The NHL is notorious for having many of the most unbreakable records in sports. This is due somewhat to the evolving rules, speed, and athleticism of the game, and in no small part due to the outrageous career of “The Great One,” Wayne Gretzky. All told, Gretzky has 23 records that have been considered “unbreakable,” meaning that opportunities to collect career records in the NHL are few and far between.
And yet, record-breaking moments are iconic sports memories across generations. So while some of the headline records are safely in Gretzky’s immortal hands, we shouldn’t overlook others just because they’re less discussed. As recently as the 2020-21 season, we saw Patrick Marleau set the record for games played in the NHL, surpassing the legendary Gordie Howe. But there are several more records that remain in jeopardy. Here’s a look at five NHL records that may well be broken in the next few years.
5) Career Faceoff Wins: Sidney Crosby (And Others)
As of this writing, the NHL record for faceoff wins in a career is held by Patrice Bergeron, with a whopping 15,182. That stands over 1,000 above his closest competition, Sidney Crosby, who currently has 14,160. But Bergeron’s stellar career finally came to an end with his retirement earlier last summer. Meanwhile, Crosby has one season left on his current contract. Since he has averaged just over 11.8 faceoff wins per game in his career, it won’t be hard for him to catch Bergeron within the next few seasons.
If Crosby can’t get the job done, there’s plenty of competition behind him. Anze Kopitar has 13,256 faceoff wins. Ryan O’Reilly, Claude Giroux, and Jordan Staal all sit in the top 10. Of course, the NHL only started tracking faceoff wins in the 2005-06 season, so it is hard to know where Bergeron and his competitors compare all the time. But a record is still a record. And Crosby might take this one before it’s all said and done.
4) Blocked Shots: Marc-Edouard Vlasic (and Others)
Another record that has only been tracked since the 2005-06 season, we’re likely to see the career title for blocked shots change hands this season! Mark Giordano is currently the all-time leader, with 2,141. But many active players follow close behind him, including Marc-Edouard Vlasic (2,080), Alex Pietrangelo (1,899), and Ryan Suter (1,890).
The blocked shot is an incredibly valuable sacrifice to make for the team, and these guys have led by example throughout their careers. Giordano might be close to retirement, though, and he has a lot of competition. This is one that will probably change hands several times over the next few seasons.
3) Game-Winning Goals: Alexander Ovechkin
There’s no question that Alex Ovechkin has a bigger goal-scoring prize in mind (one we will discuss in just a bit), but before he catches “The Great One,” he will likely catch Jaromír Jágr’s career lead on game-winning goals. Right now, Ovechkin has 126, chasing Jagr at 135.
Because of their situational nature, game-winning goals are a bit harder to predict than outright scoring. But Ovechkin has 14 in his last three seasons, and one of those was severely shortened. If he can repeat that in his next three seasons, he will catch Jágr before his career is over.
2) Games Coached: Paul Maurice
Whereas Wayne Gretzky is unparalleled in scoring categories, Scotty Bowman is an unsurpassable legend behind the bench. His 1,244 wins as a head coach will probably never be touched, nor will his nine Stanley Cup victories. But a few coaches have a chance to knock Bowman off the top of the mountain in all-time games coached, most notably Paul Maurice.
Maurice steered his Florida Panthers to the Stanley Cup final last season, so he probably has a good deal of job security right now. And he has another huge asset in this chase: youth. Now, 56 might not seem like a “spring chicken” in most people’s estimation, but in the world of NHL coaching, it’s barely beyond “middle-aged.” Maurice could easily coach 10 more seasons if he wants to, and if he does that, he’ll not only break but smash through this record. It should be noted that Barry Trotz is actually closest to Bowman, sitting just 319 games behind him at 1,812. But since he has stepped up to the front office at this point in his career, Maurice seems to be the clubhouse leader in breaking this record.
1) Goals Scored: Alex Ovechkin
We have been reticent to put this remarkable accomplishment in this article before because even as it seemed more and more possible, it still seemed so improbable. But as the newest member of the 800-goal club, who shows no signs of slowing down, it is becoming clear that Ovechkin will become the all-time leading goal scorer in the NHL before his illustrious career is through.
For ages, Gretzky’s 894 goals were among his many “unbreakable” records. But Ovechkin is a truly mold-breaking player and already inarguably the greatest goal-scorer in NHL history. To accomplish what he has, in this era, and to still be doing it at such a high level is extraordinary. For years, analysts have prognosticated a massive drop off in his production, but he still scored 42 goals last season. if he does that again in 2023-24, he’ll be just 30 away. It’s increasingly clear that nothing will stop him. He only needs to average 24 goals a season for the remaining three seasons on his contract. And if anyone doubts that he can do that, they haven’t been watching closely.
Why Records Matter
Some of these records may not seem as significant as many of those that Gretzky holds, but we should not write them off. Records help us gain perspective and connect us to the game’s past. While some of these records are a byproduct of changing rules (an 82-game season, for example) they should not be ignored. An incredible mixture of skill, commitment, endurance, and a little bit of luck is needed to break any career record. These are some of the game’s greatest players, and if they break these records, we should pause to consider what an incredible accomplishment it is.