In that inaugural NHL season back in 1917-18 Corbett Denneny was playing with the Toronto Arenas while brother Cy, who six years later would win the league scoring title with the lowest winning points total in NHL history, 23, was a forward with the Ottawa Senators. It would not take long before another set of NHL brothers came along.
In fact the season right after Corbett and Cy started their NHL careers, the Cleghorn brothers, Odie and Sprague joined the new circuit, eventually winning a Stanley Cup together with the Montreal Canadiens. The Denneny and Cleghorn families made history as the first to have more than one member play in the NHL.
In the over 90 years since there have been some 300 families with multiple members make it to the NHL. Some did not stick long, like Burnaby B.C. brothers Jim and Tony Camazzola, each pointless after playing three games in the 80's, or Carl and Dalton Smith of Cache Bay, Ont. who during W. W. 2 combined for 17 games, 2 goals and 3 assists.
Six Sutter Brothers Played in NHL and Now Two of Their Sons
But many did stay like the Sutter brothers, who collectively played a record 5,130 games and had six of seven brothers, and now two of their sons, play in the National Hockey League. So which family leads the league in collective family scoring? Besides leading in games the Sutters lead in penalty minutes – a whopping 7,249 regular season minutes in NHL penalty boxes – but they do not lead in the family point scoring derby.
NHL Top Family Point Scoring Rankings from 11 to 20
In NHL family scoring spots 11 to 20 there sits Ron Francis and Mike Liut in 11th, second cousins only but they spent five seasons together on the Hartford Whalers so had lots of time to bond. As a goalie Liut contributed only 13 assists but without them he and his cousin wouldn't make the list. It’s similar with the Bourques in 16th as son Chris - who is playing in the Swiss A league - has only 4 NHL points while Dad Ray retired with 1,579 points (and one Stanley Cup ring).
Note the Mullen brothers are the highest point scoring American-born family ever to play in the NHL, four spots above the Brotens in 14th all-time. Brian and Joe Mullen have 762 goals between them, tenth all-time in that category.
NHL Top Family Scoring spots 11-20:
- 11. 1,811 Ron Francis and Mike Liut
- 12. 1,795 Alain and Mario Lemieux
- 13. 1,727 Dale, Dave and Mark Hunter
- 14. 1,685 Brian and Joe Mullen
- 15. 1,615 Phil and Tony Esposito
- 16. 1,583 Chris and Ray Bourque
- 17. 1,543 Russ and Geoff Courtnall
- 18. 1,539 Aaron, Neal and Paul Broten
- 19. 1,460 Ed Kea, Jeff Beukeboom and Joe Nieuwendyk
- 20. 1,435 Bryan and Rocky Trottier
Bryan Trottier the Scorer in Family; Geoff Courtnall and Russ Courtnall Both Scorers
Another example of a large discrepancy between points is here with Rocky only providing 10 of the 1,435 Trottier points that got them into 20th. The Courtnall brothers of Victoria, B.C. had totals near to one another as Geoff ended his career with 799 points and Russ 744. In 19th spot all-time are the trio of Jeff Beukeboom, cousin Joe Nieuwendyk and their late-Uncle, Ed Kea.
All-time Top Ten NHL Family Scoring List: Hulls, Gretzkys, Howes All High on List
The biggest scoring discrepancy is on the Top Ten as Brent Gretzky managed a goal and 3 assists in an NHL career that lasted but 13 games so he's behind his older brother by 2,853 points. Wayne is 970 points above runner-up Mark Messier in the individual point scoring list that doesn’t get his family higher than 3rd here (they have the most assists with 1,966). Note Messier and his cousins Joby and Mitch Messier are in 8th place (Mark’s brother Paul played 9 games without a point).
All-Time Top Ten NHL Family Point Scoring:
- 3,215 Bobby, Dennis and Brett Hull
- 2,981 Brandon, Brent, Brett, Brian, Darryl, Duane, Rich and Ron Sutter
- 2,861 Brent and Wayne Gretzky
- 2,630 Gordie, Mark, Marty and Vic Howe
- 2,449 Anton, Marian, Paul, Peter and Yan Stastny
- 2,011 Henry and Maurice Richard
- 1,911 Gilbert and Marcel Dionne
- 1,893 Joby, Mark and Mitch Messier
- 1,876 Frank and Peter Mahovlich
- 1,822 Pierre and Sylvain Turgeon
Brett Hull, Dennis Hull and Bobby Hull Lead in Points and Most NHL Goals
Not surprisingly the first-place Hulls also have the all-time lead in goals with 1,654 (not counting the 303 Bobby scored in the WHA). The Howes, Gordie (1850 points) brother Vic (7 points) and Gordie's sons Mark (742) and Marty (31) sit in fourth. The Stastnys in fifth are the top non-Canadian born family with a total again climbing thanks to Peter's kids, Colorado Avalanche forward Paul Stastny and his older brother Yan, currently with the Vancouver Canucks organization.
The Sutters wind up bridesmaids in all three offensive categories: second to the Hulls in both goals and points and their 1,638 helpers leave them second to the Gretzkys in assists. But the Sutter’s point total is also climbing again as Darryl’s son Brett is with the Calgary Flames and Brent’s son Brandon is with the Carolina Hurricanes; the Sutters are 234 points out of first so if Brett and Brandon become regulars that family could vault into first place within a few seasons.
Some Prominent Families Like Hextall Family Didn't Make NHL Top Twenty Scoring
Families not making the top 20 include three Pronovost brothers, Marcel, Jean and goalie Claude and their cousin, Andre, who between them managed 2,763 games and 1,317 points (and one shut-out). Six Conacher family members had 1,237 points while goalie Ron Hextall contributed a goal to his family's total (cousin, father and uncle) of 440 goals as well as 32 assists to their 1,158 points. To date Scott and Rob Niedermayer and cousin Jason Strudwick have played 2,976 games and collected 1,243 points. A productive family playing primarily in the 1940’s was the Bentley’s, Doug, Max and Reg with 1,090 points.
In the 2009-10 Stanley Cup final between the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers Chris Pronger was one player participating who has put up a significant amount of points with a family member; he and brother Sean, who retired in 2004, have combined for 720 points.
Related Suite 101 stories:
The All-time top Goalie scoring list.
The Stanley Cup Rings and Winners that Never Were.
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