The NHL season runs from October to April, with teams playing 82 games. The top 16 teams qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs, which conclude in June. The Stanley Cup, awarded to the playoff champion, is North America's oldest professional sports trophy. The Montreal Canadiens hold the most NHL titles with 25 championships. The Florida Panthers are the defending champions, having defeated the Edmonton Oilers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals.
48 players have scored at least 500 regular-season goals, as of the 2024–25 NHL season. Alex Ovechkin holds the all-time record with 895 goals, followed by Wayne Gretzky, with 894 goals as of the 2024–25 season. Maurice Richard was the first to reach 500 goals in 1958, and Evgeni Malkin is the most recent addition to the club. Only four players—Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Mike Bossy, and Brett Hull—scored 500 goals in fewer than 700 games.
NHL All-time Goals Leaders
Alexander Ovechkin is the NHL's all-time goals leader with 895 goals in 1,487 games, as per the official website of the NHL. On April 6, 2025, Ovechkin passed Wayne Gretzky, who had 894 goals in the same number of games (1,487) and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.
Other legendary players in the top five include Gordie Howe (801 goals), Jaromir Jagr (766 goals), and Brett Hull (741 goals). The list includes retired Hall of Famers and active players like Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, and Evgeni Malkin, who continue to climb the rankings.
Here's a table summarizing the top 50 NHL All-time goal leaders:
| Rank | Player | Goals | GP | HHOF |
| 1 | Alexander Ovechkin | 895 | 1,487 | Active |
| 2 | Wayne Gretzky | 894 | 1,487 | 1999 |
| 3 | Gordie Howe | 801 | 1,767 | 1972 |
| 4 | Jaromir Jagr | 766 | 1,733 | Active (ELH) |
| 5 | Brett Hull | 741 | 1,269 | 2009 |
| 6 | Marcel Dionne | 731 | 1,348 | 1992 |
| 7 | Phil Esposito | 717 | 1,282 | 1984 |
| 8 | Mike Gartner | 708 | 1,432 | 2001 |
| 9 | Mark Messier | 694 | 1,756 | 2007 |
| 10 | Steve Yzerman | 692 | 1,514 | 2009 |
| 11 | Mario Lemieux | 690 | 915 | 1997 |
| 12 | Teemu Selanne | 684 | 1,451 | 2017 |
| 13 | Luc Robitaille | 668 | 1,431 | 2009 |
| 14 | Brendan Shanahan | 656 | 1,524 | 2013 |
| 15 | Dave Andreychuk | 640 | 1,639 | 2017 |
| 16 | Joe Sakic | 625 | 1,378 | 2012 |
| Jarome Iginla | 625 | 1,554 | 2020 | |
| 18 | Sidney Crosby | 622 | 1,347 | Active |
| 19 | Bobby Hull | 610 | 1,063 | 1983 |
| 20 | Dino Ciccarelli | 608 | 1,232 | 2010 |
| 21 | Jari Kurri | 601 | 1,251 | 2001 |
| 22 | Steven Stamkos | 579 | 1,158 | Active |
| 23 | Mark Recchi | 577 | 1,652 | 2017 |
| 24 | Mike Bossy | 573 | 752 | 1991 |
| 25 | Patrick Marleau | 566 | 1,779 | — |
| 26 | Joe Nieuwendyk | 564 | 1,257 | 2011 |
| Mats Sundin | 564 | 1,346 | 2012 | |
| 28 | Mike Modano | 561 | 1,499 | 2014 |
| 29 | Guy Lafleur | 560 | 1,126 | 1988 |
| 30 | Johnny Bucyk | 556 | 1,540 | 1981 |
| 31 | Ron Francis | 549 | 1,731 | 2007 |
| 32 | Michel Goulet | 548 | 1,089 | 1998 |
| 33 | Maurice Richard | 544 | 978 | 1961 |
| 34 | Stan Mikita | 541 | 1,396 | 1983 |
| 35 | Keith Tkachuk | 538 | 1,201 | — |
| 36 | Frank Mahovlich | 533 | 1,181 | 1981 |
| 37 | Marian Hossa | 525 | 1,309 | 2020 |
| 38 | Bryan Trottier | 524 | 1,279 | 1997 |
| 39 | Pat Verbeek | 522 | 1,424 | — |
| 40 | Dale Hawerchuk | 518 | 1,188 | 2001 |
| 41 | Pierre Turgeon | 515 | 1,294 | 2023 |
| 42 | Jeremy Roenick | 513 | 1,363 | 2024 |
| Evgeni Malkin | 513 | 1,208 | Active | |
| 43 | Gilbert Perreault | 512 | 1,191 | 1990 |
| 45 | Jean Beliveau | 507 | 1,125 | 1972 |
| 46 | Peter Bondra | 503 | 1,081 | — |
| 47 | Joe Mullen | 502 | 1,062 | 2000 |
| 48 | Lanny McDonald | 500 | 1,111 | 1992 |
| 49 | Glenn Anderson | 498 | 1,129 | 2008 |
| 50 | John Tavares | 492 | 1,178 | Active |
Read More: NHL Teams with Most Hall of Famers
FAQs on NHL
A. The NHL was founded on November 26, 1917.
A. The NHL has 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada.
A. The Florida Panthers won their first Stanley Cup in the 2023–24 season.
A. The Montreal Canadiens hold the record with 25 championships.
A. The first NHL season took place in 1917–18.
