987 Entry Draft for the Toronto Maple Leafs. In his first five seasons, he skated in 299 games before a trade sent him to the Edmonton Oilers in 1991. By then, he had just seven games of playoff experience before dressing in 28 with the Oilers during their 1992 and 1997 postseason runs.
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Richardson, now head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, also played with the Philadelphia Flyers (387 games), Columbus Blue Jackets (190), Tampa Bay Lightning (27), and the Ottawa Senators (78). His best seasons came as a member of the Oilers, with 78 points in 436 games, but he played with the Flyers in four playoff campaigns, totaling 34 games.
Scott Mellanby – 1,431 games (136 playoffs)
Scott Mellanby may have never won the Stanley Cup but skated in the Final twice with the Philadelphia Flyers (1987) and Florida Panthers (1996). Still, he is behind one of the most iconic goal celebrations ever. After beginning his career with the Flyers in 1987, where he played six seasons (355 games) before skating with the Oilers for two campaigns (149), moving to the Panthers in the Expansion Draft.
Related: Florida Panthers and the History of the Rats
After killing a rat with his hockey stick and scoring two goals later that evening, Panthers fans began to throw plastic rats on the ice after every goal. Although it doesn’t happen as frequently as it did during the run to the Cup in 1996, it is one of the expansion team’s most endearing moments. Eventually, Mellenby moved on to the St. Louis Blues (235) and Atlanta Thrashers (140) before retiring in 2007 after 1,431 games and 136 playoff games.
Mike Gartner – 1,432 games (122 playoffs)
Hockey Hall of Fame: Class of 2001
Mike Gartner played 19 seasons in the NHL, scoring 708 goals in 1,432 games. The Hockey Hall of Famer didn’t win a single award during his career, nor did he ever skate in the Stanley Cup Final. As one of only eight players to ever collect 700 goals, he’s one of two (the other is Dionne) who never won a championship in the league.
Gartner’s first 10 seasons were with the Washington Capitals, where he dressed for 758 games, with 47 in the playoffs. From there, he joined the Minnesota North Stars (80 games), New York Rangers (322), and Maple Leafs (130) before retiring with the Phoenix Coyotes in 1998 after 142 games. Gartner played in the postseason for 15 seasons, missing out on the North Stars appearance in the Final in 1991 and the Rangers championship in 1994, traded away each time.
Ryan Suter* – 1,444 games (121 playoffs)
Ryan Suter is the active leader in games without a Stanley Cup championship. As another top pick (seventh overall) from the 2003 Entry Draft, he debuted with the Nashville Predators in 2005-06, where he played 542 over six seasons. From there, he signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Wild, playing with the organization for 656 games before the Wild bought out his contract in 2021.
As a free agent, Suter signed with the Dallas Stars, where he remains on the blue line for the team, trying to return to the Western Conference Final for the second consecutive season in 2024. Despite only missing the playoffs four times in his 19-year career, he’s another skater who never played in the Stanley Cup Final, only advancing to the third round once, with the Stars in 2023.
Phil Housley – 1,495 games (85 playoffs)
Hockey Hall of Fame: Class of 2015
Phil Housley is not only one of the best defensemen to ever play in the NHL, but he never won a Norris Trophy. He is also one of the position’s top skaters whose name is not on the Stanley Cup. As the sixth overall pick from the 1982 Entry Draft, he played eight years with the Buffalo Sabres, appearing in 608 games and just 35 playoff games.
After leaving upstate New York, Housley played with the Winnipeg Jets (232 games), Blues (26), Calgary Flames (328), New Jersey Devils (22), Capitals (141), Blackhawks (137), and Maple Leafs (one). During his 21-year career, he played in 85 playoff games over 13 campaigns, advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in 1998 with the Capitals.
Shane Doan – 1,540 games (55 playoffs)
Shane Doan was one of the most loyal players in NHL history, remaining with the Arizona Coyotes through all the ups and downs. Initially, he was drafted by the Jets as the seventh overall pick in the 1995 Entry Draft, playing 74 games in Manitoba before the franchise relocated to the desert in 1996. Leading up to his retirement 20 years later, in 2017, Doan became the best player in franchise history.
Doan never pursued free agency, remaining with the Coyotes organization despite playing 49 playoff games. The potential future Hall of Famer had no points in six postseason games with the Jets, never getting a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup, only playing past the first round once, in 2012.
Jarome Iginla – 1,554 games (81 playoffs)
Hockey Hall of Fame: Class of 2020
Jarome Iginla was another loyal player who remained with the uncompetitive Flames for 16 seasons. Despite all the personal accolades, he only played in the Stanley Cup Final once, in 2004, losing a heartbreaker in Game 7. The Hall of Famer scored 625 goals while skating with five teams.
Although the Stars initially drafted Iginla in the 1995 Entry Draft, they quickly traded him to the Flames, where he skated in 1,219 games. After a legendary run with the franchise, they dealt to the Penguins (13 games) before signing with the Boston Bruins (78), Colorado Avalanche (225), and Los Angeles Kings (19). Because he spent most of his career with Calgary, he only played in the postseason eight times, scoring 68 points in 81 games.
Joe Thornton – 1,714 games (187 playoffs)
Joe Thornton was the top pick in the 1997 Entry Draft by the Bruins. He is the only first overall pick on the list and is the only league MVP in the four North American sports leagues to be traded mid-way through the season that he won the award. As arguably the greatest passer of his generation, Thornton only competed for the Stanley Cup on one occasion, in 2016, when the Sharks lost in the Final.
Related: 10 NHL Teams With the Most Stanley Cups
He spent 15 seasons with the Sharks, skating in 1,104 games and collecting 1,055 points. Thornton played with the Bruins for eight seasons (532 games) while serving as their captain before his trade in 2005. After San Jose let him walk in free agency, at 41, he continued to play, suiting up with the Maple Leafs (44 games) and Panthers (34), playing his final game in 2022. As of 2024, he ranks 14th overall in total points (1,539) and seventh in assists (1,109)
Patrick Marleau – 1,779 games (195 playoffs)
Patrick Marleau was selected second overall behind his future teammate Thornton in the 1997 Entry Draft. He debuted at 18 and would skate 19 consecutive seasons with the Sharks, dressing in 1,493 games and appearing in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. At 38, the Sharks let him walk away in free agency, where he moved to the Maple Leafs (164 games) before returning to the Bay Area.
Upon his return, he played only 58 games before being dealt to the Penguins, where he played just eight games in 2019-20. At 41, Marleau returned to San Jose for one final tour, skating in his final 56 games, where he broke Gordie Howe’s all-time games played record. Despite not winning an award or capturing the Stanley Cup, he is the NHL record holder with 1,779 games played.
Historical Perspective
Nine of the 10 players on this list are first-round draft picks, with Mellanby the only second-round pick (27th overall), which would be a first-round selection if he played in the 32-team league today. Additionally, seven skaters are top-10 picks, meaning despite being highly sought-after prospects who had outstanding careers, being a high draft pick does not always equal playoff success. Considering over 3,000 names are on the Stanley Cup, these 10 players can now only get theirs engraved as a member of a team’s executive, just like Hall of Famer Cam Neely did in 2011.