NHL Hockey Records: A Deep Dive into the Game’s Greatest Achievements
What Makes NHL Records So Legendary?
The NHL is the pinnacle of a particularly physically gruelling and wildly skilful sport that’s been around for over a century. So, holding just one of the many NHL records is quite the achievement.
Why Records Matter to Canadian Hockey Fans
Canadian hockey fans are the lifeblood of the league and have been since its inception, so the records mean a lot to Canadians. Helping this is just how many players from Canada have claimed an NHL record or two.
A Brief History of NHL Record-Keeping
The NHL has kept records on goal scoring, games played, and goaltender stats since its first season in 1917-18, with more official stats like primary and secondary assists, save percentage, and the like being added down the line.
Player Performance Records
Scoring Milestones
Most Career Goals: Wayne Gretzky and Beyond
Wayne Gretzky held the record for the most career goals in the NHL for a very long time, but in 2024-25, Alex Ovechkin usurped ‘The Great One.’ The Washington Capitals sharpshooter has scored 897 to move three goals ahead of Gretzky, and did so in just four additional games played.
Most Points in a Single Season
Put up in 1985-86, Wayne Gretzky secured what remains the record for the most points scored in a single season at 215. The NHL record’s next-closest competitors read as a list of eight entries from Gretzky and four from Mario Lemieux.
Fastest to 500 Goals and 1,000 Points
Although known more for his playmaking, Wayne Gretzky also holds the record as being the fastest player to score 500 NHL goals, doing so in 575 games. Gretzky was also the fastest to score 1,000 points, doing so in just 424 games.
Assists and Playmaking
Career Assist Leaders
Again, it’s Wayne Gretzky topping the NHL records, this time for the most career assists at 1,963. Ron Francis is the next-best at 1,249 assists from his glittering 1,731-game career.
Most Assists in a Single Game and Season
In 1947, Billy Taylor Sr of the Detroit Red Wings set the bar for the most assists in a single game with seven. Wayne Gretzky is the only other player to meet this mark, doing so three times while with the Edmonton Oilers. In one season, Gretzky holds the top seven entries for the most assists, with his best being 163 assists in 1985-86.
Rookie Records
Most Goals by a Rookie
Breaking onto the NHL scene in 1992-03 with plenty of European experience, Teemu Selänne scored a massive 76 goals in his rookie season for the 1979-founded Winnipeg Jets.
Highest Point Totals in a Rookie Season
In that incredible season, Teemu Selänne added 56 assists to his 76 goals in 84 games to tally the highest point total in an NHL rookie season at 132. Peter Stastny remains the next-best for his 1980-81 efforts with the Québec Nordiques, which landed him 109 points.
Longevity & Durability
Most NHL Games Played (Skaters)
In 2021, Patrick Marleau overtook the long-standing record of Gordie Howe to record the most NHL games played by a skater, ending his career with 1,779 to Howe’s 1,767.
Longest Consecutive Game Streaks
Despite needing to battle testicular cancer, Phil Kessel would go on to set the NHL record for the longest consecutive game streak at 1,064 games, which ran from March 2009 to April 2023. The next-best is Keith Yandle with 989, and the closest active streak is owned by 40-year-old Brent Burns, who’s on 925 consecutive games as of the end of the 2024-25 season.
Goaltending Records
Career & Season Stats
Most Career Wins and Shutouts
Martin Brodeur, who manned the crease for the New Jersey Devils and St. Louis Blues, recorded 691 wins across his legendary 1,266-game career. He’s also recorded the most shutouts in an NHL goaltending career at 125.
Best Save Percentage in a Season
With records beginning in 1955-56, the legendary Jacques Plante’s efforts for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1970-71 and his .944 save percentage stands as the best from a goalie in a season. He held this incredible stat line through 40 games played.
Historic Games
Most Saves in a Single Game
In 2023, the reason why many still favour the Nashville Predators in NHL lines, Juuse Saros, recorded 64 saves and only allowed three through. The record for the most saves in a single NHL game, however, remains with Ron Tugnutt. He stopped 70 shots from 73 attempts for the Québec Nordiques in 1991 against the Boston Bruins.
