Most Game-Winning Goals in NHL History

These NHL players scored more than anyone when it mattered most.

The greatest hockey players do more than just want the puck under pressure. They deliver.

It takes guts to perform at your best when the game is on the line, and some hockey stars made a career of coming through in the clutch.

These players scored the most game-winning goals in NHL history.

31. Stan Mikita — 84 (Tie)

Fred Jewell / AP Photo

Born: May 20, 1940 (Sokolce, Slovak Republic)

Died: Aug. 7, 2018 (age 78, Chicago, Illinois)

Position: Center

Career: 22 seasons (1958-80)

Teams: Chicago Blackhawks

Stanley Cup titles: 1 (1961)

Bottom line: Stan Mikita made history as the first player of Slovakian descent to win the Stanley Cup, winning his lone championship with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1961.

This was also the first time the hockey world saw his elite goal-scoring on display, as he led the NHL in goals during the playoffs that year. Mikita actually won more NHL Most Valuable Player trophies than Stanley Cups, bringing home the Hart Trophy in 1967 and 1968.

He died in Chicago in 2018, at 78 years old.

29. Marian Hossa — 85 (Tie)

Tony Gutierrez / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 12, 1979 (Stara Lubovna, Czechoslovakia)

Position: Right wing

Career: 19 seasons (1997-2004, 2005-17)

Teams: Ottawa Senators (1997-2004), Atlanta Thrashers (2005-08), Pittsburgh Penguins (2008), Detroit Red Wings (2008-09), Chicago Blackhawks (2009-17)

Stanley Cup titles: 3 (2010, 2013, 2015)

Bottom line: Another in the great line of Slovakian players to make it to the NHL, Marian Hossa won three Stanley Cup titles in 19 seasons, and he did it all in the final eight seasons of his career spent with the Chicago Blackhawks.

How Hossa won his first title with the Blackhawks in 2010 is as interesting as anything that happened in his career. Heading into the season, the media invented the term “Hossa Hex” and “Hossa Curse” because he’d lost in the previous two Stanley Cup Finals with two different teams.

29. Glenn Anderson — 85 (Tie)

Ron Frehm / AP Photo

Born: Oct. 2, 1960 (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

Position: Right wing

Career: 16 seasons (1980-96)

Teams: Edmonton Oilers (1980-91), Toronto Maple Leafs (1991-94), New York Rangers (1994), St. Louis Blues (1994-95, 1996), Edmonton Oilers (1995-96)

Stanley Cup titles: 6 (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1994)

Bottom line: Glenn Anderson was the NHL’s equivalent of seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry — a player who came up with clutch plays in the biggest games. His six Stanley Cup titles underscore that point.

Former Edmonton Oilers head coach Glen Sather once said “the bigger the game, the better (Anderson) performed.” Nothing said about Anderson could have been more true.

Anderson’s ability to score goals in tough situations was never more on display than in the 1994 Stanley Cup Final with the New York Rangers. He scored three goals in the postseason, all in the finals, and two of them were game-winners.

26. Joe Sakic — 86 (Tie)

Paul Sakuma / AP Photo

Born: July 7, 1969 (Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada)

Position: Center

Career: 20 seasons (1988-2004, 2005-09)

Teams: Quebec Nordiques (1988-95), Colorado Avalanche (1995-2004, 2005-09)

Stanley Cup titles: 2 (1996, 2001)

Bottom line: Joe Sakic played 20 seasons in the NHL and won two Stanley Cup titles, both with the Colorado Avalanche. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1996.

Few players in NHL history have had a playoff run like Sakic did in 1996, despite missing the playoffs in five of his first seven seasons with the Quebec Nordiques before the franchise became the Avalanche.

In the 1996 postseason, Sakic scored 18 goals, including an incredible six game-winning goals on the way to the championship.

26. Daniel Sedin — 86 (Tie)

Terry Gilliam / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 26, 1980 (Omskoldsvik, Sweden)

Position: Left wing

Career: 17 seasons (2000-04, 2005-18)

Teams: Vancouver Canucks

Stanley Cup titles: None

Bottom line: It’s still heartbreaking that Daniel Sedin never won a Stanley Cup championship with the Vancouver Canucks, where he played all 17 seasons of his NHL career alongside his twin brother, Henrik Sedin.

It’s all the more heartbreaking because of how close the Canucks came to winning it all. They lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.

