Last active players remaining that played in the 1990s

Filthy Dangles

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Oct 23, 2014
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Matt Cullen. Thinks he's the only Anaheim Mighty Duck left.

I think that will complete the list for 'active' players, I.e guys actually playing in the league.

Might be some guys who haven't officially retired that are technically 'active' but not playing, too.
 
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GlitchMarner

Typical malevolent, devious & vile Maple Leafs fan
Jul 21, 2017
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I was surprised there aren't more guys who played during that decade. Then again, it's been more than 19 years since 1999.



Damn!!!
 

VanIslander

A 19-year ATDer on HfBoards
Sep 4, 2004
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Mike Fisher, Henrik Zetterberg, the Sedin twins, Gionta... all left last year.

Roberto Luongo and Craig Anderson were drafted in the 90's but didn't start in the NHL until this century.
 

reckoning

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Jan 4, 2005
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Does anyone know for sure who was the last remaining player from other decades?

As far as I can tell, I think it's:

80s - Recchi
70s - Messier
60s - Park
50s - Howe
40s - Howe
30s - ???
20s - ???
 

The Panther

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Mar 25, 2014
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Tokyo, Japan
Does anyone know for sure who was the last remaining player from other decades?

As far as I can tell, I think it's:

80s - Recchi
70s - Messier
60s - Park
50s - Howe
40s - Howe
30s - ???
20s - ???
I think you correct with these, though I've no idea about pre-1940s.

I know Messier played in the autumn of 1979 (as did other freshman long-termers like Bourque, Gretzky, Gartner), but I tend to think of 1979-80 as the start of the second expansion era. I was therefore curious as to who was the last man standing from the 1978-79 season, which was the last of the less-than-20-team NHL, and the last of the pre-WHA merger. I think it is either Dave Taylor (continuously) or Bryan Trottier (who came back in the fall of '93 and played 41 more games.

It's interesting that Brad Park was (seemingly) the last survivor of the 1960s, debuting in 1968-69 and bowing out in 1984-85 (after two seasons with Yzerman). I would have thought there'd have been others from the tail-end of the 60s with really long careers, but seemingly not. 1985 is only 15 years after the sixties. For comparison, consider the 1979-crop of newbies. If Messier had played fifteen years after the 70s, he'd have been done in 1994.
 

ForsbergForever

Registered User
May 19, 2004
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Does anyone know for sure who was the last remaining player from other decades?

As far as I can tell, I think it's:

80s - Recchi
70s - Messier
60s - Park
50s - Howe
40s - Howe
30s - ???
20s - ???

After doing a little research, Dit Clapper seems to have been the last active player to have played in the 1920s with a career spanning 1927-1947. As for the 1930s, it appears that it's another Bruin, Milt Schmidt, who played from 1936-1955.
 
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brachyrynchos

Registered User
Apr 10, 2017
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Doesn't really apply being that he hasn't played an NHL game since 2008, but 46 year old Jozef Stumpel is still playing. Drafted in the 2nd rd of the 1991 draft by Boston, played his 1st game in '91-92 and finished with 957 games. Pretty cool that he hasn't retired and that he's still productive even though it looks like lower tier competition. Right now he's with HK 96 Nitra in the SVK III league, (6-4-7-11).
 
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Theokritos

Global Moderator
Apr 6, 2010
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Doesn't really apply being that he hasn't played an NHL game since 2008, but 46 year old Jozef Stumpel is still playing.

It's professional hockey he's playing, so it should count, NHL or not.

A certain Jaromír J. hasn't played so far this season, but if I'm not mistaken he's still expected to play for Kladno. He's been playing senior hockey since 1984 1988.
 
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solidmotion

Registered User
Jun 5, 2012
612
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I think you correct with these, though I've no idea about pre-1940s.

I know Messier played in the autumn of 1979 (as did other freshman long-termers like Bourque, Gretzky, Gartner), but I tend to think of 1979-80 as the start of the second expansion era. I was therefore curious as to who was the last man standing from the 1978-79 season, which was the last of the less-than-20-team NHL, and the last of the pre-WHA merger. I think it is either Dave Taylor (continuously) or Bryan Trottier (who came back in the fall of '93 and played 41 more games.

It's interesting that Brad Park was (seemingly) the last survivor of the 1960s, debuting in 1968-69 and bowing out in 1984-85 (after two seasons with Yzerman). I would have thought there'd have been others from the tail-end of the 60s with really long careers, but seemingly not. 1985 is only 15 years after the sixties. For comparison, consider the 1979-crop of newbies. If Messier had played fifteen years after the 70s, he'd have been done in 1994.
looking through the mid-80s, the oldest players in the league in any given year were basically in their mid-30s. 36 was OLD. no players older than that between 84 and 88. larry robinson in 1992 was, i think, the first player to hit 40 in a decade, since keon in 82, and was 4 years older than the second oldest player that year (mark howe). really puts that previous generation of howe, hull, keon, etc. in perspective.
 

Nerowoy nora tolad

Registered User
May 9, 2018
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Gladstone, Australia
It's interesting that Brad Park was (seemingly) the last survivor of the 1960s, debuting in 1968-69 and bowing out in 1984-85 (after two seasons with Yzerman). I would have thought there'd have been others from the tail-end of the 60s with really long careers, but seemingly not. 1985 is only 15 years after the sixties. For comparison, consider the 1979-crop of newbies. If Messier had played fifteen years after the 70s, he'd have been done in 1994.

Its probably because of Mike Keenan & the introduction of the short shift game in the early-mid 80s. Several notable stars of the 70s, most notably Lafleur & Sittler, went off a cliff around the time of 1980-84 because of this.

Pretty much anybody starting their career in the late 60s that wanted to play into their 40s would have had to deal with the pace of the league suddenly increasing when they were 35 or so. Not an easy transition to make at that age.
 
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Michael Farkas

Grace Personified
Jun 28, 2006
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www.HockeyProspect.com
Plus, the league improved from it's WWII-ish level of play in the early 1980's...that time from ~1980-1984 or so extended the careers of many guys...I did a DOB-based mini-study on this recently, it exists here somewhere...
 

Big Phil

Registered User
Nov 2, 2003
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Does anyone know for sure who was the last remaining player from other decades?

As far as I can tell, I think it's:

80s - Recchi
70s - Messier
60s - Park
50s - Howe
40s - Howe
30s - ???
20s - ???

No one else other than Park lasted past 1985? Perreault was a few months from the 1960s to qualify here. ……………………….

So I looked it up a bit more. Butch Goring started in the fall of 1969 and retired the same year as Park in 1985, ironically on the Bruins.
 

MadLuke

Registered User
Jan 18, 2011
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Theokritos

Global Moderator
Apr 6, 2010
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It's professional hockey he's playing, so it should count, NHL or not.

A certain Jaromír J. hasn't played so far this season, but if I'm not mistaken he's still expected to play for Kladno. He's been playing senior hockey since 1984 1988.

Update: Jágr has now made his comeback for Kladno (2nd tier in Czechia). 1988-2019.
 
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Anton13

Registered User
Sep 3, 2012
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Finland
It's professional hockey he's playing, so it should count, NHL or not.

A certain Jaromír J. hasn't played so far this season, but if I'm not mistaken he's still expected to play for Kladno. He's been playing senior hockey since 1984.

Did he really play senior hockey in 1984 when he was 12? :eek:

Either way, his longevity is amazing.
 

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