Tony Hand Has Most Points of Any Professional Hockey Player - Ever

Published on June 11th, 2024 7:09 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


There is no doubt that Tony Hand is one of the greatest "what ifs" in the history of the NHL.

If you had to guess who had scored the most points in the history of professional hockey, you'd probably guess Wayne Gretzky, right?

You'd be wrong.

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Tony Hand was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he played his junior hockey. In Hand's final season in Scotland, he won the Young Player of the Year award - part of the prize was getting the opportunity to train with the Calgary Flames for a couple of weeks during their training camp.

At this point, Hand had already gotten the attention of some NHL scouts, including those from the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers were known for going the extra mile to scout players, and Hand was no exception.

The Edmonton Oilers selected Hand in the 12th round of the 1986 NHL Draft, and Hand was invited to training camp. Hand impressed the coaching staff, with head coach Glen Sather commenting that Hand was the second-smartest player on the ice, behind only Wayne Gretzky.

Hand was offered a contract to play junior hockey for a year but turned it down, as he was homesick.

Hand decided to return to Scotland, but not before playing three games with the Victoria Cougars of the WHL - Hand would score eight points in just three games before leaving due to "exhaustion".

For a player from Scotland, life on the road in the WHL was a constant grind, and Hand wasn't prepared.

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After returning to the United Kingdom, Hand put up an ungodly 216 points in just 35 games.

The year after, Hand would return to Canada, where he would train with the Oilers. Hand would play in a game for the Oilers against Team Canada, and once again the Oilers offered him a contract - this time, to play for their farm team.

Again, Hand turned down the deal, and returned to the United Kingdom.

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During his time as a professional hockey player in the United Kingdom, Hand would notch roughly 3,000 points, including four seasons in which he notched over 200 points.

In his final year as a professional - only 30 years after getting his start in 1983-84 - Hand put up 11 goals and 45 assists in just 44 games.

Elite right to the end of his career.

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What if Tony Hand had signed a contract with the Oilers instead of heading back home?