- Alex Ovechkin has scored 929 goals, more than any player in NHL history.
- He passed Wayne Gretzky's record of 894 on April 6, 2025. That record had stood for 26 years.
- Ovechkin has said the 2026-27 season will be his last.
- Only eight players have ever scored 700 goals.
Goals are hard to come by in hockey. A good player might score 25 in a season, and 50 makes him one of the best in the world.
To reach the top of the all-time list, a player has to do that for 20 years and hardly ever get hurt. Very few have managed it.
The top 10, ranked
These are regular-season goals through the 2025-26 season.
| Player | Goals | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Ovechkin | 929 | 1,573 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 894 | 1,487 |
| Gordie Howe | 801 | 1,767 |
| Jaromir Jagr | 766 | 1,733 |
| Brett Hull | 741 | 1,269 |
| Marcel Dionne | 731 | 1,348 |
| Phil Esposito | 717 | 1,282 |
| Mike Gartner | 708 | 1,432 |
| Mark Messier | 694 | 1,756 |
| Steve Yzerman | 692 | 1,514 |
Ovechkin's number will keep moving. He is still playing, and we will update it when his final season ends.
The record nobody was supposed to break
Wayne Gretzky retired in 1999 with 894 goals. For years it was treated as a number that would never be touched. Scoring across the league had dropped, and nobody was close.
Ovechkin arrived in Washington in 2005 and scored 52 goals in his first season. He kept going at almost the same pace for two decades.
He tied the record on April 4, 2025, and broke it two days later with goal number 895, against the New York Islanders. Gretzky was in the building to see it. That November, Ovechkin became the first player to reach 900.
Gretzky's record of 894 goals stood for 26 years. Ovechkin has pushed the mark past 900.
One team, one last season
Every one of Ovechkin's goals has been scored for the Washington Capitals. In October 2026 he announced that the 2026-27 season, his 22nd, would be his last.
One of Gretzky's records is still within reach. Counting playoff games as well, Gretzky scored 1,016 goals. Ovechkin began his final season 11 behind.
What Gretzky still owns
Losing the goals record took very little away from Gretzky. He still has the most assists in history, with 1,963, and the most points, with 2,857.
Those numbers hide a famous fact. Points are goals plus assists, and Gretzky has more assists alone than any other player has points. He also holds the record for goals in one season, with 92.
The rest of the list
Gordie Howe played in the NHL in five different decades and scored his last goals at the age of 52.
Jaromir Jagr reached 766 in the NHL and then went home to the Czech Republic, where he was still playing professionally in his fifties.
Brett Hull is the son of Bobby Hull, who scored 610 goals himself. They are the only father and son who both passed 600.
Mike Gartner is the surprise of the list. He never led the league in goals in any one year. He simply scored at least 30 in 17 different seasons. Only Ovechkin has done that more often.
The player just outside
Mario Lemieux is 11th, with 690 goals. Look at the games column in the table and then consider that he played only 915.
Illness and injuries cost him several seasons. At the rate he scored, a full career would have put him far higher.
Who is next?
Nobody is close. Sidney Crosby is the nearest active player with 654 goals, and he is 39 years old. Steven Stamkos has 624.
The next player to threaten the record is probably a teenager today, or has not been born.
For the trophy all these players chased, read Stanley Cup wins by team. If the sport is new to you, start with what icing is.