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Over a hundred years of hockey have created some truly amazing records in the NHL. Here are a few of our favourites. Note: we’re writing before the 2024-25 season. If one of these is broken after this is published . . . we’d be super excited.
Most Games Played in the Stanley Cup Finals
This record is shared by Red Kelly and Henri Richard at 65 games. Incredibly, Red Kelly played some of those games when he was a Member of Parliament for York West, from 1962 to 1965.
Most Games Won by a Coach in the Stanley Cup Finals
Scotty Bowman, arguably the greatest coach of all time, won 36 Stanley Cup Final games. He also has the most wins in the regular season (1,244), most wins in the playoffs (223), and the second most Stanley Cup wins (14) of all time for any player, coach, or executive. Oh, and as a head coach, he won the Stanley Cup a record nine times. That’s five with the Canadiens, one with the Penguins, and three with the Red Wings.
Most Stanley Cup Wins as a Player, Coach, and/or Executive
So who has more cups than Bowman? That would be Jean Béliveau, who has 17, all with the Canadiens. He won 10 as a player and seven as an executive. And in case you need more Le Gros Bill facts in your life (and who doesn’t?), he was the fourth-fastest player to score 500 goals.
Most Stanley Cup Wins as a Player
Henri Richard has 11 Stanley Cup wins as a player, all with the Canadiens.
Fastest Hat Trick in NHL History
On March 23, 1952, Black Hawk Bill Mosienko scored three goals in 21 seconds, a feat unequalled since. His victim? Ranger Lorne Anderson.
Most Career Goals, Combined
You knew you’d see him eventually. Wayne Gretzky has the most career regular season goals at 894, the most playoff goals at 122, which means he has the most combined career goals at 1,016.
Most Goals in One Regular Season Game
On January 31, 1920, Quebec Bulldog Joe Malone scored seven against Toronto. No one has even tied this record.
Most Career Shorthanded Goals
You’re probably not surprised to see more Gretzky on this list. The man had 73 career shorthanded goals.
Most Career Shots on Goal
6,206. That’s the number of shots defenseman Ray Bourque took on goal. He also holds the records for most career goals as a defenseman (410), most assists as a defenseman (1,169), and most career points as a defenseman (1,579). Another fun fact: though best known as a Bruin (he played in Boston for 21 years), Bourque won his only Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche.
Most Consecutive Playoff Series Victories
From 1980 to 1984, the New York Islanders won 19 consecutive playoff series. They took four straight Stanley Cup titles and in the fifth playoff season took three more series wins before finally losing to the Oilers in ’84. A couple of additional points: one, this is a record not just in hockey but all North American sports. And two: it took the presence of Wayne Gretzky, a true all-time great, to finally beat the Islanders.
Longest Playoff Game
On March 24, 1936, the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Maroons played a 60-minute regulation game followed by 116 and 30 seconds of overtime for a total of 176 minutes and 30 seconds. They had six 20-minute overtime periods. Say it with us: holy cow!
