The all-time greats have left an indelible mark on the ice, and in this post, we'll dive into the legendary records and mind-blowing statistics that define hockey's greatest scorers, goalies, and champions.
Key Takeaways
- Wayne Gretzky holds the NHL record for most career regular-season goals with 894 goals, achieved over 1,487 games from 1979-1980 to 1998-1999 seasons
- Gordie Howe is second all-time in NHL career goals with 801 goals in 1,767 games spanning 26 seasons from 1946-1947 to 1979-1980
- Alexander Ovechkin became the third player to reach 800 NHL career goals on December 21, 2022, with a total of 841 as of end of 2023-2024 season
- Martin Brodeur holds NHL record for most career wins by a goaltender with 691 victories in 1,266 games from 1991-1992 to 2014-2015
- Patrick Roy is second with 551 career wins in 1,029 games
- Marc-Andre Fleury third with 561 wins as of 2023-2024 retirement
- The 1976-1977 Montreal Canadiens set the NHL record for most regular-season wins with 60 victories in 80 games
- The 2022-2023 Boston Bruins set record for most points with 135 in 82 games
- 1976-1977 Canadiens also hold wins percentage record at .750
- The Montreal Canadiens hold the record for most Stanley Cup playoff series wins with 80 series victories since 1917
- Toronto Maple Leafs have 66 playoff series wins, second most
- Detroit Red Wings third with 61 series wins
- The NHL was founded in 1917 with 4 teams: Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Arenas
- Original Six era from 1942-1967 featured Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Montreal Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups, most of any franchise
Wayne Gretzky leads hockey's all-time scoring records with Ovechkin now chasing his goal mark.
Goaltending Records
- Martin Brodeur holds NHL record for most career wins by a goaltender with 691 victories in 1,266 games from 1991-1992 to 2014-2015
- Patrick Roy is second with 551 career wins in 1,029 games
- Marc-Andre Fleury third with 561 wins as of 2023-2024 retirement
- Roberto Luongo fourth with 489 wins in 1,048 games
- Ed Belfour fifth with 484 wins
- Brodeur also leads in career shutouts with 125
- Terry Sawchuk second in shutouts with 103
- Patrick Roy third with 66 shutouts
- Henrik Lundqvist fourth with 64 shutouts in 887 games
- Martin Brodeur has most career games played by goalie with 1,266
- Patrick Roy second with 1,029 games
- Roberto Luongo third with 1,048 games
- Brodeur leads in minutes played with 74,438:30
- Sawchuk has lowest career GAA among goalies with 200+ wins at 2.52
- George Hainsworth second lowest GAA at 2.02 over 465 games minimum
- Brodeur has most 30-win seasons with 12
- Ed Giacomin and Gump Worsley share record for most shutouts in a season with 10 in 1965-1966 and 1967-1968 respectively
- Alec Martinez scored 2 Stanley Cup-winning goals in overtime
- Brodeur scored a goalie goal in playoffs, one of 9 total
- Mike Smith has most career goalie goals with 3
- Igor Shesterkin led NHL with .932 save percentage in 2021-2022 playoffs
- Tim Thomas had .967 SV% in 2011 playoffs, Conn Smythe winner
- Andrei Vasilevskiy has most playoff wins since 2020 with 50+ in Tampa runs
- Jonathan Quick has 1.99 playoff GAA minimum 50 games
- Tuukka Rask has most shutouts in playoffs with 8 minimum 30 games
- Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman shared 53-9-12 record in 2022-2023 for Bruins
- Jose Theodore won Vezina with 2.09 GAA in 2001-2002
- Dominik Hasek won 6 Vezinas, most ever
Goaltending Records Interpretation
While Martin Brodeur's mountain of regular season records, particularly his 691 wins, stands as a monumental testament to his durability and excellence, the true legends of the crease—from Hasek's six Vezinas to Thomas's .967 playoff save percentage—remind us that a goalie's legacy is often forged in the high-pressure moments where stats like Vasilevskiy's playoff wins and Quick's stingy goals-against average matter most.
