My 5 Favourite Families in Hockey History

When you think of hockey families, who comes to mind? Maybe it’s the Richard brothers, Bobby and Brett Hull, or the Sedin Twins. Something about familial connections to other great players makes for a compelling story.

Today is Family Day in much of Canada, and to celebrate, I will be sharing my 5 favourite families in Hockey history.

First off, I need to set out my criteria. This is not simply a ranking of which families have scored the most points in the NHL, as I will be considering a whole lot more than simply points. The Gretzky brothers have a total of 2,861 points in the NHL, but since Wayne scored 2,857 of them and Brent scored 4, they didn’t make my list as that doesn’t constitute a great hockey family in my opinion. Points and success at the professional level will be an important part of rankings, but so will the players’ impact on the game, the amount of family members to play hockey at a high level, and, in one case, the projection for what their careers will look like when they’re over.

#5 – The Granato/Ferraro Family

The greatest power couple in hockey history, Cammi Granato and Ray Ferraro have done it all. Granato is one of the greatest hockey players of her generation and made an incalculable impact on Women’s hockey in the USA. She captained the Americans to a gold medal in the 1998 Olympics, as well as silver in 2002. She was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010, which was the first time any woman had ever been inducted.

Ferraro has done it all, from doing colour commentary for the EA NHL videogames, to scoring over 400 NHL goals, to being one the best and most well-respected NHL analysts and commentators. Ferraro also played in the 1976 Little League World Series, so do with that what you will.

Granato has continued to make history as the first Woman to be a pro scout in the NHL when she was hired by the Seattle Kraken a few seasons ago. As recently as this February, she became the 3rd woman to ever become an assistant GM for an NHL team when she was hired by the Vancouver Canucks.

These two are wonderful and will both likely have long careers ahead of them in the hockey world if they so choose.

#4 – The Staal Family

(A very epic and not-at-all cringey photo shoot of the young Staal brothers. Left-to-Right: Marc, Eric, Jordan, Jared)

The Staal brothers are a group of 4 brothers from Thunder Bay, Ontario who have played over 3,000 NHL games in total. Eric has scored the most points, with over 1,000, but seems close to retirement after failing to receive an NHL contract this season and captaining Canada to a quarterfinal loss in the 2022 Olympics. Jordan is still playing in the NHL as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes and Marc is a member of the Detroit Red Wings. Youngest brother Jared only ever played 2 NHL games.

I remember reading about the brothers playing against each other when Eric and Jordan were on the Hurricanes while Marc was on the New York Rangers. I’ve always loved stories like that and it would be wonderful if they could finish it on a high note as Jordan’s Hurricanes are a real contender for the Stanley Cup this season.

#3 – The Hughes Family

(The Hughes brothers celebrating Luke's draft in 2021. Left-to-Right: Jack, Luke, Quinn)

Now this one is a bit of a stretch because the 3 Hughes brothers have played a combined 323 NHL games so far, but these three are the future of the NHL. We’ve seen groups of brothers before, but there has always been one or two who are clearly not on the same elite level as the best brothers. In the case of the Hughes brothers, they all appear to be extremely skilled and will likely play a ton more games, compiling at least 2,000 points total.

Quinn is the oldest at 22 and was drafted 7th overall to the Vancouver Canucks in 2018. He has played at a very high level in almost 200 games, already scoring 135 points as a defenceman. Jack is the middle child at 20 and was drafted 1st overall in 2019. Luke is the youngest Hughes brother at 18 and was drafted 4th overall in 2021 to the same team as Jack, the New Jersey Devils.

Each of the brothers has the potential to be an elite-level talent for the next 10 years and it seems likely that they will reach that mark sooner than later. Quinn is shattering all kinds of expectations for young offensive defencemen in the NHL, Jack is in the midst of a true break-out season (30 points in 30 games) and Luke has scored more goals in the NCAA than any defenceman even though he is a freshman. These three will be a ton of fun to watch over the next decade or two.

#2 – The Sedin Family

(The Sedin Twins saluting the home crowd in their final NHL home game)

It felt weird writing “Sedin Family” instead of “Sedin Twins”, but those are the sacrifices made in the name of consistency.

The Sedin twins were a different breed of NHL superstars. They were the embodiment of the “mild-mannered Swede” stereotype in the NHL which got them shoved around a bit during their early years but will be an essential part of their legacy as incredible hockey players deserving of respect.

The twins are the only two players to score 1,000 points for the Vancouver Canucks in their careers, combining for over 2,100 points in over 2,600 games in the NHL. They had the type of chemistry while playing together that two players who never shared a womb could only dream of. Their “Sedin Sense” ™ allowed them to make some incredible plays together where you could swear that they had some kind of telepathy and could read each other’s minds.

They may cement their effect on the NHL even further as they are both beginning careers in the NHL front office as “Special Advisors to the General Manager” for the Vancouver Canucks, a vague job title that allows them the freedom to work toward any management job they desire. No matter what they do, it seems clear they will always do it together.

#1 - The Sutter Family

Originally from Viking, Alberta (one of the greatest small-town names I’ve ever heard), the Sutter family has had their fingerprints all over the NHL since 1976. The first generation of Sutters included 6 brothers who played in the NHL and one other brother who stayed home on the farm. The brothers still argue that their oldest brother Gary, who turned down a shot at playing hockey professionally, was the best hockey player of the bunch.

The first generation played a total of 4,994 games in the NHL, scoring 2,934 points in those games. They have a variety of hockey related jobs currently, ranging from being an NHL scout to an NHL head coach. Darryl Sutter is currently the head coach of the Calgary Flames and won 2 Stanley Cups as the head coach of the Los Angeles Kings.

The second generation of Sutters has produced a few players in the NHL, but the highlight of them would have to be Brandon Sutter. Brandon currently plays for the Vancouver Canucks and has played in over 700 NHL games, no easy feat.

Who are your favourite hockey families? Did my Canucks bias show too clearly in this article? (Probably) Should I cut Brent Gretzky some slack? Let me know in the comment section down below. Have a great family day!