- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1947–1969
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 96.0
- Dominance
- 94.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 96.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
GOAT Rank · 88
Greatest Ice Hockey Defencemans of all time
This ranking is led by Doug Harvey, Viacheslav Fetisov and Bobby Orr. GOAT Rank currently ranks 88 eligible Ice Hockey defencemans using verified career records across dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Quick answer
According to GOAT Rank's current model, Doug Harvey ranks #1 on this list with a GOAT Score of 93.0.
How the GOAT Score is calculated →#AthleteGOAT Score
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1974–1998
- Country
- 🇷🇺 Russia
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 96.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1966–1979
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 97.0
- Dominance
- 94.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 91.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1991–2010
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 94.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1979–2001
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 96.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1989–2010
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 92.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1988–2012
- Country
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 87.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 94.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1974–1998
- Country
- 🇷🇺 Russia
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1968–1984
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 94.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1973–1995
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1980–2001
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 94.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1982–2003
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 96.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 94.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1968–1985
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1981–2004
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1924–1940
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1980–2001
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1972–1992
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 86.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1983–2010
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 86.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 98.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1973–1988
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 2002–2022
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1982–2004
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 2005–active
- Country
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1949–1974
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1966–1983
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 86.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 82.0
- Honours
- 92.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1996–2022
- Country
- 🇸🇰 Slovakia
- Peak
- 86.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1947–1965
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 82.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 2007–active
- Country
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- Peak
- 86.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1970–1993
- Country
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- Peak
- 84.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 78.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1979–1998
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 84.0
- Dominance
- 74.0
- Statistics
- 80.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 2000–2019
- Country
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- Peak
- 84.0
- Dominance
- 74.0
- Statistics
- 80.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1944–1961
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 86.0
- Dominance
- 76.0
- Statistics
- 82.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1952–1976
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 86.0
- Dominance
- 74.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 76.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1997–2011
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 84.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 80.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1946–1966
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 86.0
- Dominance
- 74.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 74.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1956–1973
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 72.0
- Statistics
- 76.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1983–2000
- Country
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- Peak
- 84.0
- Dominance
- 72.0
- Statistics
- 78.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 2009–active
- Country
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 74.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 1908–1929
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 84.0
- Dominance
- 72.0
- Statistics
- 74.0
- Honours
- 78.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 2019–active
- Country
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Peak
- 84.0
- Dominance
- 74.0
- Statistics
- 78.0
- Honours
- 68.0
- Longevity
- 50.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 2006–active
- Country
- 🏳️ Canada
- Peak
- 69.2
- Dominance
- 56.6
- Statistics
- 74.2
- Honours
- 44.0
- Longevity
- 75.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 2008–active
- Country
- 🏳️ Canada
- Peak
- 67.1
- Dominance
- 52.5
- Statistics
- 73.4
- Honours
- 38.0
- Longevity
- 75.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 2003–active
- Country
- 🏳️ Canada
- Peak
- 72.4
- Dominance
- 52.2
- Statistics
- 74.7
- Honours
- 32.0
- Longevity
- 75.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 2011–active
- Country
- 🏳️ Switzerland
- Peak
- 73.9
- Dominance
- 50.0
