100 Best NHL Goalies Of All Time

Note: This fan-informed ranking is not an official NHL list. It blends fan voting energy, career numbers, playoff mythology, awards, championships, historical impact, and the kind of emotional scars goalies leave on opposing fan bases. In other words, it respects both the spreadsheet and the person yelling, “How did he save that?” at the television.

Why Ranking the Best NHL Goalies Is Gloriously Impossible

Ranking the best NHL goalies of all time is a little like trying to rank thunderstorms. Some are loud, some are beautiful, some ruin your entire weekend, and the truly great ones leave everyone staring in stunned silence. Fans love debating goaltenders because no position in hockey carries such strange drama. A forward can miss a shot and skate back into the play. A defenseman can make one mistake and still chase the puck. A goalie blinks at the wrong time, and suddenly 18,000 people are discussing his glove hand like it belongs in a congressional hearing.

The title “best NHL goalie ever” depends on what matters most. Is it Stanley Cups? Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur smile politely. Is it peak dominance? Dominik Hasek practically levitates into the conversation. Is it innovation? Jacques Plante changed the position forever. Is it survival, durability, and old-school toughness? Terry Sawchuk and Glenn Hall could make modern equipment look like a luxury spa package.

Fans also vote with memory. A goalie who stole a playoff series can live forever in a city’s heart, even if his career numbers do not scream “statue outside the arena.” That is why this ranking mixes measurable greatness with fan reputation. Wins, save percentage, shutouts, Vezina Trophies, Conn Smythe moments, Stanley Cups, longevity, era adjustment, and cultural impact all matter.

How This Fan-Inspired Ranking Was Built

The list below prioritizes NHL careers, not international-only legends. That means Vladislav Tretiak, one of hockey’s most famous goaltenders, is not ranked because he never played an NHL game. The ranking rewards goalies who shaped NHL history, carried franchises, changed playing styles, or became the final boss in playoff nightmares.

Modern fans often argue between Roy, Hasek, and Brodeur at the very top. That debate is healthy. Roy has the playoff aura and four Stanley Cups. Hasek has arguably the wildest peak ever. Brodeur has the record book in a headlock. Picking among them is less about being “right” and more about choosing your flavor of greatness: swagger, chaos, or machine-like consistency.

