Mark Madden: Connor McDavid, Alex Ovechkin make case to be among hockey's all-time top 5

My list of hockey’s top five players ever (excluding goaltenders) is clear-cut.

The top three are Mario Lemieux, Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky. That’s my order. But it’s impossible to argue with putting those three in any order.

The next two are Sidney Crosby and Gordie Howe. Once again, that’s my order. But it can go either way.

But now, two other players are maneuvering their way into the conversation: Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin.

McDavid’s numbers to date are undeniable. He passed 600 career points a couple weeks back. He was the sixth-fastest player to reach that mark, doing so in 421 games.

Gretzky did it in 274 games. Lemieux got there in 323 games, Crosby in 430.

A lot depends on the style of the era. How much scoring there is. But that’s a lot of points.

McDavid is also a human highlight reel, which works in his favor. Two of his goals this season will live on YouTube forever.

But, really, everybody in my top five (except Howe) is/was a human highlight reel. Howe was mercilessly consistent and efficient.

McDavid needs to win a Stanley Cup, preferably more than one. If McDavid doesn’t win a Cup, he shouldn’t be in anybody’s top five. That’s non-negotiable.

Gretzky and Howe each won four Stanley Cups. Crosby has three, Lemieux and Orr two. If you don’t win championships, your work didn’t add up to anything.

Edmonton is 13-5 so far this season and looks terrific. The Oilers might be close.

Ovechkin is the more interesting debate. He’s got his Cup: one, the bare minimum.

But Ovechkin is a wing. Centers count a lot more.

Ovechkin is mean. He hits. But he’s not a great all-around player. (Not that everybody in my top five is/was. McDavid doesn’t shine in his own end. Crosby is the best 200-foot forward ever.)

But Ovechkin, 36, has 745 career goals. Barring grievous injury, he’s a good bet to break Gretzky’s career record of 894 goals. (If Lemieux had stayed healthy and not retired for three-and-a-half years, he’d have netted 1,000 goals.)

If Ovechkin eclipses Gretzky’s goal mark, how can he not be in the top five? Hockey is based on keeping score. Goals are precious currency.

If McDavid and/or Ovechkin crack the top five, who drops out?

Howe is my choice, but he’s the old-timey sentimental all-time best. Gretzky says that about Howe. I wonder if Gretzky really believes that.

My current top five seems more debatable than my all-time top five.

McDavid is No. 1. Stats, eye test, ripple effect, good team — he checks all the boxes.

Crosby is No. 2. That’s a bit of a hometown choice, and he’s still getting over the effects of covid. But Crosby will kick it into gear, and that’s how it will play out. He’s still the NHL’s best 200-foot player.

Toronto’s Auston Matthews is No. 3. He’s hockey’s best pure goal-scorer, Ovechkin’s form duly noted.

Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon checks in at No. 4. He’s hurt right now, but his impact is monstrous. With Edmonton on the rise, though, MacKinnon’s best chance to win a Cup conceivably could have passed. (Probably not.)

Matthews and MacKinnon are in the same boat as McDavid, by the way. If they don’t win Cups, their legacy will be diminished (though neither will ever be considered a top-five player all-time).

No. 5 is Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov. He’s had injury problems but ripped apart the playoffs for two straight seasons with 66 points in 48 games. The Lightning won both championships. Kucherov has big impact at important moments.