Editing Mark Messier (section)

{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player (born 1961)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| halloffame = 2007
| name = Mark Messier<br />{{Post-nominals|country=CAN|OC}}
| image = Mark Messier 2016.jpg
| image_size = 230px
| caption = Messier in 2016
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=y|1961|1|18}}
| birth_place = [[St. Albert, Alberta]], Canada
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 2
| weight_lb = 210
| position = [[Centre (ice hockey)|Centre]] / [[Winger (ice hockey)|Left Wing]]
| shot = Left
| played_for = [[Indianapolis Racers]]<br>[[Cincinnati Stingers]]<br>[[Edmonton Oilers]]<br>[[New York Rangers]]<br>[[Vancouver Canucks]]
| ntl_team = CAN
| draft = 48th overall
| draft_year = 1979
| draft_team = [[Edmonton Oilers]]
| career_start = 1978
| career_end = 2004
| medaltemplates = 
{{Medal|Country | {{ih|CAN}} }}
{{Medal|Sport | [[Ice hockey]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[World Cup of Hockey|World Cup]]}}
{{Medal|Silver | [[1996 World Cup of Hockey|1996 Canada]] |}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Canada Cup (ice hockey)|Canada Cup]]}}
{{Medal|Gold | [[1991 Canada Cup|1991 Canada]] |}}
{{Medal|Gold | [[1987 Canada Cup|1987 Canada]] |}}
{{Medal|Gold | [[1984 Canada Cup|1984 Canada]] |}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Ice Hockey World Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Silver| [[1989 World Ice Hockey Championships|1989 Canada]] |}}
}}
'''Mark John Douglas Messier''' {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|OC}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɛ|s|i|eɪ}}; born January 18, 1961) is a Canadian former professional [[ice hockey]] [[Centre (ice hockey)|centre]]. His playing career in the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL) lasted 25 seasons ([[1979–80 NHL season|1979]]–[[2003–04 NHL season|2004]]) with the [[Edmonton Oilers]], [[New York Rangers]], and [[Vancouver Canucks]]. He also played professionally with the [[World Hockey Association]] (WHA)'s [[Indianapolis Racers]] and [[Cincinnati Stingers]]. He also played a short four-game stint in the original [[Central Hockey League]] (CHL) with the [[Houston Apollos]] in 1979.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mark Messier Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com |url=https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=3688 |website=www.hockeydb.com |access-date=October 17, 2023}}</ref> He was the last WHA player to be active in professional ice hockey, and the last active player in any of the major North American professional sports leagues to have played in the 1970s. After his playing career, he was special assistant to the president and general manager of the Rangers.

Messier is considered one of the greatest ice hockey players of all time.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pelletier |first=Joe |url=http://www.greatesthockeylegends.com/2009/04/stanley-cup-legends-messiah-mark.html |title=Stanley Cup Legends: The Messiah, Mark Messier |publisher=Greatest Hockey Legends.com |date=April 29, 2009 |access-date=March 9, 2011}}</ref> He is second on the all-time list for playoff points (295) and third for regular-season games played (1756) and regular-season points (1887). He is a six-time [[Stanley Cup]] champion—five with the Oilers and one with the Rangers—and is the only player to [[Captain (ice hockey)|captain]] two teams to Stanley Cup championships.<ref name="legend">{{cite web |url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/ind07Messier.htm |title=Mark Messier |publisher=Legendsofhockey.net |access-date=2011-11-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616045024/http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/ind07Messier.htm |archive-date=June 16, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> His playoff leadership while in New York, which ended a 54-year Stanley Cup drought in [[1994 Stanley Cup Finals|1994]], earned him the nickname "The Messiah", a play on his name. He was also known, throughout his career, as "The Moose" for his aggression and strength.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hhof.com/LegendsOfHockey/html/ind07Messier.htm |title=Legends of Hockey – Induction Showcase – Mark Messier |publisher=Hhof.com |access-date=March 9, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604135837/http://www.hhof.com/LegendsOfHockey/html/ind07Messier.htm |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.bookrags.com/Mark_Messier |title=Mark Messier Biography Summary |publisher=BookRags.com |access-date=March 9, 2011}}</ref> He twice won the [[Hart Memorial Trophy]] as the league's most valuable player, in [[1989-90 NHL season|1990]] and [[1991-92 NHL season|1992]], and in [[1984 Stanley Cup playoffs|1984]] won the [[Conn Smythe Trophy]] as the most valuable player during the playoffs. He was selected for the [[NHL All-Star]] Game 16 times. In 2007, he was inducted into the [[Hockey Hall of Fame]], in his first year of eligibility. In 2017, Messier was named one of the "[[100 Greatest NHL Players]]" in history.<ref>{{cite web|title=100 Greatest NHL Players|url=https://www.nhl.com/fans/nhl-centennial/100-greatest-nhl-players| website = NHL.com|access-date=January 27, 2017|date=January 27, 2017}}</ref>

On June 30, 2017, he was named an [[Order of Canada|Officer of the Order of Canada]] by [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General]] [[David Johnston (governor general)|David Johnston]] for "contributions to hockey as an outstanding player and captain, and for his leadership in encouraging children to take up the sport."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=16917&lan=eng| title=Governor General Announces 99 New Appointments to the Order of Canada| date=June 30, 2017| publisher=[[Governor General of Canada]]| archive-url=https://archive.today/20170630151106/http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=16917&lan=eng| archive-date=June 30, 2017| url-status=live}}</ref>