Top 5 Goal Scorers in NHL History? Start With Great Ones

Ovechkin is offering -270 odds to break the record and is +160 to fall short of Gretzky’s all-time mark.

Gretzky and Ovechkin are but two all-time greats who have the most career goals in NHL history. We’ll run down the list to see other legends who consistently lit the lamp.

NHL’s 5 Greatest Goal-Scorers

1. Alex Ovechkin

Ovechkin does not need to score the most goals in NHL history to be considered the greatest goal scorer ever. His accolades don’t lie, starting with an NHL-record nine goal-scoring titles. On top of that, he also has the most career 40-goal (13) and 50-goal (nine, tied with two others) seasons. More notably, Ovechkin did all this with one team: Washington.

But if you want to talk about spectacle, Alex Ovechkin’s goals ranged from unbelievable to extreme. He scored what is now known as “The Goal” against the Coyotes in his rookie season. Knocked down and on his back, Ovechkin found a way to get the puck past goaltender Brian Boucher. More importantly, he did this in front of Wayne Gretzky, who was coaching Phoenix.

“For that moment, it was just an unbelievable time. My dream was come true. I was playing in the NHL, I did kind of a special goal, and Gretzky was there as well,” Ovechkin recalled via The Washington Post in 2016.

Indeed, our NHL bets are on Ovechkin to break Gretzky’s record. It’s just a matter of “when” he does it.

2. Wayne Gretzky

It speaks volumes to how unstoppable Gretzky was given how he has the most goals in NHL history despite being dubbed a “playmaker.” What’s even more impressive is how Gretzky did it. He used his shrewd hockey sense over athletic gifts. Critics opined he was “too small, too wiry, and too slow to be a force.”

Gretzky not only scored 894 goals but was also the only player to score 90+ goals in one season. Additionally, Gretzky did the unthinkable. Only two players had scored 50 goals in 50 games by the time Gretzky played. He did it three times along with scoring 50 in just 39 games.

That’s just a sample of some insane Wayne Gretzky stats. He also has the most playoff goals with 122 (in 208 games) and the most All-Star Game goals with 13 (in 18 games). Even if Ovechkin makes NHL news and breaks his all-time goals record, Gretzky still has his assists and points record. And these records may be unbreakable.

3. Mike Bossy

Mike Bossy is the NHL’s greatest goal scorer predating Gretzky or Ovechkin. Most of the young fans may not know him, but he scored 573 goals in only 752 games. He scored 50-plus goals in a season nine straight times. And along with Gretzky, they are the only players with five 60+ goal seasons. Alas, Bossy’s career was cut short by injuries.

One could only imagine how many goals Bossy would finish with had he played for more than 10 seasons. Still, he accomplished a lot outside of scoring an obscene amount of goals. He was a six-time All-Star, a three-time Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner and a four-time Stanley Cup champion.

In just a decade of playing pro hockey, he cemented himself as one of the best NHL players of all time.

How could we forget??? 😮 #OTD in 1982 MIKE BOSSY scored one of the greatest 🚨 in #stanleycup history as the #isles beat VAN 3-0 in BC & made Cup #3 an inevitability.

🎥- Molson #NHL 50 Greatest Goals (1992)#80s #nhl #dynasty pic.twitter.com/FgGAZcMmkC

— X- IslandersPride (@RealIslesPride) May 13, 2024

4. Mario Lemieux

Speaking of NHL careers cut short, “Super” Mario could have been up there with Gretzky regarding all-time goals and points records. The Pittsburgh Penguins legend has 690 career goals but only played in 915 games. Lemieux’s 0.75 goals per game average is the second-highest among the top 50 goal-scorers in the NHL.

Lemieux also became the only NHL player to score the most goals in an NHL hockey game via different methods: even-strength, power-play, shorthanded, penalty shot and empty-net. If you want to talk about inimitable feats, this is at the top.

5. Brett Hull

Brett Hull may go down as one of hockey’s most controversial figures, but we can agree on one thing: He was one of the greatest goal-scorers. With 741 goals, Hull currently sits fifth all-time on the list. He’s also only one of two players, Gretzky being the other, to score 80+ goals in one season. His 86 goals stands third all-time.

25 years ago today.

Brett Hull scores with his foot in the crease. #NoGoal pic.twitter.com/0EhRuQDOyh

— Crossing Swords ⚔️ (@CrossSwordsPod) June 19, 2024

As the son of another NHL legend, Bobby Hull, Brett lived up to his father’s lofty legacy. He not only has one of the most goals in NHL history but was also one of five players to score 50 goals in 50 games. He and his father are the first and only father-son duo to each have scored 600+ career NHL goals.

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Other All-Time Great NHL Goal-Scorers

Before there was Gretzky, there was Gordie Howe. Dubbed “Mr. Hockey,” Howe was Gretzky’s boyhood idol and the one who previously held the most goals in NHL history with 801. Howe won the Hart Memorial Trophy six times and played in 1,767 NHL games in an era where hockey was a rough and violent sport.

And before Ovechkin, Jaromir Jagr was the European superstar. He’s played in hockey seemingly forever (he was still playing professionally at 50 years old) and has the second-most points by an NHL player at 1,921. At the time of his last NHL game, Jagr ranked fourth in all-time goals with 766.

Of course, we can’t forget about Montreal Canadiens superstar Maurice “Rocket” Richard. They named the annual goal-scoring title trophy after him for a reason. He was the first NHL player to score 50 goals in 50 games. He also scored 544 goals in only 978 games and is a hero in his part of the woods even today.

There are more to list, like Marcel Dionne and Auston Matthews. For now, folks can head online for the best BetUS NHL lines, which include goal-scoring props and future.

Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets.

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