The 100 Best NHL Goalies Of All Time By Fans

Patrick Roy The ultimate playoff goalie, four-time Stanley Cup champion, and master of big-game intimidation.
Dominik Hasek The “Dominator” turned desperation into an art form and posted one of the greatest peaks in NHL history.
Martin Brodeur The all-time wins and shutouts king, three-time Stanley Cup champion, and puck-handling nightmare.
Terry Sawchuk A fearless legend whose shutout record stood as a mountain for decades.
Jacques Plante A tactical genius, mask pioneer, and one of the most influential goalies ever.
Glenn Hall “Mr. Goalie” was durable, brilliant, and famous for an absurd consecutive-start streak.
Ken Dryden Short career, massive impact, six Stanley Cups, and the calmest posture in hockey history.
Bernie Parent Back-to-back Cups, back-to-back Conn Smythe Trophies, and Philadelphia immortality.
Bill Durnan A six-time Vezina winner who dominated the 1940s with rare consistency.
Tony Esposito A butterfly-style pioneer and Chicago icon with elite shutout totals.
Henrik Lundqvist The King carried New York for years with elegance, pressure-proof poise, and elite saves.
Roberto Luongo Durable, technically excellent, and one of the best goalies never to win a Stanley Cup.
Johnny Bower A late-blooming Maple Leafs hero with four Stanley Cups and timeless toughness.
Grant Fuhr The perfect high-wire goalie for Edmonton’s dynasty, clutch when chaos arrived.
Ed Belfour Fiery, brilliant, and a Stanley Cup winner with Dallas.
Marc-Andre Fleury Beloved, acrobatic, durable, and one of the winningest goalies ever.
Frank Brimsek “Mr. Zero” was a Boston legend and one of America’s greatest early goalies.
George Hainsworth His shutout totals remain jaw-dropping, even allowing for era differences.
Billy Smith The Islanders dynasty had stars everywhere, but Smith gave it teeth.
Tiny Thompson A Boston great whose numbers and influence deserve more modern attention.
Charlie Gardiner A brilliant Blackhawks star whose career burned bright and ended too soon.
Georges Vezina The trophy bears his name for a reason.
Turk Broda A five-time Stanley Cup champion and clutch Maple Leafs backbone.
Gump Worsley Charismatic, stubborn, and far better than his comic nickname suggests.
Clint Benedict An early superstar who helped define elite goaltending.
Andrei Vasilevskiy The modern “Big Cat” owns a Vezina, Conn Smythe, and two Stanley Cups.
Carey Price At his peak, he looked like the most technically perfect goalie alive.
Jonathan Quick Explosive, flexible, and central to two Los Angeles Kings championships.
Connor Hellebuyck A workload monster and multiple-time Vezina winner with a Hart Trophy-level peak.
Tom Barrasso A teenage sensation who became a two-time Cup winner in Pittsburgh.
Rogie Vachon Smooth, respected, and long overdue for broader fan appreciation.
Gerry Cheevers Boston’s masked battler and a playoff winner with personality.
Mike Richter A Rangers legend and 1994 Stanley Cup hero.
Curtis Joseph “CuJo” never won the Cup, but he stole games by the truckload.
Pekka Rinne Nashville’s franchise icon and one of the smoothest big goalies ever.
Tuukka Rask Efficient, underrated, and statistically excellent for Boston.
Sergei Bobrovsky Two Vezinas, elite athleticism, and a late-career championship breakthrough.
Ryan Miller A Vezina winner and one of the best American goalies in NHL history.
Tim Thomas His 2011 playoff run remains one of the loudest goalie peaks ever.
Braden Holtby Washington’s Cup goalie and owner of one of the most famous playoff saves.
Ron Hextall Aggressive, puck-moving, and wonderfully terrifying.
Miikka Kiprusoff Calgary’s quiet workhorse and a fan favorite for save after save.
Mike Vernon A Stanley Cup winner in Calgary and Conn Smythe winner in Detroit.
Chris Osgood Often debated, but three Cups and big wins make the case strong.
John Vanbiesbrouck The Beezer brought flair, competitiveness, and longevity.
Nikolai Khabibulin The “Bulin Wall” backstopped Tampa Bay to its first Stanley Cup.
Jean-Sebastien Giguere A Conn Smythe winner in defeat and later a Cup champion.
Jose Theodore A Hart and Vezina season put him permanently on the fan map.
Evgeni Nabokov San Jose’s long-time backbone and one of his era’s steadiest goalies.
Olaf Kolzig Washington’s Vezina-winning giant and emotional franchise anchor.
Mike Liut An elite early-1980s goalie whose peak deserves respect.
Pete Peeters A Vezina winner with memorable regular-season dominance.
Gilles Meloche A talented goalie who faced more rubber than a highway tire shop.
Harry Lumley A strong Original Six-era goalie with a long, respected career.
Cecil Thompson A high-end early goalie and Stanley Cup winner.
Harry Holmes A championship goalie from hockey’s rugged early years.
Alex Connell Famous for shutouts and consistency in the NHL’s early era.
Dave Kerr A Rangers legend and one of the best pre-war goalies.
Chuck Rayner A rare goalie Hart Trophy winner with incredible value to his team.
John Ross Roach A durable early star who bridged eras.
Lorne Chabot A Cup winner and respected goalie from the league’s formative decades.
Andy Moog Reliable, playoff-tested, and a major piece of multiple strong teams.
Cam Ward A rookie Conn Smythe winner and Carolina’s championship hero.
Ben Bishop Towering, efficient, and excellent when healthy.
Igor Shesterkin Already elite, with the talent to climb much higher.
Ilya Sorokin Technically sharp, calm, and one of the best modern shot-stoppers.
Sean Burke Big, talented, and durable across a long NHL career.
Marty Turco Great puck-handler, strong regular-season goalie, and Dallas favorite.
Dwayne Roloson A late-blooming battler who became a playoff folk hero.
Kelly Hrudey Brave, entertaining, and central to memorable playoff runs.
Felix Potvin “The Cat” was explosive, exciting, and beloved in Toronto.
Kirk McLean Vancouver still remembers his 1994 playoff magic.
Tomas Vokoun Quietly excellent on teams that often needed miracles.
Corey Crawford Two Stanley Cups and more clutch saves than casual fans admit.
Bill Ranford A Conn Smythe winner and big-stage performer.
Arturs Irbe Undersized, fearless, and deeply loved by fans.
Chico Resch A strong Islanders and Devils figure with personality to spare.
Dan Bouchard Durable and talented during a demanding scoring era.
Ed Giacomin A Rangers icon whose emotional connection with fans remains legendary.
Al Rollins Another rare goalie Hart winner from a difficult era.
Don Beaupre A long-serving workhorse with strong seasons in Minnesota and Washington.
Reggie Lemelin Reliable, respected, and part of a memorable Boston tandem.
Darren Puppa Excellent at his best and important to Tampa Bay’s early identity.
Ron Tugnutt Remembered forever for heroic high-save performances.
Brian Boucher Owner of one of the NHL’s wildest shutout streaks.
Mike Smith A puck-moving gambler with longevity and playoff spark.
Frederik Andersen Consistent, technically sound, and a major regular-season winner.
Linus Ullmark A Vezina winner whose Boston peak was spectacular.
Juuse Saros Undersized by modern standards, oversized in results.
Jake Oettinger A young playoff-tested goalie with serious top-tier potential.
Jeremy Swayman Competitive, athletic, and already building a strong fan following.
Antti Niemi A Stanley Cup winner whose peak came at exactly the right time.
Devan Dubnyk Resurrected his career and became a Vezina-level finalist.
Manny Fernandez A strong tandem goalie with excellent seasons.
Roman Turek A Jennings winner and strong late-1990s presence.
Michel Larocque A key Canadiens tandem goalie during a dynasty era.
Rick Wamsley A dependable goalie with championship credentials.
Rollie Melanson A steady Islanders contributor during their glory years.
Gary Smith A high-volume goalie whose career reflects the wildness of his era.
Mike Palmateer Acrobatic, dramatic, and unforgettable to Maple Leafs fans.
Jim Carey A brief but brilliant Vezina-winning peak earns the final spot.

