Mark John Douglas Messier (born January 18, 1961, in Emonton, Alberta) is a former ice hockey centerman of the National Hockey League. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL (1979-2004) with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver Canucks. He also played professionally with the World Hockey Association's Indianapolis Racers and Cincinnati Stingers. At the time of his retirement, he was the last former WHA player still active in professional hockey, as well as the last active player who had played in the NHL in the 1970s.