The NHL was founded in 1917 in Canada and expanded to the United States in 1920. It is the premier professional hockey league in the world. While the league has been present for over 100 years and has a rabid niche fanbase, Hockey is still trying to get more attention in the United States sports landscape.
Today the NHL is considered the United States fifth major sports league, behind the NFL, NBA, MLB, and MLS. There are 31 teams in total, 24 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded to the champion at the end of each season.
For first time NHL fans understanding who were the best teams and top players can be an issue, almost everyone has heard of Wayne Gretzky, the Michael Jordan of hockey, but other more important players might fall through the cracks. No matter! We have put together the most important records and stats of the NHL!
25. Most Stanley Cup Winners
That honor goes to the Montreal Canadiens, who have claimed 24 Stanley Cups! The Toronto Maple Leafs have 13, while the Detroit Red Wings have 11. The current champions are the St. Louis Blues.
The trophy was donated to the NHL by Lord Stanley of Preston, the then Governor of Canada, as a challenge trophy for Canada’s top-ranking ice hockey clubs.
24. NHL player who played the most seasons
Gordie Howe and Chris Chelios played a total of 26 seasons. Howe has several NHL records, including being the first player to reach 1,500 games and 1,687 games with one team.
Chris Chelios on the other hand was on the 1985 all-rookie team, he played in 11 all-star games, he was on 5 first all-star teams and won three Stanley Cups.
23. NHL player who played the most games
Once again, it’s Gordie Howe, who played 1,767 games in the NHL before retiring in 1980. Howe played on two teams the Detroit Red Wings and the Hartford Whalers.
Howe is followed by Mark Messier with 1,756 and Jaromir Jagr with 1,733 games. The NHL has over 100 players who have played over 1,000 games in the league.
22. The player who played the most games in oneNHL season
Again, two players can claim that honor as Jimmy Carson and Bob Kudelski both played a total of 86 games in one season. Carson was a 1989 All-Star and scored more goals as a teenager than any player in NHL history.
Kudelski had a more modest career being a 1994 all-star and not winning any major championships. He scored 139 goals in 442 games played.
21. The teams with the longest winning streaks
The team with the longest overall winning streak is the 1992/93 Pittsburgh Penguins with 17 games. The longest home winning streak belongs to the 2011/12 Detroit Red Wings with 23 games.
The longest away winning streak also belongs to the 2005/06 Detroit Red Wings with 12 games. In 2014/15 the Minnesota Wild would tie the 05/06 Red Wings and went on a 12 game away unbeaten streak.
20. Individual Winners of the Stanley Cup
The player who has won the most Stanley Cups is Henri Richard, who won 11 championships with the Montreal Canadiens. He won these championships in the years 1956 – 1960, 1965 – 1966, 1968 – 1969, 1971, and 1973.
Richard was a 9-time all-star and won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 1974. He played 1,256 games and scored 358 goals throughout his illustrious career.
19. Teams with the longest Stanley Cup droughts
The Toronto Maple Leafs have that dubious honor as they have gone 52 seasons without a cup. While there are teams who have never won a cup but have been to the big finale coming up short.
The Buffalo Sabers and the Vancouver Canucks have gone 49 seasons without a cup finals appearance, while the Philadelphia Flyers have not won a title in 44 years.
18. NHL player with most assists
The best set up man in NHL history is none other than the king himself, Wayne Gretzky, having assisted on 1,963 goals. Gretzky was the most complete Hockey player of all time, he can score and set up goals like no other.
Joe Thornton is the only active player in the top 10 with 1,089 assists, while Gordie Howe has 1,049, Mark Messier is ranked number 3 at 1,193 assists.
17. Team with most wins in a season
The 1995/96 Detroit Red Wings and the 2018/19 Tampa Bay Lightning have won 62 games in the regular season. Incredibly neither team was able to win the Stanley Cup in these record-setting years.
The Lightning was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, while the Red Wings were upset by the Colorado Avalanche, winning only two of the six games in the series and failing to reach the finals.
16. Fastest goals in NHL history
The fastest goal in NHL history belongs to threeplayers, Doug Smail (December 20, 1981), Bryan Trottier (March 22, 1984), and Alexander Mogilny (December 21, 1991), 5 seconds. Don Kozak scored the fastest goal in playoff history in 1977 at 6 seconds.
Other interesting fastest goals belong to: Gabriel Vilardi for the fastest goal by a player in his first NHL game: (February 20, 2020), 10 seconds.
15. Longest Winning Streak to Start the Season
The overall record is 10 games by the 1993/94 Toronto Maple Leafs and 2006–07 Buffalo Sabres. The longest home winning streak is 11 games by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1963–64.
On the road, the longest winning streak to start an NHL season belongs to the Buffalo Sabres at 10 wins on the road in 2007/08.
14. Most shots on goal in NHL history
Ray Bourque took 6,206 shots on opposing teams’ nets in his 23-year career. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004, Bourque began his career in 1979 and retired in 2001.