What Fans Value Most in an All-Time NHL Goalie

1. Playoff Fear Factor

Regular-season greatness matters, but fans never forget spring. Patrick Roy waving at shooters, Bernie Parent slamming the door for Philadelphia, Jonathan Quick sliding post-to-post like a caffeinated panther, and Tim Thomas turning the 2011 crease into a haunted house all explain why playoff performance can lift a goalie above pure career totals.

2. Peak Dominance

Dominik Hasek is the ultimate peak-dominance argument. His style looked impossible to teach because it probably was. He flopped, rolled, kicked, stacked pads, and somehow convinced pucks to hit him from angles known only to physics professors and Buffalo fans with nervous stomachs.

3. Longevity and Records

Martin Brodeur’s case is built on winning, durability, shutouts, puck-handling, and the fact that he seemed to be in the NHL forever. Roberto Luongo, Marc-Andre Fleury, Henrik Lundqvist, and Curtis Joseph also benefit from longevity because surviving as an NHL starter for years is its own form of greatness.

4. Innovation

Jacques Plante popularized the goalie mask and helped modernize how the position was played. Tony Esposito helped push the butterfly style forward. Ron Hextall changed expectations for puck-handling aggression. Great goalies do not just stop pucks; they change what coaches ask future goalies to become.

Experience Section: Watching the Best NHL Goalies as a Fan

There is a special kind of emotional confusion that comes with watching an elite NHL goalie. You can watch your favorite team dominate a period, win every board battle, fire 19 shots, create three backdoor chances, and still trail 1-0 because the other goalie has apparently decided that the net is private property. It is frustrating, impressive, and slightly rude.

The best NHL goalies of all time create memories that feel bigger than box scores. Fans remember the save before they remember the stat line. They remember Roy’s confidence, Hasek’s chaos, Brodeur casually playing the puck like a third defenseman, Lundqvist’s regal patience, and Price making impossible plays look boring. A great goalie changes the temperature of a game. When he is locked in, every shot feels like a question the shooter already knows he cannot answer.

For many fans, goalie greatness is also tied to identity. Rangers fans did not just watch Henrik Lundqvist; they trusted him. Devils fans did not just admire Martin Brodeur; they built a generation of defensive swagger around him. Flyers fans still speak about Bernie Parent with the kind of reverence usually reserved for family recipes and neighborhood legends. Kings fans remember Jonathan Quick’s 2012 postseason like a movie where every villain had a breakaway and every ending was perfect.

Watching an all-time goalie live is different from seeing highlights. On television, the camera follows the puck. In the arena, you notice the goalie’s small decisions before the shot: the shuffle, the angle, the quick glance over traffic, the way he crouches lower when danger is coming. Elite goalies seem to read the future. Average goalies react to shots; great goalies arrive before the shot fully exists.

The fan experience also includes heartbreak. Sometimes the goalie you love has no goal support. Sometimes he loses because a puck deflects off a shin pad, a referee screens him, or a defenseman politely escorts the opposing winger into the slot like a hotel concierge. That is why fans defend their favorite goalies so passionately. They know the context. They remember the nights when the scoreboard lied.

That is the beauty of ranking the 100 best NHL goalies by fans. It is not only a math problem. It is a memory contest. It is about trophies, yes, but also about gasps, groans, stolen games, playoff handshakes, and the moment when an entire crowd realizes the goalie at the other end has become the main character. The greatest goalies do not merely prevent goals. They create legends, ruin celebrations, and give hockey fans arguments that last for decades. Honestly, that may be their most impressive save of all.

Final Thoughts

The greatest NHL goalies of all time are not easy to rank because every era asks something different from the position. Early goalies faced brutal equipment and wild conditions. Original Six stars battled compact talent pools. Expansion-era goalies survived chaotic scoring environments. Modern goalies face faster releases, better screens, advanced scouting, and shooters who can pick corners while moving at video-game speed.

Still, fan opinion keeps returning to a familiar truth: the best NHL goalie is the one you would trust when everything is on the line. For many, that is Patrick Roy. For others, it is Dominik Hasek, Martin Brodeur, Terry Sawchuk, Jacques Plante, or a modern star still adding chapters. The debate will never truly end, which is perfect. Hockey fans need something to argue about during intermissions besides offside reviews and whether the power play needs “more movement.”