Is Anze Kopitar Better Than Gordie Howe? NHL Stats Decide

The career statistics tell a clear story in this C comparison. Gordie Howe holds the advantage in 5 of 5 key categories, with Penalty Minutes representing the most decisive gap — a 370.7% difference that separates these two NHL players. This is not a close debate on the numbers.

Gordie Howe's Penalty Minutes of 1,685 compared to Anze Kopitar's 358 represents a 370.7% advantage — dramatically better than their counterpart in this critical category. It is the single most decisive number in this comparison and the clearest statistical argument for Gordie Howe's edge.

The most competitive category in this matchup is Games Played, where Anze Kopitar posts 1521 against Gordie Howe's 1,767 — a gap of just 16.2%. Anze Kopitar can point to this as evidence that the overall comparison is closer than the final 5-0 tally suggests. In any debate, Games Played is the statistical ammunition for the Anze Kopitar side.

Hockey's greatest players accumulate points through both goal scoring and playmaking. The balance between goals and assists often reveals a player's style — pure scorer versus pass-first playmaker.

Gordie Howe wins this head to head comparison decisively — 5 categories to 0. The 370.7% gap in Penalty Minutes alone makes a compelling case, but the consistency across multiple categories confirms Gordie Howe's statistical superiority in this NHL career comparison.