Ray Bourque ranks 11th all-time in career games played with 1,612, 4th all-time in assists with 1,169. 1st in career points for a defenseman with 1,579, and he has 1 Stanley Cup to his name in 2001.
13. Longest Undefeated Streak in NHL
Like in soccer there used tobeties in hockey and in 1979/80 the Philadelphia Flyers went 35 games without a loss. They won 25 games and tied 10.
The longest home undefeated streak belongs to the 1976/77 Montreal Canadiens at 34 games and the longest away undefeated streak was 23 games by the 1974/75 Montreal Canadiens.
12. NHL coach with most wins
Scotty Bowman won 1,244 games as a coach in the NHL. Bowman began his career with the St. Louis Blues, then the Montreal Canadiens, where he coached for eight seasons, later moving to the Buffalo Sabres, which is the only team he coached that did not reach a Cup final.
Near the end of his career he coached the Penguins, then the Detroit Red Wings, in total he won 9 Stanley Cups and made 28 playoff appearances.
11. Longest Consecutive NHL Attendance Sellout
In the stands, the Pittsburgh Penguins sold out 600 games (and counting) and it has been ongoing. They play at PPG Paints Arena and the arena has a capacity of 18,387 for NHL games.
The fans have been spoiled in Pittsburgh as the club has won 2 Stanley Cups in the last 5 years. It is a state of the art building and the fan support is there for the Penguins.
10. Most goals by a rookie in one season
The most goals by a rookie in an NHL season was 76 and by Teemu Selanne in the 1992/93 season. A native from Finland, Selanne played for Winnipeg Jets, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Colorado Avalanche.
Selanne won a Stanley Cup in 2007 and was a 10-time All-Star and 1993 All-Rookie team. Not only did he score the most goals as a rookie, he also recorded the most points by a rookie at 132. He also scored the most goals by a Finnish-born player at 684.
9. NHL player who played for the most teams
Mike Sillinger holds the record for playing for the most teams in NHL history, he played for 12 teams in his NHL career. He started with the Detroit Red Wings and then played for: Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, and New York Islanders.
Talk about a journeyman! Sillinger also holds the record for most traded player in NHL history with 9 trades. Despite being shopped around, Sillinger still managed to play over 1,000 games in the NHL.
8. Most NHL Hat-tricks
Wayne Gretzky holds the record for most NHL hat-tricks, with 50. Gretzky scored 3 goals 50 times, to put into context, only 1,600 players have scored 50 goals in their careers, Wayne scored 3 goals in 1 game 50 times!
The closest to Gretzky’s record is another NHL great, Mark Lemieux, who scored 40 hat-tricks in his career. Simply put Gretzky has more hat-tricks than 74% of the players who ever played in the NHL who scored!
7. Best Goals against average in NHL
Alec Connell has the best GAA in NHL history with 1.916. Connell played way back in the 1920s and played a total of 417 games and had 81 shutouts in his career.
Goals against average is the average number of goals a goaltender allows over a 60- minute period. The second on the list is George Hainsworth at 1.932.
6. Most Shutouts in NHL History
Martin Brodeur the legendary modern-day goaltender has 125 NHL shutouts in his career. He played 22 seasons in the NHL and 21 of them with the New Jersey Devils.
Winner of two Olympic gold medals in 2002 and 2010 for Canada he also has two silver medals for Canada in the 1996 and 2005 World Championships. Brodeur is also the league leader in saves with over 28,000.
5. The player with most penalty minutes in NHL history
A penalty in ice hockey is punishment for the player who broke the rules, most players are sent to the penalty box for a specific amount of time. Usually, when fights break out the players are sent to the penalty box.
Tiger Williams is the player who holds the dubious record of having the most penalty minutes at 3,971 minutes. He also has the record for most penalty minutes in one season for the Maple Leafs at 351.
4. The player who scored the most empty-net goals in NHL history
Wayne Gretzky can also claim that one as well, Gretzky scored 56 empty net goals! Only Marian Hossa comes close and a distant close at 40.
Gretzky was known for beingquick with the puck and when teams would pull the goaltender, Gretzky had a great eye for goal.
3. Scored the most overtime goals in NHL history
When a game ends in regulation there is overtime to decide the winner, and it is sudden death, the player who scores a goal in sudden death wins the game for his team.
Alexander Ovechkin scored 23 overtime goals in his career and sealed the win for his team. Ovechkin also has the most scoring titles at 9 and is the only player to be named to the NHL first all-star team in each of his first 5 seasons.
2. Team with most ties in NHL history
The Philadelphia Flyers in the 1969/70 season, obtained 24 ties out of 76 games. That season the Flyers only won 17 games the whole year.
This is a record that looks like it will never be broken since there are longer any tie games due to overtime and the shootout.
1. Fastest Hat-Trick Ever
Billy Mosienko recorded a hat-trick in a 1952 game against the New York Rangers, and all it took was 21 seconds! Either the Rangers were asleep or Mosienko was too quick, either way, that is amazing!
In order for this record to ever be broken everything needs to go right for 1 player and everything needs to go wrong for the opposing team.