Daniel Sedin was a three-time All-Star and retired in 2018. It will be interesting to see if he gets into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

26. Pierre Turgeon — 86 (Tie)

Ron Frehm / AP Photo

Born: Aug. 28, 1969 (Rouyn, Quebec, Canada)

Position: Center

Career: 19 seasons(1987-2004, 2005-07)

Teams: Buffalo Sabres (1987-92), New York Islanders (1992-95), Montreal Canadiens (1995-97), St. Louis Blues (1997-2001), Dallas Stars (2001-04), Colorado Avalanche (2005-07)

Stanley Cup titles: None

Bottom line: Pierre Turgeon may be high on the list of game-winning goals, but it’s always going to be hard to look past an act of cowardice that defined his NHL career before it even started.

Turgeon is most well-known for being the only Canadian player who refused to leave the bench during one of the nastiest brawls in hockey history — the “Punch-Up in Piestany” during a game between the Soviet Union and Canada at the 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Turgeon won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1993. He never won a Stanley Cup.

25. Sidney Crosby — 87

Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo

Born: Aug. 7, 1987 (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada)

Position: Center

Career: 18 seasons (2005-present)

Teams: Pittsburgh Penguins

Stanley Cup titles: 3 (2009, 2016, 2017)

Bottom line: The Pittsburgh Penguins took Sidney Crosby No. 1 overall in 2005, when teams were entered into a lottery based on playoff appearances and past draft lottery results because of the 2004-05 lockout — also known as “The Sidney Crosby Lottery.”

Crosby became the youngest player to lead a North American sports league in scoring and was the youngest captain in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup in 2009 — the first of three championships. Crosby is also the highest-paid NHL player of all time.

24. Jeff Carter — 88

Gregory Smith / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 1, 1985 (London, Ontario, Canada)

Position: Center

Career: 15 seasons (2006-present)

Teams: Philadelphia Flyers (2006-11), Columbus Blue Jackets (2011-12), Los Angeles Kings (2012-21), Pittsburgh Penguins (2021-present)

Stanley Cup titles: 2 (2012, 2014)

Bottom line: Two-time NHL All-Star Jeff Carter is one of the more surprising names to pop up on this list, but the two-time Stanley Cup champion has the clutch gene as much as anyone who ever played the game.

Carter, who also has an Olympic gold medal for Team Canada, scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Los Angeles Kings against the New Jersey Devils in 2012.

Carter was drafted No. 11 overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2003 and was second in the NHL with 46 goals in 2008-09.

23. Luc Robitaille — 89

Kevork Djansezian / AP Photo

Born: Feb. 17, 1966 (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)

Position: Left wing

Career: 19 seasons (1986-2004, 2005-06)

Teams: Los Angeles Kings (1986-94, 1997-2001, 2003-04, 2005-06), Pittsburgh Penguins (1994-95), New York Rangers (1995-97), Detroit Red Wings (2001-03)

Stanley Cup titles: 1 (2002)

Bottom line: One of the most exciting 1-2 punches in NHL history was formed when the Edmonton Oilers traded Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings and paired him with up-and-coming star Luc Robitaille. The two led the Kings to the Stanley Cup Final in 1993.

Robitaille was the 1987 NHL Rookie of the Year and played 19 seasons. He made eight All-Star teams and won one Stanley Cup, in his penultimate season with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002.

He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009.

22. Mike Gartner — 90

RNYRF / Twitter

Born: Oct. 29, 1959 (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)

Position: Right wing

Career: 19 seasons (1979-98)

Teams: Washington Capitals (1979-89), Minnesota North Stars (1988-90), New York Rangers (1990-94), Toronto Maple Leafs (1994-96), Phoenix Coyotes (1996-98)

Stanley Cup titles: None

Bottom line: One of the fastest skaters in NHL history, Mike Gartner was a seven-time All-Star and the 1993 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. But he never won a Stanley Cup.

To that end, Gartner never even played in a Stanley Cup Final and is one of the few players in NHL history to make it to the Hall of Fame without even playing in the finals or winning any sort of postseason award.

Gartner was named one of the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players in 2017, and his number was retired by the Washington Capitals, where he spent the first decade of his career.

20. Mark Recchi — 91 (Tie)

Charles Krupa / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 18, 1961 (St. Albert, Alberta, Canada)

Position: Right wing

Career: 22 seasons (1998-2004, 2005-11)

Teams: Pittsburgh Penguins (1988-92, 2005-06, 2006-07), Philadelphia Flyers (1992-94, 1999-2004), Montreal Canadiens (1994-99), Carolina Hurricanes (2006), Atlanta Thrashers (2007-08), Tampa Bay Lightning (2008-09), Boston Bruins (2009-11)

Stanley Cup titles: 3 (1991, 2006, 2011)

Bottom line: Mark Recchi is one of just eight NHL players to win a Stanley Cup in three different decades — with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991, Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and Boston Bruins in 2011.