Longest Shutout Streak
Alec Connell holds the record for the longest shutout streak, having kept six shutouts during the 1927-28 season. Of the top 24 in the NHL records, only Brian Boucher’s five-game shutout streak from 2003-04 didn’t take place in the 1920s or 1930s.
Canadian Goaltending Legends
The Dominance of Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur
Patrick Roy was a revelation in the NHL since the moment he broke into the Montréal Canadiens’ net. While his goaltending stats were superb, it was his eye for playmaking (45 assists) and feistiness (262 PIMs) that let him stand out even more as a legendary goaltender. Roy rose through the 1980s and played into the early 2000s. In the early 1990s, however, a rival for the throne of being the best NHL goaltender emerged in Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils. He followed suit with a keen eye for a pass (45 assists), set records for wins and shutouts, and even scored a couple of goals.
Team Records
Franchise Achievements
Most Stanley Cups by a Team
The Montréal Canadiens have, by far, won the most Stanley Cups by a single team. While they probably won’t be among the frontrunners of the Stanley Cup odds again for a while, the Habs’ tally of 24 Stanley Cups is at least 11 more than the next-best team.
Longest Winning Streak in NHL History
The Pittsburgh Penguins set and still hold the record for the longest winning streak in NHL history during the 1992-93 season with their incredible feat of 17 wins in a row. That streak for the Pens featured a returning Mario Lemieux, who’d missed time due to his Hodgkin’s Disease diagnosis, Tom Barrasso in net, Jaromír Jágr, Kevin Stevens, Rick Tocchet, and Ron Francis.
Single Game & Season Team Records
Most Goals in a Game by a Team
In the 1919-20 season, the Montréal Canadiens obliterated the Québec Bulldogs to the tune of 16 goals in a single game, eventually winning the game 16-3.
Best Regular Season Record
While it’s worth keeping in mind the changes to NHL team point scoring from having ties to introducing overtime and the “loser point,” as well as the number of games being played in each season, the best regular season record is held by the 2022-23 Boston Bruins. Their 65-12-5 record over 82 games put up 135 points.
Canadian Franchises Spotlight
Toronto Maple Leafs: Record Highlights
The best-ever season for the Toronto Maple Leafs came in a season that featured many of the stars that keep the Buds among the betting favourites on each game day. In 2021-22, they went 54-21-7 to put up 115 points.
Montreal Canadiens: A Legacy of Dominance
In an 80-game season, the Montréal Canadiens put up the second-most points by any team in NHL history with 132. By way of points percentage, that 1976-77 season would put them as the best team of all time. Still, this is just a drop in the ocean of the long dominance of the Habs, as shown by their league-leading haul of 24 Stanley Cups.
Emerging Powerhouses: Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames
The 2010-11 Vancouver Canucks rocked the NHL with their 117 points, which matched the 1988-89 franchise record points tally put up by the Calgary Flames. However, only the latter has won the Stanley Cup. The Edmonton Oilers were the ones to beat in the 1980s, helping them to their current haul of five Stanley Cups. Now, unlike the Canucks and Flames, the Oilers are very much an NHL powerhouse again, led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Playoff Records
Individual Playoff Records
Most Career Playoff Goals and Points
Wayne Gretzky dominated the regular season NHL records, and as we’ll see here, he also dominated postseason scoring. ‘The Great One’ holds the individual playoff record for the most playoff goals at 122 – 13 goals more than next-best Mark Messier – and the record for the most playoff points at 382 – 87 up on Messier in second.
Most Points in a Single Playoff Run
In 1984-85, Wayne Gretzky set the record for the most points in a single playoff run by collecting 47 points in his 18 playoff games played en route to winning the Stanley Cup.
Goaltending in the Postseason
Most Playoff Wins by a Goalie
A huge part of Patrick Roy’s legendary status comes down to his playoff performances. With a record that Martin Brodeur sits second to by 38 wins, Roy has the most playoff wins by a goalie with 151 from 247 games. In this span, Roy also put up 23 shutouts.
Most Shutouts in a Playoff Year
It’s exceedingly tough to keep a shutout in the NHL, and it’s even more difficult to keep a shutout in the playoffs. However, in 2002-03, Brodeur managed to keep seven shutouts to help guide the Devils to the Stanley Cup. Brodeur’s efforts came just one season after Dominik Hasek set the new record of six shutouts in a playoff year in 2001-02.
