List of oldest National Hockey League players

Below is the List of oldest National Hockey League (NHL) players, with their last year in parentheses.

Only hockey players who played at least one game in the regular season or playoffs when they were 40 or older are included on the list.

Gordie Howe , pictured here in 1966, played his final NHL game at 52.

Lester Patrick served as a replacement goaltender in the 1928 Stanley Cup Finals . At age 44, he remains the oldest goaltender in playoff history.

Mark Giordano has been the oldest active player in the NHL since 2023