Historical and Miscellaneous
- The NHL was founded in 1917 with 4 teams: Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Arenas
- Original Six era from 1942-1967 featured Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Montreal Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups, most of any franchise
- Toronto Maple Leafs won last Cup in 1967 before expansion, 13 total
- Expansion 1967 added 6 teams: LA Kings, Oakland Seals, Philly Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, St Louis Blues, Minnesota North Stars
- Wayne Gretzky traded from Edmonton to LA Kings August 9, 1988, pivotal for California hockey
- 1993 Penguins-Capitals brawl set record 234 PIM in game
- Dead puck era 1990s-early 2000s saw low scoring, avg 5.6 GPG 1998-1999
- Lockout 2004-05 cancelled entire season, first time since 1918-19 flu
- 2012-13 lockout shortened season to 48 games
- Miracle on Manchester 1982 Kings beat Oilers 9-6 after trailing 5-0
- Good Friday Massacre 1984 Habs-Quebec brawl 10 players ejected
- Longest NHL game pre-playoff was 2OT Toronto-Detroit 1936 but playoffs longer
- NHL entered Olympics 1998 Nagano with pros, Canada silver
- Canada won gold 2010,2014 Olympics with NHLers
- Sweden won 2006 Olympics, first non-Canada six
- Average NHL player height 6'1" 2023-24, up from 5'11" 1980s
- Average weight 200+ lbs now vs 190s 1990s
- Most penalized player Dave Schultz 472 PIM 1974-75
- Gordie Howe played 26 seasons, 1,767 games, Mr Hockey
- Maurice Richard scored 50 in 50 1944-45, first to do so
- Bobby Orr revolutionized defense with 139 points 1969-70
- Paul Coffey most D assists 138 1985-86
- Ray Bourque most D points 1,579 career
- Doug Harvey 7 Norris Trophies 1950s
- Connor Bedard youngest to score hat trick at 18y 34d 2023
- Sidney Crosby youngest scoring 100 points at 19y 126d 2006-07
- Mats Sundin most goals by Euro 389
- Jaromir Jagr oldest 100 points at 38y 5m 2000-01
Historical and Miscellaneous Interpretation
From its humble four-team origins to the towering modern athletes, the NHL’s history is a saga of dynasties built, miracles performed, and brawls endured, all proving that while the game evolves from dead pucks to golden moments, its soul remains a beautifully chaotic blend of skill, history, and sheer will.
Player Scoring Records
- Wayne Gretzky holds the NHL record for most career regular-season goals with 894 goals, achieved over 1,487 games from 1979-1980 to 1998-1999 seasons
- Gordie Howe is second all-time in NHL career goals with 801 goals in 1,767 games spanning 26 seasons from 1946-1947 to 1979-1980
- Alexander Ovechkin became the third player to reach 800 NHL career goals on December 21, 2022, with a total of 841 as of end of 2023-2024 season
- Jaromir Jagr ranks fourth in NHL history with 766 career goals in 1,733 games from 1990-1991 to 2017-2018
- Brett Hull scored 741 NHL career goals, primarily with the St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings, over 1,269 games
- Marcel Dionne amassed 731 career goals in 1,348 games from 1971-1972 to 1988-1989
- Phil Esposito holds the record for most goals in a season with 76 in 1970-1971 for the Boston Bruins
- Alexander Mogilny set the single-season goal record for a Soviet-born player with 76 goals in 1992-1993
- Mario Lemieux scored 70 goals in 63 games during the 1988-1989 season
- Bernie Nicholls tied for second-most goals in a season with 70 in 1988-1989 for the Los Angeles Kings
- Teemu Selanne scored 65 goals as a rookie in 1992-1993, an NHL record for freshman
- Mike Bossy scored 50 goals in 50 games three times, in 1980-1981, 1984-1985, and 1985-1986 seasons
- Wayne Gretzky leads in career assists with 1,963 over 1,487 games
- Ron Francis second in career assists with 1,249 in 1,731 games
- Wayne Gretzky has most career points with 2,857 in 1,487 games
- Jaromir Jagr second in points with 1,921 in 1,733 games
- Mark Messier third with 1,887 points in 1,756 games
- Steve Yzerman fourth with 1,755 points in 1,514 games
- Mario Lemieux has highest points per game at 1.883 over 915 games with 1,723 points
- Mike Bossy holds fastest 9 career hat tricks record in 126 games
- Wayne Gretzky scored most power-play goals with 204 career
- Luc Robitaille leads in even-strength goals with 578
- Brendan Shanahan has most penalty minutes by a scorer with 2,489 and 656 goals
- Rick Nash holds record for most overtime goals with 46 career
- Jonathan Toews leads in shootout goals with 38
- Auston Matthews scored 69 goals in 2023-2024 season, highest since 1995-1996
- Connor McDavid has most assists in a season since Gretzky with 100 in 2022-2023
- Sidney Crosby reached 1,600 points in 1,272 games, fastest ever
- Alex Ovechkin scored 50 goals in 9th season, record
- Nikita Kucherov led league with 144 points in 2023-2024
Player Scoring Records Interpretation
Wayne Gretzky's scoring records are a mathematical argument that he wasn't from this planet, Gordie Howe was a marvel of endurance, and everyone else is just beautifully, humanly chasing ghosts.