Team Playoff Records
Longest Playoff Series Win Streak
Powering their almighty run of four consecutive Stanley Cup triumphs, the New York Islanders put up the longest playoff series win streak that almost got them a record-tying five consecutive championships. From the start of the 1980 Stanley Cup playoffs to the 1984 Conference Finals, the Islanders put up a 19-series win streak.
Most Stanley Cups Won by a Canadian Team
The Montréal Canadiens hold the record for the most Stanley Cups won by a Canadian team and any NHL team, for that matter. Their 24 Cups is 11 more than the next-best, which is another Canadian team – the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Unique and Unbreakable Records
Untouchable Feats
Gretzky’s 215-Point Season
In 1985-86 for the Edmonton Oilers, Wayne Gretzky put up 215 points which has only been neared by Gretzky himself or Mario Lemieux. Lemieux’s tally of 199 stands fifth overall for the most points in a single season, while the closest a modern player has come was in 2022-23 when Connor McDavid scored 153 points.
Fastest Hat-Trick in History
Bill Mosienko, who played on the right wing for the Chicago Black Hawks in the 1940s and 1950s, holds the record for the fastest hat-trick in NHL history. The Canadian put away three goals against the New York Rangers in just 21 seconds in 1952.
Records Set in Unusual Circumstances
Most Penalty Minutes in a Game
Randy Holt managed to earn himself nine penalties to set the record for the most penalty minutes in a game at 67 PIMs. Exceeding the total number of regulation minutes, the LA Kings defenseman in 1979 faced off against the Philadelphia Flyers. His initial two-minute minor led to a fight, getting him 20 more minutes, and at the end of the first, a confrontation led to a bench brawl. Holt only fought one opponent, but he was given a triple game misconduct penalty among others for another 45 minutes to end with the NHL record of 67 penalty minutes.
Longest Game Ever Played
The longest game ever played took place in 1936 and saw the Detroit Red Wings and Montréal Maroons battle it out to a 1-0 final score in overtime, with the whole game lasting a grand total of 176 minutes and 30 seconds.
Records by Era
Pre-Expansion Era (Before 1967)
Dominance of Original Six Teams
While plenty of other teams got involved before the Expansion Era properly got underway, the Original Six of Montréal, Toronto, Boston, New York, Chicago, and Detroit were by far the strongest and most well-off teams. So, during this spell, it was these teams and their players who were setting the records.
Expansion and Modern Eras
Record Trends in the 70s, 80s, and 90s
After gobbling up the WHA, the Expansion Era of the NHL began, and with it, the rise of the Edmonton Oilers – spearheaded by the unstoppable talent of Wayne Gretzky. Throughout this time, particularly in the 1980s, scoring hit incredible highs in the NHL, with many 1980s stars remaining NHL record holders to this day.
Post-2000s and the Salary Cap Era
Scoring dipped significantly in the 00s, thanks in part to the rise and establishment of some now-legendary goaltenders, and the salary cap era began to try to spread the talent a bit more evenly. Over the last handful of years, though, scoring has begun to rise back up towards the highs of the 1970s and 1980s.
International and Canadian-Specific Records
Canadian Players in the Record Books
Top Canadian NHL Record Holders
Wayne Gretzky is the NHL’s and Canada’s top record holder, with the highlights being his 2,857 regular-season points and 382 playoff points. On the goaltenders front, you have the 151 playoff wins of Patrick Roy and the 691 wins with 125 shutouts of Martin Brodeur rankings as the top Canadian NHL record holders.
NHL Records in Canadian Cities
Most NHL Games Played in a Canadian Arena
Being part of the Original Six and with new stadiums being built at the end of the 1990s, the old Toronto and Montréal home stadiums saw the most NHL games played. Maple Leaf Gardens collected a combined 2,541 NHL games and Stanley Cup playoff games, but the Montréal Forum just pips the home of the Buds with 2,636 games played across the regular season and postseason.
