Top 5 Greatest Goal Scorers In NHL History

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably well aware that Alexander Ovechkin is really close to breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record. I don’t know about you, but I never thought that any of Gretzky’s records would be broken, and Ovechkin’s on pace to smash it. Whether it happens this year or early next year, Ovechkin is going to cement himself in the history books. This poses the question, does this officially make Alexander Ovechkin the greatest goal scorer of all time? If it isn’t Ovechkin, who is? That’s what I’m here to discuss,the five greatest goal scorers of all time. It’s not a list of who has the most goals, but pure snipers, guys who just put the puck in the back of the net effortlessly. Without further ado, here we go.

1. Alex Ovechkin

Ok, seriously, did you think I was going to put anybody else at number one? He’s literally about to break a record many people didn’t think was ever going to be broken. Ovechkin also has the most Rocket Richard trophies as the league’s leading goal scorer with nine. He’s tied with the most 50-goal seasons with nine as well. He has the most 40-goal seasons with 13 and is tied for fifth all-time in goals per game. Outside of the shortened COVID season in 2021, he’s never scored less than 31 goals. If you’re still not convinced after hearing those stats, remember he’s still not done. Even though he is 39, Ovechkin’s not showing any signs of slowing down. He could easily finish his career with over 930 career goals. There is no doubt that Alexander Ovechkin is the greatest goal scorer of all time.

2. Mike Bossy

The boss of the goals is the all-time leader in goals per game. If you haven’t seen these stats before, prepare to be amazed. In just 10 seasons, Bossy scored at least 51 goals nine years in a row. He’s tied for the most 60-goal seasons, doing it five times. He’s tied for the most 50-goal seasons and led the NHL in goals twice. It’s a shame that back injuries cut Bossy’s career short. But in only 752 games, he put the puck in the back of the net 573 times. Want to have your mind blown even more? In an 82-game season, Bossy would average 62 goals per season. Yup, you read that right. Bossy’s not just a regular season producer either, he led the playoffs in goals three times as well. Even in a shorter career than we would have liked, Bossy still proved himself to be one of the best pure scorers the NHL has ever seen.

3. Brett Hull

When you first read the title of this article, I bet you were wondering where I was going to put Brett Hull. For good reason, because for most people, when you think about pure goal scorers in NHL history, Brett Hull is often the first person that comes to mind. Hull is fifth all-time in goals and ninth all-time in goals per game, one spot above his dad. Hull has three 60-goal seasons, which is good for third all-time. Five 50-goal seasons, where he is also tied for third all-time, and eight 40-goal seasons, where he is tied for fifth all-time. What really pushed Hull into the top three for me was his stretch from 1990-94. He scored 72, 86, 70, 54, and 57. Let’s just focus on those three 70-plus goal years. Yup, those are real. Hull had three consecutive years scoring 70 goals. In 1991, what really sticks out to me is that he scored 86 goals. That’ll forever be mind-boggling to me. Say whatever you want about Hull, but he knew how to light the lamp, that’s for sure.

4. Wayne Gretzky

C’mon, did you really think I was going to leave him off the list? Even though you might think of Gretzky as more of a playmaker, it’s hard to ignore his goal-scoring records. Outside of him having the most goals of all time, Gretzky also has the most goals in a season with 92. He’s tied for the most 60-goal seasons with five and tied for the most 50-goal seasons with 9. The Great One started out his career with eight consecutive years scoring at least 50 goals. He also scored 50 goals in 39 games. He scored 50 before anyone else in the league had 30. Imagine if he continued primarily being a goal scorer? He may have hit 1100 goals. But I’m not ranking off of hypotheticals. Gretzky’s 92-goal season is something I’m very confident will never be broken, and his dominance in his early years makes his case quite strong to crack my list.

5. Maurice “Rocket” Richard

He literally has a trophy named after him. Starting in 1999, the NHL awarded the player who scored the most goals that season the Rocket Richard Trophy. Rightfully so. Richard was the NHL’s first-ever pure sniper. He was the first player to ever score 50 goals in a season, and he was also the first player to ever score 50 goals in his team’s first 50 games. Richard also led the NHL in goals five times. I know he played in a different era, but that shouldn’t discredit him. What put the icing on the cake for me, for putting Richard in the top five, was that Richard finished his career with 544 goals. That is still the Montreal Canadiens’ all-time record. The most historic franchise in NHL history, and with so many great players and hall of famers that have come after him, none of them have been able to break Richard’s record, which was set in the 60s. If that doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will.

Honorable Mentions: Phil Esposito, Marcel Dionne, Gordie Howe, Pavel Bure, Mike Gartner, Mario Lemieux

I can hear you typing already, “How could you leave _____ off the list?” I didn’t just go by stats. I went by which players I believe are the best pure goal scorers. Feel like I missed anyone obvious? Leave a comment below.