The Stanley Cup win with the Bruins in 2011 was probably the most notable because he became the oldest player in Stanley Cup history to score a goal at 43 years old.

Recchi was a seven-time All-Star and elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017.

20. Wayne Gretzky — 91 (Tie)

Douglas C. Pizac / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 26, 1961 (Brantford, Ontario, Canada)

Position: Center

Career: 20 seasons (1979-99)

Teams: Edmonton Oilers (1979-88), Los Angeles Kings (1988-96), St. Louis Blues (1996), New York Rangers (1996-99)

Stanley Cup titles: 4 (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988)

Bottom line: Wayne Gretzky could have been higher on this list if he were a more selfish player, but he wasn’t.

Gretzky was just as brilliant passing the puck as he was putting it in the back of the net and just as happy to dish to a teammate (like Glenn Anderson or Mark Messier) for the game-winning goal as he was scoring himself.

Gretzky is the NHL’s career scoring leader with 2,857 points, which might be one of the few records in sports that really might not be broken.

16. Mark Messier — 92 (Tie)

Ron Frehmn / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 18, 1961 (St. Albert, Alberta, Canada)

Position: Center

Career: 25 seasons (1979-2004)

Teams: Edmonton Oilers (1979-91), New York Rangers (1991-97, 2000-04), Vancouver Canucks (1997-2000)

Stanley Cup titles: 6 (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1994)

Bottom line: Mark Messier won five Stanley Cup championships with the Edmonton Oilers, but his career was defined by his sixth and final championship with the New York Rangers in 1994.

Few free agents in sports history have been as celebrated as Messier was when he signed with the Rangers in 1991. His explicit goal was to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since 1944.

Messier delivered on that hope and is the only player in NHL history to serve as the captain on Stanley Cup-winning teams for two different franchises.

16. Johnny Bucyk — 92 (Tie)

NHLBruins / Twitter

Born: May 12, 1935 (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)

Position: Left wing

Career: 23 seasons (1955-78)

Teams: Detroit Red Wings (1955-57), Boston Bruins (1957-78)

Stanley Cup titles: 2 (1970, 1972)

Bottom line: Johnny Bucyk was much more than a role player with the Boston Bruins on two Stanley Cup-winning teams in 1970 and 1972, even if that’s how history views him after playing alongside legends like Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr.

In reality, Bucyk was one of the most clutch players in NHL history. The seven-time All-Star, at 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, also was comparable in size to today’s players.

Bucyk isn’t just one of the most beloved players in Bruins history. He’s also one of the most popular players in NHL history and was one of the game’s true statesmen. A two-time Lady Byng Trophy winner, Bucyk has worked for the Bruins in some capacity since joining the team as a player in 1957.

16. Mike Modano — 92 (Tie)

James A. Finley / AP Photo

Born: June 7, 1970 (Livonia, Michigan)

Position: Center

Career: 23 seasons (1988-2011)

Teams: Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars (1988-2010), Detroit Red Wings (2010-11)

Stanley Cup titles: 1 (1999)

Bottom line: No player has defined the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise more than Mike Modano. The No. 1 overall pick in the 1988 NHL draft is one of the greatest American-born NHL players of all time behind Patrick Kane.

Modano’s slap shot gave opposing goaltenders nightmares, and he won his lone Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999, where he spent all but one season of his 23-year career.

When Modano retired in 2011, he was the last active NHL player to play in the 1980s.

16. Jeremy Roenick — 92 (Tie)

Tim Boyle / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 17, 1970 (Boston, Massachusetts)

Position: Center

Career: 20 seasons (1988-2004, 2005-09)

Teams: Chicago Blackhawks (1988-96), Phoenix Coyotes (1996-2001), Philadelphia Flyers (2001-04, 2006-07), Los Angeles Kings (2005-06), San Jose Sharks (2007-09)

Stanley Cup titles: None

Bottom line: You would think that for how much he ran his mouth, Jeremy Roenick might have been able to back it up with a Stanley Cup championship during his 20-year career. He wasn’t.

Roenick became one of the most well-known NHL players of his era not just for his skill on the ice. He also had a unique ability to generate headlines with his outsized personality.