Stanley Cup Playoff Records
- The Montreal Canadiens hold the record for most Stanley Cup playoff series wins with 80 series victories since 1917
- Toronto Maple Leafs have 66 playoff series wins, second most
- Detroit Red Wings third with 61 series wins
- Boston Bruins have most playoff games played with 794
- Canadiens have 904 playoff games, record
- Red Wings 1997-1998 swept final 4-0, part of 16 wins in 33 days record
- 1983-1984 Edmonton Oilers won Cup with 15-2 playoff record
- 1987-1988 Oilers won 16-2, Gretzky 31 points
- Tampa Bay Lightning 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 back-to-back Cups, first since 1980s Islanders
- Pittsburgh Penguins 2016-2017 back-to-back
- Longest playoff game was 5OT Game 4 1936 Detroit-Detroit vs Montreal Maroons 176:30
- Most playoff goals by team in series: 1985 Flyers 32 vs Oilers? Wait, actually records vary
- Chicago Blackhawks 2010,2013,2015 three Cups in six years
- Los Angeles Kings 2012 low seed 8th won Cup
- Vegas Golden Knights 2018 expanded reached Final, lost 4-1
- Dallas Stars 1999 won West with Brett Hull controversial goal
- Anaheim Ducks 2007 swept Ottawa 4-1, first West Cup since 2003 Devils
- Colorado Avalanche 2022 won Cup beating Tampa 4-2
- Florida Panthers 2024 won first Cup beating Edmonton 4-3 after trailing 3-0
- Most OT wins in playoffs: Philadelphia Flyers 1939? Modern Flyers 25
- Bruins 2023 swept first round but lost Final 0-4 to Panthers
- Most shorthanded goals in playoffs by team: 1984 Oilers 12
- Wayne Gretzky most playoff points 382 in 208 games
- Mark Messier second 295 points playoffs
Stanley Cup Playoff Records Interpretation
While Montreal lords over hockey's history books with 80 series wins and 904 playoff games, the true moral of the story is that dynasties, underdogs, and overtime marathons all eventually bow to the same cruel, beautiful truth: you need both the most wins and the fewest losses at precisely the right time, a lesson Florida just taught Edmonton after learning it themselves from Boston.
Team Regular Season Records
- The 1976-1977 Montreal Canadiens set the NHL record for most regular-season wins with 60 victories in 80 games
- The 2022-2023 Boston Bruins set record for most points with 135 in 82 games
- 1976-1977 Canadiens also hold wins percentage record at .750
- Detroit Red Wings 1995-1996 had 131 points, previous record
- 2022-2023 Bruins had 65 wins, tying record
- Montreal Canadiens 1977-1978 had 58 wins and 129 points
- Chicago Blackhawks 2012-2013 had 62 wins, 77 points ROW record then
- Tampa Bay Lightning 2018-2019 had 62 wins but lost first round
- Canadiens 1976-1977 allowed fewest goals with 140 GA
- Boston Bruins 2022-2023 allowed 196 GA, fewest since expansion
- 1970-1971 Bruins scored most goals in season with 399
- Edmonton Oilers 1985-1986 scored 426 goals, record
- Chicago Blackhawks 2018-2019 had record 62 wins? Wait no, 2019 TBL 62
- Pittsburgh Penguins 2012-2013 had 36-game point streak, record
- Anaheim Ducks 1995-1996 had longest OT loss streak 12
- Vegas Golden Knights 2022-2023 had best expansion season 51 wins
- Florida Panthers 2023-2024 won Atlantic with 52 wins after poor prior
- Toronto Maple Leafs 1992-1993 had 99 points from 7th seed
- Buffalo Sabres 2022-2023 set franchise wins record 47
- Colorado Avalanche 2000-2001 had 52 wins Presidents Trophy
- Washington Capitals 2009-2010 121 points
- San Jose Sharks 2008-2009 117 points
- New York Rangers 2014-2015 113 points East best
- Montreal Canadiens won most Presidents Trophies with 24
- Edmonton Oilers 1985-1986 won 15 straight games, record
- Pittsburgh Penguins 2021-2022 started 11-0-0, record
Team Regular Season Records Interpretation
While modern teams like the Bruins chase gaudy point totals over a longer season, the 1976-77 Canadiens' utter dominance—clinching a nearly unfathomable win percentage while surrendering a laughably low number of goals—reminds us that true greatness is measured not just by how much you win, but by how completely you suffocate the very hope of your opponents.