Highest Attendance and Fan Engagement Records
Leaving the necessarily smaller indoor arenas for colossal stadiums, the highest attendance at an NHL game is, naturally, one of the league’s special event outdoor games. Leading the way is the 2014 NHL Winter Classic, in which the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 after a shootout at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. The game had an attendance of 105,491. Fan engagement hit an all-time high in the 2023-24 season, too, with the NHL announcing that it had set a new single-season attendance record of over 22.5 million fans.
Fun Facts and Trivia
Most Siblings in the NHL at Once
At one point, all of Brian, Ron, Duane, Darryl, Rich, and Brent Sutter were playing in the NHL, and since those six siblings, new generations of Sutters have broken into the NHL ranks.
Fastest Goal from Faceoff
Four players tie the record for the fastest goal from the opening faceoff at five seconds. Goals from Merlyn Phillips (1926-27 vs CHI), Doug Smail (1981-82 vs STL), Bryan Trottier (1983-84 at BOS), and Alexander Mogilny (1991-92 at TOR) all went in with 0:05 expired.
Players Who Scored on Their First Shot
Several NHL players have scored on their first shot, with the list including Mario Lemieux, Luc Robitaille, Max Pacioretty, Wade Redden, Jonathan Toews, Nikita Filatov, Rob Ray, and Rod Brind’Amour.
Records Under Threat: Who Might Break Them?
Connor McDavid and the Future of Point Streaks
Connor McDavid continues to set and hold the modern standard for high scoring, eclipsing 100 points in eight of his ten seasons to date. On two occasions, he’s put up a 17-game points streak, but the NHL record points streak is 51, set by Wayne Gretzky.
Young Goalies Closing In on Wins Records
While they are quite some way off of Martin Brodeur’s 691 NHL wins record, 30-year-old Andrei Vasilevskiy and 32-year-old Connor Hellebuyck are already at 331 wins and 322 wins, respectively.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who Holds the Most NHL Records?
Wayne Gretzky holds the record for having the most NHL records. As it stands, Gretzky has around 60 NHL records, ranging from trophy wins and consecutive trophy wins to the number of hat-trick games.
Which Canadian Team has the Most Stanley Cups?
The Montréal Canadiens have won the most Stanley Cups, boasting 23 wins from across the team’s vaunted history.
Has Anyone Come Close to Gretzky’s Point Record?
Not a single player has come close to Wayne Gretzky’s point record. The next-best is Jaromír Jágr, who put up 1,921 points to trail ‘The Great One’ by 936 points.
What’s the Longest NHL Game Ever Played?
Detroit Red Wings 1-0 Montreal Maroons on March 24, 1936, saw six periods of overtime to record the longest game in NHL history at 116 minutes and 30 seconds.
Who Scored Seven Goals in One NHL Game?
Joe Malone is the one player who has recorded seven goals in one NHL game, having done so for the Québec Bulldogs in January 1920.
Who is the Best Scorer in NHL History?
Wayne Gretzky is, without question, the best scorer in NHL history. Not only does he have 936 points more than the second-highest scorer in NHL history, but his points per game average far surpasses all others, including Mario Lemieux, with 1.92 points per game.
Who Holds the Record for the Most Games Played in the NHL?
Patrick Marleau surpassed the massive career of Gordie Howe on April 19, 2021, and went on to set a new record for the most games played in the NHL with 1,779 by the time he retired.
What NHL Player has Won the Most Stanley Cups?
Henri Richard is the NHL player who has won the most Stanley Cups, having taken the crown 11 times.
Who has the Most NHL Wins of All Time?
The goaltender with the most NHL wins of all time remains Martin Brodeur, who holds the title with 691 wins from 1,266 games played.
How Many 1000-Point Scorers are in NHL history?
As of the end of the 2024-25 season, there are exactly 100 players in NHL history who have scored 1000 points in their careers, from the 1,004 points of Brian Propp to the 2,857 points amassed by Wayne Gretzky.
Who Holds the Record for Most Goals in an NHL Season?
Wayne Gretzky holds the record for the most goals in a single NHL season with 92 goals.
Who has the Most PPG in NHL History?
Alex Ovechkin has the most powerplay goals in NHL history with his count of 326 as of the end of the 2024-25 regular season.
What is the NHL Rookie Goal Record?
Teemu Selänne boasts the record for the most NHL rookie goals with his tally of 76 scored in the 1992-93 season for the Winnipeg Jets.