Which NHL player was the last to play without a helmet in a regular-season game?

Craig MacTavish was the last NHL player to play without a helmet in a regular-season game.

MacTavish’s helmetless career was possible because of a grandfather clause introduced when the NHL made helmets mandatory for new players. In 1979, the league required incoming players to wear helmets, but players who had already signed professional contracts could continue playing without one if they chose. MacTavish signed with the Boston Bruins before the cutoff and therefore retained that option.

He played his final NHL season with the St. Louis Blues in 1996–97. By then, virtually every player wore a helmet, making MacTavish’s bare-headed appearances a striking reminder of the league’s earlier safety culture. He had also worn a helmet briefly early in his career, so “last player without a helmet” refers to his final helmetless NHL appearances, not every game he ever played.

MacTavish played 17 NHL seasons for five teams and won four Stanley Cups: three with the Edmonton Oilers in 1987, 1988 and 1990, and one with the New York Rangers in 1994. He later became an NHL coach, including serving as Edmonton’s head coach from 2000 to 2009.