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The Greatest Minnesota North Stars of All Time

All-time greats by position · era-adjusted

Updated 2026-07-09

The greatest Minnesota North Stars of all time — the forwards, defensemen and goaltenders who defined the franchise. Each is ranked by their finest era-adjusted season, weighted by how long they anchored the roster, so a dominant year from any era is measured fairly.

Top forwards

  1. Bobby Smith Center
    3 seasons sampled · peak 1979 · 36G 75A 112P · +23 · 61 GP
    61Peak
  2. Al MacAdam Right Wing
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1979 · 43G 52A 95P · +37 · 80 GP
    60Peak
  3. Steve Payne Left Wing
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1979 · 43G 44A 87P · +38 · 80 GP
    57Peak
  4. Dino Ciccarelli Right Wing
    1 season sampled · peak 1981 · 59G 55A 114P · +15 · 76 GP
    55Peak
  5. Neal Broten Center
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1985 · 30G 78A 108P · +14 · 80 GP
    50Peak
  6. Dave Gagner Center
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1990 · 45G 47A 92P · +10 · 73 GP
    50Peak
  7. Brian Bellows Left Wing
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1989 · 56G 45A 101P · -3 · 80 GP
    48Peak
  8. Tim Young Center
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1976 · 30G 68A 97P · -32 · 80 GP
    48Peak
  9. Bill Goldsworthy Right Wing
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1973 · 53G 29A 82P · +3 · 74 GP
    46Peak
  10. J.P. Parise Left Wing
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1972 · 28G 50A 79P · +18 · 78 GP
    46Peak
  11. Danny Grant Left Wing
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1972 · 34G 37A 70P · +24 · 78 GP
    46Peak
  12. Mike Modano Center
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1992 · 33G 60A 93P · -7 · 82 GP
    43Peak

On defense

  1. Craig Hartsburg Defenseman
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1981 · 18G 65A 83P · +12 · 76 GP
    38Peak
  2. Brad Maxwell Defenseman
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1983 · 20G 57A 77P · -7 · 78 GP
    32Peak
  3. Lou Nanne Defenseman
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1971 · 22G 29A 52P · -6 · 78 GP
    28Peak
  4. Larry Murphy Defenseman
    1 season sampled · peak 1989 · 11G 62A 72P · -14 · 77 GP
    31Peak
  5. Mike McMahon Jr. Defenseman
    1 season sampled · peak 1967 · 16G 37A 52P · -16 · 74 GP
    31Peak
  6. Gordie Roberts Defenseman
    1 season sampled · peak 1983 · 9G 48A 56P · +15 · 77 GP
    29Peak
  7. Moe Mantha Defenseman
    1 season sampled · peak 1987 · 25G 36A 60P · -38 · 30 GP
    28Peak
  8. Paul Shmyr Defenseman
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1979 · 4G 20A 23P · +33 · 63 GP
    24Peak

In goal

  1. Gilles Meloche Goaltender
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1981 · 26W · 3.48 GAA · .894 SV% · 1 SO
    69Peak
  2. Gump Worsley Goaltender
    1 season sampled · peak 1971 · 16W · 2.12 GAA · .933 SV% · 2 SO
    77Peak
  3. Jon Casey Goaltender
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1988 · 18W · 3.06 GAA · .900 SV% · 1 SO
    69Peak
  4. Cesare Maniago Goaltender
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1971 · 20W · 2.65 GAA · .920 SV% · 3 SO
    65Peak
How this ranks: a player’s best season with the Minnesota North Stars is scored on era-adjusted offense, defense and goaltending, then nudged up for how many standout seasons they gave the club — rewarding peak brilliance and franchise tenure together.

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Frequently asked questions

Who is the greatest Minnesota North Stars player of all time?
By All-Time Hockey's era-adjusted peak-season ranking, Bobby Smith leads the Minnesota North Stars all-time greats; the top three overall are Gilles Meloche, Gump Worsley, Jon Casey. Each player is scored on his finest season relative to the league around him.
Who is the best Minnesota North Stars goaltender of all time?
Gilles Meloche ranks as the top Minnesota North Stars goaltender by peak era-adjusted season, weighted by win volume so durable starters outrank one-year standouts.
How are the all-time Minnesota North Stars rankings calculated?
Each player's best season with the Minnesota North Stars is scored on era-adjusted offense, defense and goaltending, then weighted by how many standout seasons he gave the club. Data spans the 1960s to today.

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