The National Hockey League (NHL) is a major professional ice hockey league which operates in Canada and the United States. Since its inception in 1917–18, 53 players born within the current borders of the United Kingdom have taken part. None of them, however, were trained within the country. Of these players 23 are from England, 21 from Scotland, 5 from Northern Ireland, and 4 from Wales. Steve Thomas and Owen Nolan played over 1,000 regular season games, while Thomas and Steve Smith are the only ones to have appeared in over 100 playoff games. All three players finished their careers in the 21st century. The only player born in Britain currently playing in the NHL is Nathan Walker of the St. Louis Blues.

The modern form of ice hockey is generally considered to have begun in the mid-19th century. One of the first games to use a puck was played by a group of Englishmen from the Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment in Kingston, Ontario. In the United Kingdom, a five team league was established in 1903, while Great Britain was one of the founding members of the International Ice Hockey Federation five years later. The game was first administered by the British Ice Hockey Association, from 1914 until 1999, when Ice Hockey UK took over. In the early part of the 20th century the Great Britain national team enjoyed some success: they won gold at the 1936 Olympics, improving on their result of bronze twelve years earlier; won medals at three World Championships (bronze in 1935, and silver in 1937 and 1938), and won the first European Championships in 1910. The British team's heavy reliance on Canadian-trained players during its 1936 Olympic run was especially controversial, and prompted a protest from Canadian hockey officials.

Two players born in the United Kingdom participated in the first season of the NHL. Ken Thompson had played the previous season for the Montreal Wanderers in the National Hockey Association (NHA), and played one game in the NHL before the Wanderers disbanded shortly after their home rink burnt down. Joe Hall had also played in the NHA prior to the NHL: he spent eight years playing for the Montreal Shamrocks and the Quebec Bulldogs, and won the Stanley Cup twice with the latter side. He joined the Montreal Canadiens for the first season of the NHL. Hall competed in the 1919 Stanley Cup Final which were cancelled when most of his league champion Canadiens contracted Spanish influenza, and Hall died from flu-induced pneumonia shortly after. In 1961, he became the second player born in the United Kingdom to have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The first Hall of Famer born in the UK was Charlie Gardiner, inducted in 1945. Described as "one of the game's preeminent goaltenders during the 1920s and 1930s," he played seven seasons in the NHL with the Chicago Black Hawks. He won the Vezina Trophy on two occasions, and was named team captain for the 1933–34 season, leading his team to win their first Stanley Cup. It was the only time a goaltender had captained a Cup-winning side. Just over two months after the Stanley Cup victory, Gardiner died of a brain hemorrhage.

Players

Key Pos – Position, G (Goaltender), D (Defenceman), LW (Left wing), C (Centre), RW (Right wing) RS – Number of regular season games played in the NHL PO – Number of playoff games played in the NHL – Player has been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame

Name City Country Pos Debut team Seasonsactive RS PO Ref Birthplace Games played Shrewsbury England G Anaheim Ducks 2021–2022 1 0 Glasgow Scotland G New York Rangers 1932–1935 106 10 Edinburgh Scotland LW Detroit Red Wings 1934–1942 319 16 Ibstock England LW Boston Bruins 1930–1939 334 24 Edinburgh Scotland RW Toronto Maple Leafs 1948–1949 1 0 Johnstone Scotland LW Detroit Red Wings 1941–1952 391 26 Birmingham England RW Los Angeles Kings 1994–2000 64 1 Glasgow Scotland RW Quebec Bulldogs 1919–1924 72 0 Glasgow Scotland RW Boston Bruins 1974–1976 8 1 Motherwell Scotland C Detroit Red Wings 1945–1953 328 19 Glasgow Scotland LW New York Americans 1926–1930 78 2 Barry Wales G Philadelphia Quakers 1930–1941 282 19 Worthing England G Washington Capitals 1992–2004 415 27 Morriston Wales D New York Rangers 1948–1963 752 56 Banbridge Northern Ireland C Chicago Black Hawks 1951–1954 59 7 Paisley Scotland C New York Rangers 1964–1968 22 12 Kilsyth Scotland D Montreal Maroons 1933–1936 96 4 Edinburgh Scotland G Chicago Black Hawks 1927–1934 316 21 Glasgow Scotland RW New York Rangers 1927–1929 50 13 Edinburgh Scotland C Chicago Black Hawks 1943–1944 2 1 Staffordshire England D Montreal Canadiens 1917–1919 38 7 Blaydon-on-Tyne England D New Jersey Devils 1983–1986 3 0 Birmingham England RW Chicago Black Hawks 1964–1978 881 97 Rushall England C Chicago Black Hawks 1931–1933 59 2 Ibstock England LW New York Americans 1932–1936 84 0 Doagh Ireland RW New York Rangers 1937–1938 39 0 Ellesmere England RW Pittsburgh Penguins 1977–1983 431 19 Bradford England RW Toronto Maple Leafs 1938–1941 31 2 Stirling Scotland C New York Rangers 1930–1931 5 0 Belfast Ireland C Detroit Red Wings 1946–1954 412 49 Belfast Ireland LW Montreal Maroons 1934–1937 26 1 Nottingham England C Colorado Rockies 1978–1979 9 0 Moray Scotland D Montreal Maroons 1924–1932 239 21 Belfast Northern Ireland RW Quebec Nordiques 1990–2010 1,200 65 Guildford England LW Arizona Coyotes 2016–2022 239 0 Aldershot England C Oakland Seals 1968–1971 96 8 Bradford England LW Boston Bruins 1928–1931 98 4 Harrogate England C New York Rangers 1932–1940 292 47 Edinburgh Scotland C Boston Bruins 1930–1932 37 4 Carlisle England D Toronto Maple Leafs 1931–1934 34 7 Edinburgh Scotland D New York Rangers 1951–1953 62 0 Liverpool England D Ottawa Senators 1924–1935 443 19 Glasgow Scotland D Edmonton Oilers 1984–2001 804 134 Plymouth England G Los Angeles Kings 2008–2018 4 0 Dowlais Wales LW Chicago Black Hawks 1947–1948 14 0 Stockport England RW Toronto Maple Leafs 1984–2004 1,235 174 Oakengates England LW Montreal Wanderers 1917–1918 1 0 Troon Scotland C Detroit Red Wings 1938–1944 9 2 Uxbridge England D New York Americans 1939–1941 15 2 Cardiff Wales C Washington Capitals 2017–2026 266 12 Motherwell Scotland D Detroit Red Wings 1940–1942 32 8 Falkirk Scotland G New York Americans 1936–1937 1 0 Bristol England G Oakland Seals 1968–1971 26 0

See also Elite Ice Hockey League

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