The 5 Tallest Players in Ice Hockey History
Big Ice Men: The Tallest Players in Ice Hockey History
In various sports, height is often an advantage for many different reasons, but is it an advantage in Ice Hockey?
Who are the biggest Ice Hockey players to have played the game?
In basketball, it’s easier for the tallest players to get to the ball first on a missed shot. In baseball, it’s because fielders don’t have to jump as high and they will naturally have a larger strike zone.
In football, height can give you advantages depending on what position you are playing.
At quarterback it can help you see the field over the offensive and defensive line. At wide receiver it can help you get to the ball at more spots that the quarterback may throw to, and at the defensive line, it can be easier to bat the ball down on a thrown ball.
In hockey, longer arms give players the power to hit a more powerful shot.
It’s much harder to lob the puck over their head, and if a player is intimidated by height they can also be a more imposing force around the net.
It can also be easier for taller players to shield the puck on offense, as it gets closer to the goalie, which can make the goalie’s job a nightmare. So, who is the tallest ice hockey player, and can we stretch that tale to also make him the biggest? An ice pun for you there, if you will.
In this article, find out about some of the biggest players in hockey history.
1. Zdeno Chara: 6’9
Zdeno Chara is by far the most decorated hockey player on this list when it comes to accomplishments.
He won a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins during the 2010-2011 season over the Vancouver Canucks.
He also won the Norris Trophy, went to the All Star game seven times, won the hardest shot contest during the 2011 and 2012 seasons and broke the record both times with slap shots at 105 and 108.8 miles per hour.
This is still the record entering the 2022-2023 season!
The next closest player to breaking the record is the Nashville Predator’s Shea Weber, who whacked the puck at a blistering 108.5 miles per hour in 2015.
2. Joe Finley: 6’8
The majority of Joe Finley’s hockey career was actually outside the NHL. He played 5 games with the Buffalo Sabres, along with another 16 games with the New York Islanders.
Finley didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard during those 21 games, as he didn’t score a goal and only had one point, which was an assist.
Finley was mainly in the NHL for physicality. Outside of the NHL, Finley also played for the Sioux Falls Stampede, the University of North Dakota, a variety of semi-pro hockey teams, and then ended his career in Finland.
3. Tyler Myers: 6’8
Tyler Myers received NHL accolades right off the bat, as he spent his rookie year (2009-2010) winning the Calder Memorial Trophy, and he was on the 2009-2010 All Rookie team.
In his first 2 years, he also won the James Norris Memorial trophy. For those not familiar with the Calder Memorial trophy, it is for the league’s most proficient rookie.
The Norris trophy goes to the league’s best defensive player. Myers played the bulk of his career with the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks.
Myers, just like everybody else on this list, wasn’t the most proficient when it comes to scoring. He has only scored 45 goals in 13 seasons so far.
4. John Scott: 6’8
John Scott was primarily there to be an imposing figure, and he was considered to be a journeyman as he never played more than 2 seasons with one team.
In total, Scott played for 6 teams. He spent 2 seasons with the Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres, Arizona Coyotes and he finished up his career with the Montreal Canadiens.
5. Andrej Suster: 6’7
Andrej Suster was picked up by the Minnesota Wild during the 2022-2023 off season.
He previously played for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who actually contain 4 of the 15 tallest players in NHL history.
Suster also played for the Anaheim Ducks.
Just like most of the other players on this list, this player didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard and he was largely on the team for his imposing figure, as he has only recorded 11 goals and 58 assists in 361 games.
Outside of the NHL, Suster went to college at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and played for the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.
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