The nine-time NHL All-Star once told ESPN that fans who complained about the 2004-05 lockout could “kiss my (expletive)” and “shouldn’t come to games,” then later claimed his comments were taken out of context.

14. Joe Nieuwendyk — 93 (Tie)

LM Otero / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 10, 1966 (Oshawa, Ontario, Canada)

Position: Center

Career: 20 seasons (1986-2004, 2005-07)

Teams: Calgary Flames (1986-95), Dallas Stars (1995-2002), New Jersey Devils (2002-03), Toronto Maple Leafs (2003-04), Florida Panthers (2005-07)

Stanley Cup titles: 3 (1989, 1999, 2003)

Bottom line: Joe Nieuwendyk won three Stanley Cup championships in three different decades and with three different franchises.

He won his first title with the Calgary Flames in 1989, when he led the NHL with 11 game-winning goals. Nieuwendyk won his second title with the Dallas Stars in 1999, also bringing home the Conn Smythe Trophy, then won his final championship with the New Jersey Devils in 2003.

Nieuwendyk was considered a leader wherever he went and only missed the postseasons five times in 20 seasons.

14. Sergei Fedorov — 93 (Tie)

Tom Pidgeon / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 13, 1969 (Pskov, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union)

Position: Utility

Career: 19 seasons (1990-2009)

Teams: Detroit Red Wings (1990-2003), Anaheim Ducks (2003-04, 2005-06), Columbus Blue Jackets (2006-08), Washington Capitals (2007-09)

Stanley Cup titles: 3 (1997, 1998, 2002)

Bottom line: Sergei Fedorov could play three positions at an All-Star level. His primary position was center, but he could also play either wing or defense, making the three-time Stanley Cup champion as versatile as any player in NHL history.

How good was Fedorov? Wayne Gretzky once said he’d never seen a player dominate a single game like Fedorov.

Fedorov was the first Russian to win NHL Most Valuable Player honors and retired in 2009 after 19 seasons.

13. Steve Yzerman — 94

Tom Pidgeon / AP Photo

Born: May 9, 1965 (Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada)

Position: Center

Career: 22 seasons (1983-2004, 2005-06)

Teams: Detroit Red Wings

Stanley Cup titles: 3 (1997, 1998, 2002)

Bottom line: Steve Yzerman played his entire 22-year career for the Detroit Red Wings and played more games as a captain for a single franchise than any player in NHL history.

Yzerman’s career was also a study in perseverance. He didn’t win his first Stanley Cup championship until his 14th season and won all three of his titles over the last nine years of his career.

He added a fourth Stanley Cup as general manager of the Red Wings in 2010.

12. Mats Sundin— 96

Alan Diaz / AP Photo

Born: Feb. 13, 1971 (Bromma, Sweden)

Position: Center

Career: 18 seasons (1990-2004, 2005-09)

Teams: Quebec Nordiques (1990-94), Toronto Maple Leafs (1994-2004, 2005-08), Vancouver Canucks (2008-09)

Stanley Cup titles: None

Bottom line: Mats Sundin was the first European player selected No. 1 overall in the NHL draft when the Quebec Nordiques picked the Swedish superstar in 1989.

Sundin, reluctant to join the moribund Nordiques, played one more season of pro hockey in Sweden before heading to the NHL.

Sundin, a nine-time NHL All-Star, played 18 seasons but never won a Stanley Cup. In a case of incredibly bad timing, he forced a trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs before the 1994-95 season. Had Sundin stuck it out one more year with Quebec, he would’ve been part of the franchise’s move to the U.S. and played for the Colorado Avalanche when they won the Stanley Cup in 1996.

10. Guy Lafleur— 98 (Tie)

Bill Kostroun / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 20, 1951 (Thurso, Quebec, Canada)

Position: Right Wing

Career: 17 seasons (1971-85, 1988-91)

Teams: Montreal Canadiens (1971-85), New York Rangers (1988-89), Quebec Nordiques (1989-91)

Stanley Cup titles: 5 (1973, 1976-79)

Bottom line: Guy Lafleur was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1971 NHL draft and led the Montreal Canadiens to four consecutive Stanley Cup championships from 1976 to 1979.

He also won two NHL Most Valuable Player awards in that stretch and won all five of his Stanley Cups in the 1970s.

Lafleur retired after the 1984-85 season due to his dissatisfaction with playing time but somehow returned three seasons later with the New York Rangers and played three more seasons in the NHL.

