6 other Gretzky records that could one day be broken
Alex Ovechkin’s race toward Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record has captured the attention of the entire hockey world. But that isn’t the only Gretzky record that could one day fall.
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Alex Ovechkin‘s race toward Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record — once thought unbreakable — has captured the attention of the entire hockey world.
But that isn’t the only Gretzky record in danger of falling.
In this piece, we’ll take a look at six other records belonging to The Great One that could one day be broken and the players who have a chance to do it.
A lot will have to go right for history to happen but Ovechkin’s current push is proof plenty is possible.
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Ovechkin’s chase for NHL goals record
Follow along as Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin pursues Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goals record.
Most point-per-game seasons
Gretzky’s record: 19
Sidney Crosby’s current number: 19
This is a record that could be broken within a week as Crosby is just two points away from the 20th point-per-game season of his career. After missing two games earlier this season, Crosby will hit the mark if he reaches 80 points in 80 games. Entering play Tuesday, he has 78 with 10 games remaining.
Crosby has never finished a season below a point-per-game mark, including two seasons cut short by concussions, one season disrupted by a lockout and two more played during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gretzky, however, fell short in his final year with 62 points in 70 games. At age 37 and with a three-year extension already signed, Crosby has plenty of time to push this record even higher.
Among active players, Crosby leads the way followed by Evgeni Malkin (15 point-per-game seasons), Alex Ovechkin (14), Steven Stamkos (12), Patrick Kane (11) and Connor McDavid (10). A decade from now, we could see McDavid challenge this record but for now, Crosby is the one closing in on it.
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Most goals, regular season and playoffs combined
Gretzky’s record: 1,016
Alex Ovechkin’s current number: 960
Between the regular season and playoffs, Ovechkin has 960 career goals (888+72). Gretzky’s combined record is 1,016 (894+122). If Ovechkin scores seven more goals to get to 895 and break Gretzky’s regular-season record, he will need only 50 more to break the combined mark.
The Capitals have rebounded from being a fringe playoff team to a Stanley Cup contender this season. A long playoff run would give Ovechkin more chances to chip away at this record but time is not on his side. The soon-to-be 40-year-old has one more year on his contract and has indicated in the past that the 2025-26 campaign could be his final season.
Ovechkin has shown this year he’s still capable of scoring 40 goals and he would need to do it one more time to have a chance of breaking this record, too.
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Most 50-goal seasons
Gretzky’s record: Nine (tied with Mike Bossy and Alex Ovechkin)
Leon Draisaitl’s current number: Three
Draisaitl is one goal away from his fourth 50-goal season but an injury has him out of the lineup as the calendar nears April. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Hockey Night in Canada that Draisaitl’s injury isn’t expected to keep him out long-term, meaning he should at least get a chance to score one more time this year.
Currently, Ovechkin and Draisaitl are the only active players with more than two 50-goal campaigns. Even if Draisaitl does complete his fourth this year, he won’t even be halfway to catching the record. The Cologne, Germany native will be turning 30 in October and will need to defy Father Time to collect another six 50-goal seasons.
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Most 60-goal seasons
Gretzky’s record: Five
Auston Matthews’ current number: Two
There have only been six 60-goal seasons in the past 20 years and Auston Matthews has two of them. Ovechkin only did it once and Draisaitl has never done it.
Matthews set the salary cap era record one year ago with 69 goals but a lingering injury means he will likely finish with less than half that total this season. Still, Matthews is only 27 and his career 0.64 goals per game is the highest among all active players, including Ovechkin. If he can stay healthy, this record could be within reach.
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Most 100-point seasons
Gretzky’s record: 15
Connor McDavid’s current total: Seven
Connor McDavid is only 28 and already has seven 100-point seasons on his resume. Only Gretzky (15), Mario Lemieux (10) and Peter Stastny (seven) have as many.
McDavid has 90 points this year but is out with an injury and the Oilers only have 12 games remaining. If he fails to reach 100 this year it would be just the third time in his career after an injury-shortened rookie year and the 2019-20 season that was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic (he had 97 that year).
For his career, McDavid’s 1.51 points per game average ranks third behind only Gretzky and Lemieux. He will have to hover around that mark for another eight years to break this record.
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Most consecutive 100-point seasons
Gretzky’s record: 13
McDavid’s current number: Four
As mentioned above, McDavid was stopped at 97 points in 2019-20 when the season was shut down for the pandemic. If that hadn’t happened and he had scored those final three points, his streak of 100-point seasons would now be at nine and this record would have been within his grasp.
Since that 97-point season, McDavid has put together four consecutive 100-point campaigns. But an injury has put that streak in jeopardy. While McDavid isn’t expected to be out long-term, he still needs 10 more points in the Oilers’ final 12 games to keep the streak alive. And if he does it, he would need another nine consecutive seasons of 100 points to break the record, taking him to age 37.
