Alexander Ovechkin holds the number one spot for the highest total career earnings in National Hockey League history, accumulating a staggering fortune well over 170 million dollars in salary alone. Alongside massive career earnings from his long-term contracts with the Washington Capitals, elite players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin also sit near the absolute pinnacle of career hockey compensation, benefiting from maximum-salary structures and longevity in the modern era of professional sports finance.