Our History

In November 1999, the NHL Alumni Association was established as an independent association, by amalgamating two Alumni groups formed by the National Hockey League and NHL Players' Association. The Alumni Association's ties to both the NHLPA and NHL remain strong.

The NHL Alumni is a non-profit organization, which serves as a liaison for 28 local alumni groups. The Association has adopted the motto of "Hockey's Greatest Family", providing programs and assistance for all retired NHL players, including career transition with the BreakAway Program. We maintain a database of approximately 3,400 retired players and keep them updated in our efforts through the production of a newsletter. Whether a retired player played one game or over 1,000, just over 5,300 players have ever played in the NHL of which approximately 3,400 are currently living and 1,600 are currently registered and active with our association.

Our organization continues to grow with the development of new marketing and licensing initiatives featuring the NHL Alumni and our members. The NHL Alumni, local alumni associations and our members continue to be active in local communities, assisting in fundraising efforts that collectively raise more than $7 million annually for a wide range of charitable causes.