People at ESPN don't seem to be huge hockey fans, as out of the 100 athletes on the list, only three NHL players were included. The three hockey players on the list were Sidney Crosby in 22nd place, Alex Ovechkin at 54, and, wait for it, Connor McDavid all the way down the list in third last, at 98.
Fans, especially those of the Oilers, were absolutely disgusted by this ranking, and did not hold back on social media, absolutely ripping into ESPN at how little knowledge they have of hockey.

To those wondering who ESPN ranked as the number one athlete in the world, it was American swimmer Michael Phelps. No surprise there, right Oilers fans?
Credit:
PuckReportNHL
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 18 | 273 ANSWERS ESPN disrespects Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby: fans are furious Where should Connor McDavid have been ranked by ESPN? | ||
| Top 10 | 172 | 63 % |
| Top 20 | 65 | 23.8 % |
| Top 50 | 18 | 6.6 % |
| Off the list! | 18 | 6.6 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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LIVE
NOVEMBER 19, 2025
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Rasmus Andersson | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| John Carlson | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Connor McMichael | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Joel Farabee | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Ryan Leonard | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Darnell Nurse | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Tom Wilson | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Matthew Coronato | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Morgan Frost | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mattias Samuelsson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jonathan Huberdeau | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Nazem Kadri | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Connor McDavid | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Igor Sharangovich | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mikael Backlund | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Anthony Beauvillier | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Matthew Boldy | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brock Faber | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Radko Gudas | 1 | - | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Red Wings | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
| Bruins | 21 | 12 | 9 | - | 24 | |
| Canadiens | 19 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 23 | |
| Lightning | 19 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 22 | |
| Senators | 19 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 22 | |
| Panthers | 19 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 21 | |
| Maple Leafs | 20 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 20 | |
| Sabres | 19 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 18 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
| Devils | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
| Penguins | 19 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 24 | |
| Islanders | 20 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 24 | |
| Blue Jackets | 20 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 22 | |
| Rangers | 21 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 22 | |
| Flyers | 18 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 21 | |
| Capitals | 19 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 20 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 19 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 31 | |
| Stars | 20 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 27 | |
| Jets | 19 | 12 | 7 | - | 24 | |
| Blackhawks | 19 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 24 | |
| Mammoth | 20 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 23 | |
| Wild | 20 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 22 | |
| Blues | 20 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 17 | |
| Predators | 20 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 16 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Ducks | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
| Golden Knights | 19 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 24 | |
| Kings | 20 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 24 | |
| Kraken | 19 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 23 | |
| Oilers | 21 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 22 | |
| Sharks | 20 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 21 | |
| Canucks | 21 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 20 | |
| Flames | 21 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 13 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||