The Stanley Cup playoffs are one of professional sports’ most intense and grueling postseason tournaments. Some players are fortunate enough to win the Stanley Cup once in their careers, while others get their names etched onto the silver chalice multiple occasions.
However, many others, like Patrick Marleau (1,779 games) and Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne (1,348), played their entire NHL careers without winning the Stanley Cup, leaving their names forever pinned to the top of a list of players with the most games played without a championship.
Among the top active players chasing their first Stanley Cup titles in 2023-24, there are a handful of 1,000-point skaters, two with over 1,400 games, two Norris Trophy winners and several 39-year-olds.
Lets’ examine who makes our Top-10 list.
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Matt Duchene – 1,056 games
Matt Duchene is a 10-time 20-goal scorer in the NHL. What he is not is a Stanley Cup champion. At 33-years-old, Duchene likely has more time on his side than several of his Dallas Stars teammates on this list. They all have a shot to wipe their names off this list in 2024 since the Stars are the top seed in the Western Conference.
Cal Clutterbuck – 1,064 games
Cal Clutterbuck is a 17-year veteran, spending 11 seasons with the Minnesota Wild and the past six with the New York Islanders. Before moving to Long Island in 2013-14, he played just five playoff games, eventually skating in consecutive Eastern Conference Finals in 2020 and 2021 with the Islanders. In 1,064 regular season games, he’s scored 143 goals with 293 points.
John Tavares – 1,109 games
John Tavares is living out his childhood dream as the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The former first-overall pick (2009) spent nine seasons with the Islanders before returning home to Ontario in 2018. As one of the most recent members of the 1,000-point club, he’s never skated past the second round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and is hoping to break that streak this season with the Maple Leafs.
Jamie Benn – 1,112 games
Jamie Benn has played his entire 15-season career with the Stars, serving as captain since 2013. As one of the longest-tenured players in their history, it’s no surprise to see his name among the club’s all-time leaders in games played, goals, assists, and points. Moreover, Benn has already been to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020, leading the Stars to within two wins of their first title since 1999.
Related: 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs: schedule, results, TV info for each 1st-round series
Mark Giordano – 1,148 games
Mark Giordano is the oldest active player in the NHL this season, skating in his 18th season at age 40. The former Calgary Flames captain has skated in the Stanley Cup playoffs on six occasions and never advanced past the second round. The veteran of 1,148 games has 577 points and was the first captain in the history of Seattle Kraken before being traded to the Maple Leafs.
Blake Wheeler – 1,172 games
Blake Wheeler made his NHL debut in 2008-09 with the Boston Bruins before moving to the Atlanta Thrashers, who became the Winnipeg Jets, a team he skated with for 13 seasons. As a free agent in 2023, he joined the New York Rangers before a lower-body injury cut his first campaign on Broadway short after 54 games. Although he’s skating again, the 16-year veteran is questionable to play this postseason and to chase his first championship.
Zach Parise – 1,254 games
Zach Parise waited until January to sign a one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche, a Stanley Cup contender in the Western Conference. After 1,254 regular season games, he announced before Game 1 against the Winnipeg Jets that he would retire at the end of this postseason. So, it’s now or never for Parise, who came close to winning a championship in 2012 as a member of the New Jersey Devils. Outside of that run, he’s never played in the third round in 14 other postseason appearances.
Joe Pavelski – 1,332 games
Joe Pavelski is 39 years old and an 18-year NHL veteran, but he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. He scored over 20 goals for the 14th time in 2023-24. As one of the most experienced players in the Stars lineup, he’s been to the Stanley Cup Final twice and has skated in five Western Conference Finals. In 182 playoff games, Pavelski has netted 73 goals and 139 points. But he’s never won the Stanley Cup.
Brent Burns – 1,415 games
Brent Burns is a former Norris Trophy winner (2016-17) and a member of the San Jose Sharks team that lost in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. After 1,415 games over 20 seasons, he’s back in the playoffs for the 11th time and still chasing his first ring. As one of his era’s most underrated defensemen, Burns is just one of two current players with over 1,400 games played and no championships on his resume.
Ryan Suter – 1,444 games
Ryan Suter just finished his 19th season in the NHL. Through 1,444 games, he’s only played in the Western Conference Final once, with the Stars in 2022-23. Having spent most of his career with the Predators (2005-12) and the Minnesota Wild (2012-21), he accumulated only 88 playoff games before relocating to Dallas. Suter is a three-time All-Star who could retire at season’s end if he finishes his career with a Stanley Cup win.