10. Bobby Hull— 98 (Tie)

AP Photo

Born: Jan. 3, 1939 (Point Anne, Ontario, Canada)

Position: Left Wing

Career: 23 seasons (1957-80)

Teams: Chicago Blackhawks (1957-72), Winnipeg Jets (1972-80), Hartford Whalers (1980)

Stanley Cup titles: 1 (1961)

Bottom line: Bobby Hull — better known as “The Golden Jet” — played 23 seasons and was a two-time NHL Most Valuable Player. For all his talent, he won just a single Stanley Cup title in 1961.

It’s important to point out that Hull, for as great a player as he was, was also a woman-beating, dyed-in-the-wool racist who once said Hitler “had some good ideas” and still managed to keep his job as an ambassador for the Blackhawks.

Hull really is the worst.

9. Jarome Iginla — 101

Chris Szagola / AP Photo

Born: July 1, 1977 (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)

Position: Right Wing

Career: 21 seasons (1995-2004, 2005-17)

Teams: Calgary Flames (1995-2004, 2005-13), Pittsburgh Penguins (2013), Boston Bruins (2013-14), Colorado Avalanche (2014-17), Los Angeles Kings (2017)

Stanley Cup titles: None

Bottom line: Jarome Iginla is one of just 20 players in NHL history to score over 600 goals and is the Calgary Flames’ career leader in goals, points and games played.

Iginla’s 1,000th career point actually came via a game-winning goal when he scored against the St. Louis Blues in a 3-2 win on April 1, 2011.

Iginla was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2020, his first year of eligibility, becoming just the second Black NHL player to enter the Hall for his on-ice accomplishments following Grant Fuhr.

7. Patrick Marleau — 109 (Tie)

Tony Gutierrez / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 15, 1979 (Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada)

Position: Left Wing/Center

Career: 23 seasons (1997-2004, 2005-present)

Teams: San Jose Sharks (1997-2004, 2005-17, 2019-20, 2020), Toronto Maple Leafs (2017-19), Pittsburgh Penguins (2020)

Stanley Cup titles: None

Bottom line: Patrick Marleau became the NHL’s career leader in games played on April 19, 2021, surpassing Gordie Howe’s record when he played in his 1,768th game. But you wouldn’t have known it by how little acclaim Marleau got for such a big milestone.

Marleau, in his 23rd season, also owns the records for most games played in NHL history, both the regular season and postseason, without winning a Stanley Cup.

In a strange twist, neither of the players selected No. 1 and No. 2 overall in the 1997 NHL draft, Joe Thornton and Marleau, have won a Stanley Cup, but both were still active in the 2020-21 season.

7. Brendan Shanahan — 109 (Tie)

Tom Pidgeon / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 23, 1969 (Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada)

Position: Left Wing

Career: 21 seasons (1987-04, 2005-09)

Teams: New Jersey Devils (1987-91), St. Louis Blues (1991-95), Hartford Whalers (1995-96), Detroit Red Wings (1996-2004, 2005-06), New York Rangers (2006-08), New Jersey Devils (2008-09)

Stanley Cup titles: 3 (1997, 1998, 2002)

Bottom line: Brendan Shanahan is the only player in NHL history to rack up 2,000 penalty minutes and 600 goals. At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, he could dole out punishment and points simultaneously.

Shanahan also owns one of the more interesting unofficial records in NHL history, finishing his career with 17 Gordie Howe Hat Tricks, which is when a player records a goal, assist and a fight in a single game.

Shanahan has been the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs since 2014.

5. Teemu Selanne— 110 (Tie)

Mark J. Terrill / AP Photo

Born: July 3, 1970 (Helsinki, Finland)

Position: Right Wing

Career: 22 seasons (1992-2004, 2005-2014)

Teams: Winnipeg Jets (1992-96), Anaheim Mighty Ducks (1996-2001, 2005-14), San Jose Sharks (2001-03), Colorado Avalanche (2003-04)

Stanley Cup titles: 1 (2007)

Bottom line: Teemu Selanne played 22 seasons, made the All-Star team 10 times and won one Stanley Cup championship in 2007 with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks — his second stint with the team.

Few people from Finland are as famous as Selanne, who became just the second person from his native country elected to the Hall of Fame following Jari Kurri.

How famous is Selanne in Finland? The documentary about his life is one of the highest-grossing Finnish films of all time.

