Last Active Player To Play Before You Were Born

[Super Fadio Bro]

I'm born in 1986

My guess is Vincent Damphousse and Brian Leetch

 

[jamiebez]

We could probably make a list of every year. This is my best guess, probably should be corrected:

1972-1977: Larry Robinson
1978: Dave Taylor
1979-1982: Mark Messier
1983-1987: Chris Chelios
1988-present: Mark Recchi

Trottier outlasted Robinson but started later:

Trots: 75-94
Big Bird: 72-92
Taylor: 77-94

So:

1972-1975: Larry Robinson
1975-1977: Bryan Trottier
1978: Dave Taylor
1979-1982: Mark Messier
1983-1987: Chris Chelios
1988-present: Mark Recchi

Fantastic thread idea, BTW

 

[Bob Kudelski]

I really wish I understood this thread.

 

[kmad]

1972-1975: Larry Robinson
1975-1977: Bryan Trottier
1978: Dave Taylor
1979-1982: Mark Messier
1983-1987: Chris Chelios
1988-present: Mark Recchi

Actually LA didn't make the playoffs in 1994, so Trottier is ahead of Taylor for 1978.

Added Lafleur who I think would be the guy for 1971.

1971: Guy Lafleur (March 30, 1991)
1972-1975: Larry Robinson (April 20, 1992)
1975-1978: Bryan Trottier (April 27, 1994)
1979-1982: Mark Messier (March 31, 2004)
1983-Nov 15, 1988: Chris Chelios (April 6, 2010)
Nov 16, 1988-present: Mark Recchi

edit: Hockey-reference only goes back to 1987 with box scores. Applied to join the history project yahoo group, but waiting on approval. Anyone who has access to the box scores and can fill in the blanks?

 

[seventieslord]

For me the answer is Messier, and I had a feeling it would be a common answer.

 

[PensBeerGeek]

I was born in 79, which was right before mandatory helmets were introduced for players drafted that year and afterwards.

WHA players were exempted from that rule as they had been professionals the year before. So, Messier was the final player who was helmet-optional as well.

 

[arrbez]

It's Chelios for me because I was born later in '84, but he only played 12 games in the 83-84 season, so I guess it depends on when he started.

Looks like he made his debut on March 8, 1984 (source).

Being that I was born in January of 1984, I guess mine is Dave Andreychuk who played from 1982 til 2006.

*EDIT*

Actually, Claude Lemieux debuted in October of 1983 and played his final game in 2009. So I guess it's him, although he did retire for 5 or 6 years there.

 

[Pog Form]

Chris Chelios started in 83/84, I was born in '84, so it has to be him.

Same here.

 

[Derick*]

I really wish I understood this thread.

Take all the players who played at least one NHL game before you were born. Which one was in the NHL the latest, and when did he retire?

 

[lextune]

I really wish I understood this thread.

I understand it.

I just have no idea how to find out the answer, lol.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Ron Francis played as an 18-year-old before I was born in '82.

 

[Sens Rule]

I guess it is Robinson for me. Funny a lot of posters that I have seen on this site for 5 years are a lot younger than I suspected!

 

[reckoning]

To continue the timeline a bit:

Nov 1942 - Oct 1944: Maurice Richard
Nov 1944 - Sept 1946: Ted Lindsay
Oct 1946 - Sept 1960: Gordie Howe
Oct 1960 - Dec 1964: Dave Keon
Jan 1965 - Sept 1968: Wayne Cashman
Oct 1968 - Oct 1969: Brad Park
Nov 1969 - Feb 1971: Butch Goring
Mar 1971 - Sept 1971: Gilles Meloche
Oct 1971 - Dec 1972: Guy Lafleur

It looks like Robinson played his first game in January of '73, so he'd take over from there.

I'm in the Cashman group.

 

[Peter9]

I'm pretty sure it was Maurice Richard for me. I was born in 1943 and Richard retired just after my 17th birthday in 1960. By then he had been the oldest player in the league for a few years. He also was my favorite player and remains my all-time favorite player.

(Edit: Note that I posted this before the message above it was edited to include Maurice Richard.)

 

[Big McLargehuge]

I'm just going to assume Chelios.

I was born in October 1986.

 

[kaiser matias]

Was born in June 1988.

Figured it would be Chelios, but his last game was April 6 against the Devils.

Mathieu Schneider played the first 4 games of the 1987-88 season before going back to the OHL. He was in the Coyotes lineup when they were in the playoffs, and his last game was April 27 against the Red Wings.

So by three weeks its Schneider.

 

[andreydali19]

It would've been Chelios.

 

[Briere Up There*]

Guess it's Schneider.

 

[overpass]

Looks like he made his debut on March 8, 1984 (source).

Being that I was born in January of 1984, I guess mine is Dave Andreychuk who played from 1982 til 2006.

*EDIT*

Actually, Claude Lemieux debuted in October of 1983 and played his final game in 2009. So I guess it's him, although he did retire for 5 or 6 years there.

Good catch. I'm another January 1984 and had thought Yzerman was the answer. Never thought of Claude Lemieux.

 

[The Kremelin Wall*]

Mathieu Schneider, funnily enough that would be my name if I took my mothers maiden name.

 

[LeBlondeDemon10]

I'm 82 and I remember my dad telling me about Chris Chelios' first game, which happened to fall on the day I was born.

 

[Derick*]

I'm 82 and I remember my dad telling me about Chris Chelios' first game, which happened to fall on the day I was born.

Unless you were born later then the game started, looks like you just missed being able to take him

 

[pappyline]

Born in 1947 so would be Howe for me. For anyone born in 1946, I think it would be Lindsay who was active in 65.

 

[MXD]

We could probably make a list of every year. This is my best guess, probably should be corrected:

1972-1977: Larry Robinson
1978: Dave Taylor
1979-1982: Mark Messier
1983-1987: Chris Chelios
1988-present: Mark Recchi

I'm in the Messier group as well.

 

[MXD]

Any bet on the identity of the player that will be next to Recchi on the list?

There is no 90-91 players still in the league since this year (though it's possible that Nolan and Draper play again). Draper played 3 games in 90-91, while Nolan played a full season.

91-92? Lidstrom, Weight, Foote, Whitney, Brodeur are still active, while Guerin might come back.

92-93? Hamrlik, Kovalev, Selanne.

93-94? Marchant, Pronger, Niedemayer, Arnott (possibly Maltby and Laperriere)