- Statistics
- 73.8
- Honours
- 26.0
- Longevity
- 73.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 2009–active
- Country
- 🏳️ United States
- Peak
- 71.1
- Dominance
- 48.5
- Statistics
- 74.0
- Honours
- 26.0
- Longevity
- 75.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 2014–active
- Country
- 🏳️ Canada
- Peak
- 66.0
- Dominance
- 52.0
- Statistics
- 68.7
- Honours
- 38.0
- Longevity
- 63.4
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 2010–active
- Country
- 🏳️ United States
- Peak
- 62.4
- Dominance
- 47.2
- Statistics
- 69.7
- Honours
- 32.0
- Longevity
- 75.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 2010–active
- Country
- 🏳️ Sweden
- Peak
- 65.2
- Dominance
- 45.6
- Statistics
- 71.5
- Honours
- 26.0
- Longevity
- 75.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 2009–active
- Country
- 🏳️ Canada
- Peak
- 63.0
- Dominance
- 44.5
- Statistics
- 68.7
- Honours
- 26.0
- Longevity
- 75.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 2016–active
- Country
- 🏳️ Russia
- Peak
- 68.2
- Dominance
- 50.1
- Statistics
- 68.1
- Honours
- 32.0
- Longevity
- 57.0
- Sport
- Ice Hockey
- Career
- 2014–active
- Country
- 🏳️ United States
- Peak
- 68.6
- Dominance
- 47.3
- Statistics
- 70.1
- Honours
- 26.0
- Longevity
- 63.4
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Doug Harvey | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1947–1969 | 93.0 |
| 4 | Viacheslav Fetisov | Ice Hockey | 🇷🇺 Russia | 1974–1998 | 92.1 |
| 34 | Bobby Orr | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1966–1979 | 89.7 |
| 38 | Scott Niedermayer | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1991–2010 | 89.5 |
| 40 | Ray Bourque | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1979–2001 | 89.3 |
| 42 | Rob Blake | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1989–2010 | 89.3 |
| 43 | Nicklas Lidström | Ice Hockey | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 1988–2012 | 89.1 |
| 47 | Vyacheslav Fetisov | Ice Hockey | 🇷🇺 Russia | 1974–1998 | 88.9 |
| 56 | Guy Lapointe | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1968–1984 | 88.5 |
| 58 | Mark Howe | Ice Hockey | 🇺🇸 United States | 1973–1995 | 88.4 |
| 75 | Larry Murphy | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1980–2001 | 87.8 |
| 79 | Phil Housley | Ice Hockey | 🇺🇸 United States | 1982–2003 | 87.7 |
| 84 | Brad Park | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1968–1985 | 87.6 |
| 86 | Al MacInnis | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1981–2004 | 87.6 |
| 109 | Eddie Shore | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1924–1940 | 87.0 |
| 117 | Paul Coffey | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1980–2001 | 86.8 |
| 133 | Larry Robinson | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1972–1992 | 86.3 |
| 141 | Chris Chelios | Ice Hockey | 🇺🇸 United States | 1983–2010 | 86.2 |
| 148 | Denis Potvin | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1973–1988 | 85.9 |
| 165 | Duncan Keith | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 2002–2022 | 85.4 |
| 180 | Scott Stevens | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1982–2004 | 85.0 |
| 181 | Jenni Hiirikoski | Ice Hockey | 🇫🇮 Finland | 2005–active | 85.0 |
| 185 | Tim Horton | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1949–1974 | 84.9 |
| 192 | Serge Savard | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1966–1983 | 84.6 |
| 203 | Zdeno Chára | Ice Hockey | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 1996–2022 | 84.1 |
| 213 | Tom Johnson | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1947–1965 | 83.8 |
| 244 | Victor Hedman | Ice Hockey | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 2007–active | 82.6 |
| 247 | Börje Salming | Ice Hockey | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 1970–1993 | 82.5 |
| 249 | Kevin Lowe | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1979–1998 | 82.5 |
| 256 | Niklas Kronwall | Ice Hockey | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 2000–2019 | 82.1 |
| 258 | Fernie Flaman | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1944–1961 | 82.1 |
| 264 | Harry Howell | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1952–1976 | 81.9 |
| 266 | Angela Ruggiero | Ice Hockey | 🇺🇸 United States | 1997–2011 | 81.6 |
| 274 | Bill Gadsby | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1946–1966 | 81.1 |
| 275 | Bobby Baun | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1956–1973 | 81.0 |
| 284 | Ulf Samuelsson | Ice Hockey | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 1983–2000 | 80.1 |
| 288 | Erik Karlsson | Ice Hockey | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 2009–active | 79.7 |
| 299 | Herb Gardiner | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 1908–1929 | 77.5 |
| 309 | Cale Makar | Ice Hockey | 🇨🇦 Canada | 2019–active | 70.6 |
| 315 | Kris Letang | Ice Hockey | 🏳️ Canada | 2006–active | 62.9 |
| 320 | Drew Doughty | Ice Hockey | 🏳️ Canada | 2008–active | 60.2 |
| 321 | Brent Burns | Ice Hockey | 🏳️ Canada | 2003–active | 60.1 |
| 328 | Roman Josi | Ice Hockey | 🏳️ Switzerland | 2011–active | 58.2 |
| 332 | John Carlson | Ice Hockey | 🏳️ United States | 2009–active | 57.6 |
| 339 | Aaron Ekblad | Ice Hockey | 🏳️ Canada | 2014–active | 56.8 |
| 348 | Ryan McDonagh | Ice Hockey | 🏳️ United States | 2010–active | 56.1 |
| 357 | Oliver Ekman-Larsson | Ice Hockey | 🏳️ Sweden | 2010–active | 55.4 |
| 367 | Tyler Myers | Ice Hockey | 🏳️ Canada | 2009–active | 54.2 |
| 369 | Mikhail Sergachev | Ice Hockey | 🏳️ Russia | 2016–active | 54.2 |
| 372 | Shayne Gostisbehere | Ice Hockey | 🏳️ United States | 2014–active | 53.9 |
Compare the leaders
Doug Harvey vs Viacheslav FetisovRead the full methodology
Sport lists use the raw In-Sport GOAT Score. Cross-sport lists use the official competition-depth adjustment. No scores are recalculated for this page.
Read the full methodologyFrequently asked questions
How is this ranking calculated?
Five verified components are weighted consistently: dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Who is included?
According to GOAT Rank's current data model, only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible. Rank and score are read live.
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