5. Brett Hull — 110 (Tie)

Bill Janscha / AP Photo

Born: Aug. 9, 1964 (Belleville, Ontario, Canada)

Position: Right Wing

Career: 20 seasons (1985-2004, 2005-06)

Teams: Calgary Flames (1985-88), St. Louis Blues (1988-98), Dallas Stars (1998-2001), Detroit Red Wings (2002-04), Phoenix Coyotes (2005-06)

Stanley Cup titles: 2 (1999, 2002)

Bottom line: Brett Hull was a two-time Stanley Cup champion and nine-time NHL All-Star. When he won NHL Most Valuable Player honors in 1991, he and his father, Bobby Hull, became the only father-son combo to win the Hart Trophy in NHL history.

Brett Hull had ice skating embedded in his DNA. Along with his NHL superstar father, his mother was figure skater Joanne Robinson.

Brett Hull is No. 4 on the NHL’s career list with 741 goals.

4. Phil Esposito — 118

Ed Widdis / AP Photo

Born: Feb. 20, 1942 (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada)

Position: Center

Career: 18 seasons (1963-81)

Teams: Chicago Black Hawks (1963-67), Boston Bruins (1967-76), New York Rangers (1976-81)

Stanley Cup titles: 2 (1970, 1972)

Bottom line: One of two Hall of Famers in his family alongside younger brother Tony Esposito, Phil Esposito became one of the most beloved players in NHL history during his time with the Boston Bruins.

Phil won two Stanley Cup titles and two NHL Most Valuable Player awards during his time with the Bruins, who obtained him in a blockbuster trade with the Chicago Black Hawks right before he hit his prime.

Phil Esposito could score goals like few players in NHL history and had the single-season record from 1970 (76 goals) until Wayne Gretzky broke it with 92 in 1982.

3. Gordie Howe — 121

Alvan Quinn / AP Photo

Born: March 31, 1928 (Floral, Saskatchewan, Canada)

Died: June 10, 2016 (age 88, Sylvania, Ohio)

Position: Right Wing

Career: 26 seasons (1946-71, 1979-80)

Teams: Detroit Red Wings

Stanley Cup titles: 4 (1950, 1952, 1954, 1955)

Bottom line: Gordie Howe was one of the most beloved players in NHL history and also one of its most clutch players.

There also is an interesting footnote to Howe’s 26-year NHL career. He spent six seasons in the World Hockey Association, and if you add the 12 game-winning goals he scored in that stretch, his career total still comes up just short of the No.1 spot.

Howe, who died in 2016 at 88 years old, is one of the oldest professional athletes in the history of North American’s four major sports leagues. But his final season wasn’t just for show. He played all 80 games of the 1979-80 season for the Hartford Whalers at 52 years old.

2. Alexander Ovechkin — 124

Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 17, 1985 (Moscow, Russia)

Position: Left Wing

Career: 18 seasons (2005-present)

Teams: Washington Capitals

Stanley Cup titles: 1 (2018)

Bottom line: Alexander Ovechkin went from being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NHL draft to one of the greatest players in hockey history, winning three NHL Most Valuable Player awards before winning his first Stanley Cup championship in 2018.

One thing to remember when looking at Ovechkin’s career numbers is he missed an entire season right after he was drafted because the 2004-05 NHL season was canceled due to the lockout.

Ovechkin played for Moscow Dynamo that season and scored 13 goals in 37 games.

1. Jaromir Jagr — 135

Nick Wass / AP Photo

Born: Feb. 15, 1972 (Kladno, Czechoslovakia)

Position: Right Wing

Career: 26 seasons (1991-2004, 2005-18)

Teams: Pittsburgh Penguins (1991-2001), Washington Capitals (2001-04), New York Rangers (2004, 2005-08), Philadelphia Flyers (2011-12), Dallas Stars (2012-13), Boston Bruins (2013), New Jersey Devils (2013-15), Florida Panthers (2015-17), Calgary Flames (2017-18)

Stanley Cup titles: 2 (1991, 1992)

Bottom line: Jaromir Jagr is the No. 2 scorer in NHL history behind just Wayne Gretzky, but Jagr holds the top spot for game-winning goals. Both Jagr and the No. 2 player on this list, Gordie Howe, each played 26 seasons.

Some of the most interesting facts about Jagr have to do with his age. He was the youngest player in the NHL when he joined the league in 1991, at 18 years old, and the oldest player in the league when he played his final season at 45 years old in 2018.

He’s also the only player in NHL history to play in the Stanley Cup as a teenager and in his 40s.