Cross-sport NHL player comparisons: Hockey’s LeBron, Ronaldo and more
We’re now officially in the dog days of the NHL offseason. The draft, free agency, and most of the anticipated trade activity are behind us, and we’re still more than two months away from the puck dropping on the 2026-27 season. With the World Cup, Major League Baseball, along with golf and tennis all in full swing, it would be understandable for even the most die-hard hockey fans to have their thoughts drift to other sports.
Still, hockey never completely leaves a true puck-head’s brain. As I watched the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe show out in the World Cup, I wondered which of our NHL stars they most reminded me of. Then, I began to wonder which athletes across the entire world of sports are most comparable to certain NHL players, whether in terms of play style, career trajectory, impact, or anything else.
In my ruminations, I came up with a list of five cross-sport NHL player comparisons that work pretty darn well, if I don’t say so myself. So, let’s dive right into it, starting with the least disputable.
Sidney Crosby = LeBron James (NBA)
This one’s obvious, right? Crosby and James entered their respective leagues in the mid-2000s as uber-hyped, generational prospects. Both were seen as saviors, in a sense. The NHL needed a fresh, marquee star to feature following the dead-puck era of the early ’00s and the ’04-’05 lockout, while the NBA needed a certified face-of-the-league in its era of post-Jordan uncertainty. They even both essentially rescued downtrodden, small-market franchises, as Crosby gave new life to the Pittsburgh Penguins after they had nearly relocated to Kansas City, while James revived a Cleveland Cavaliers team that hadn’t won a playoff series since 1993.
Most importantly, Crosby and James lived up to their hype, and then some. They were each broadly considered the best player in their sport for their entire primes, until they gracefully aged out of the top spot. James edges out Crosby in terms of hardware, but not by much, with four championships to Crosby’s three and four MVPs to Crosby’s two. Stylistically, even, both are strikingly similar, as they each dominated with remarkably balanced games in which they can score, assist, and defend in equal measure, making them nearly impossible to neutralize and allowing them to remain among their sport’s best in their twilight years.
If we must highlight their differences, James is undoubtedly the better all-time player, despite how great Crosby has been. There’s also the matter of team loyalty. Crosby has been and will almost certainly remain a career-long Penguin, whereas James spearheaded the NBA’s era of player movement, changing teams four times since 2010’s infamous The Decision.
Alex Ovechkin = Cristiano Ronaldo (Soccer)
Don’t let the current, ossified versions of these guys fool you. When Ovechkin and Ronaldo broke onto the scene, they were both goddamn nuclear tornados of physical talent, skill, and sheer ability the likes of which had never been seen before. Both players combined power, speed, and finesse in a way that made them uniquely thrilling when they challenged defenders 1-on-1. It would be hard to argue against either of these players being the best pure scorer their sport has ever seen.
Both players spent their careers stacking up individual accolades, with Ovechkin claiming three Hart Trophies and nine (!) Rocket Richard Trophies, and Ronaldo claiming five Ballon D’Or awards and multiple other trophies. It’s probably unfair to compare Ovechkin’s one Stanley Cup championship with the Washington Capitals to Ronaldo’s five Champions League titles, since the structure of European soccer allowed Ronaldo to win his titles on loaded up Manchester United and Real Madrid teams. Internationally, however, the comparison becomes much more apt. Ovechkin has famously never won a best-on-best tournament with Russia, while Ronaldo has failed to capture a World Cup with Portugal, though he at least claimed the 2016 Euro Cup championship.
Of course, Ovechkin and Ronaldo would indisputably be the best players of their era if they hadn’t been overshadowed by their shorter, more beloved counterpart. The way Ovechkin’s career is defined by his rivalry with Crosby mirrors the way Ronaldo’s is defined by his rivalry with Messi.
Nicklas Lidstrom = Tom Brady (NFL)
These guys must have been produced by the same factory. Lidstrom and Brady were both lanky, efficient, and virtually flawless, playing like perfectly calibrated robots. Neither player was anything remarkable physically, and neither possessed eye-popping skill, but both dominated through poise, savvy, and utter mastery of the game, each becoming the clear-cut best player at their respective positions.
Apart from their stylistic similarities, Lidstrom and Brady’s careers followed similar trajectories, too. Both were unheralded prospects, with Lidstrom being a third-round pick and Brady being a sixth-round pick. Both were seen as very good players on great teams early in their career, as they each won multiple championships before the age of 30. It wasn’t until the second half of their careers, however, where they ascended into G.O.A.T. status. Lidstrom’s seven Norris Trophies were won after he turned 30, as were Brady’s three MVPs. They both defied father time, as well, continuing to play brilliantly into their 40s.
Brady is widely viewed as the greatest quarterback of all time, and Lidstrom would be seen as the greatest defenseman of all time if it wasn’t for the monumental legend of Bobby Orr.
Patrick Kane = Stephen Curry (NBA)
Kane and Curry were the undersized showmen of their generation. Fans would show up early to games just to watch Curry shoot in warmups, and Kane’s nickname is literally ‘Showtime’.’ In their primes, they both gave you the feeling you were watching the most purely skilled player in their sport’s history. Both were flashy, jitterbug perimeter players who created boundless offense and regularly featured in highlight reels.
They also defied conventional wisdom to lead their teams to dynasties. Before Kane, nobody believed a small winger could be the best player on a Stanley Cup champion, just like nobody believed a small, jumpshooting guard could lead a team to an NBA championship before Curry. They also each had their defensively conscious, heart-and-soul running mate to complement them, as Kane had Jonathan Toews and Curry had Draymond Green.
Connor McDavid = Kylian Mbappe (Soccer)
The “next ones” that delivered on their promise, yet still leave you wanting more. Like McDavid taking over for the Crosby-Ovechkin generation, Mbappe broke onto the scene with the expectation that he would be the world’s next best player with Messi and Ronaldo aging out of that role. Again, much like McDavid, it’s hard to say Mbappe disappointed, at least individually.
McDavid’s display case is well stocked with three Hart Trophies and six Art Ross Trophies, yet a Stanley Cup championship has eluded him. Similarly, Mbappe has been well-decorated, with a European Golden Shoe award, a World Cup Golden Boot award, and twice having been the Champions League’s top scorer. He’s yet to win a Champions League title, however, despite being on ultra-talented Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid teams.
McDavid and Mbappe have each faced mounting criticism for failing to achieve ultimate team success, but at least they each have their one moment of international glory. For McDavid, it was scoring the overtime winner to give Canada the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off championship. For Mbappe, it was scoring four goals for France in 2018 to win the World Cup.
McDavid and Mbappe’s games are also reminiscent of each other’s, as they both play with a frightening combination of speed and skill that routinely leaves defenders in the dust.
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