The Most Goals in NHL History: Will Alexander Ovechkin Beat Wayne Gretzky?

Alexander Ovechkin is one of the best goal-scorers in NHL history, but he wants to be the best. The Russian forward is chasing Wayne Gretzky with his 894 goals. Continue reading and find out how good Ovechkin, Gretzky, Jágr, and others are at scoring goals. Also, if it is even possible to surpass The Great One.

Players with the most goals in NHL history

Wayne Gretzky is the undisputed number one, even though his jersey always carried the number 99. The Great One holds many NHL records, and he is rightfully the best player in hockey history. As you can see in the chart below, there are nothing but legends in the top 10. Jaromír Jágr, Marcel Dionne, Gordie Howe, Mark Messier, or Steve Yzerman were the feared goal-scoring forces during their time in the league. 

Rank	Player	Team(s)	Goals
1	Wayne Gretzky	EDM, LAK, STL, NYR	894
2	Alexander Ovechkin	WSH	868
3	Gordie Howe	DET, HFD	801
4	Jaromír Jágr	PIT, WSH, NYR, PHI, DAL, BOS, NJD, FLA, CGY	766
5	Brett Hull	CGY, STL, DAL, DET, PHX	741
6	Marcel Dionne	DET, LAK, NYR	731
7	Phil Esposito	CHI, BOS, NYR	717
8	Mike Gartner	WSH, MNS, NYR, TOR, PHX	708
9	Mark Messier	EDM, NYR, VAN	694
10	Steve Yzerman	DET	692

Source: NHL.com



Most goals in the NHL by active players

Ovechkin, the Stanley Cup winner from 2018, is the best NHL scorer among the active players. In the chart below, it's clear that Ovechkin's lead is untouchable. Sidney Crosby from the Pittsburgh Penguins and Steven Stamkos from the Tampa Bay Lightning still haven't overcome 600 goals in the NHL. 

Rank	Player	Team(s)	Goals
1	Alexander Ovechkin	WSH	868
2	Sidney Crosby	PIT	598
3	Steven Stamkos	TBL	559
4	Evgeni Malkin	PIT	503
5	Joe Pavelski	SJS, DAL	476
6	Patrick Kane	CHI, NYR, DET	471
7	John Tavares	NYI, TOR	456
8	Jeff Carter	PHI, CBJ, LAK, PIT	442
9	Zach Parise	NJD, MIN, NYI, COL	434
10	Corey Perry	ANA, DAL, MTL, TBL, EDM, CHI	429

Source: NHL.com

Most goals in the NHL since Ovechkin's debut 

Ovechkin became the first NHL draft pick in 2004, when the Washington Capitals selected him. He made his debut in the best hockey league in the world in 2005–2006. In the chart below, you can see the top NHL scorers since the Russian forward played his first game for the Caps. Even if Alex would not surpass Wayne Gretzky, he is one of the best hockey players of the past two decades.

Rank	Player	Team(s)	Goals
1	Alexander Ovechkin	WSH	868
2	Sidney Crosby	PIT	598
3	Steven Stamkos	TBL	559
4	Evgeni Malkin	PIT	503
5	Joe Pavelski	SJS, DAL	476
6	Patrick Kane	CHI, NYR, DET	471
7	John Tavares	NYI, TOR	456
8	Eric Staal	CAR, NYR, MIN, BUF, MTL, FLA	444
9	Jeff Carter	PHI, CBJ, LAK, PIT	442
10	Zach Parise	NJD, MIN, NYI, COL	434

Source: StatMuse.com

Will Alexander Ovechkin catch and surpass Wayne Gretzky? 

Alexander Ovechkin is 38 years old. His contract with the Washington Capitals expires at the end of the 2025–2026 season. The Russian forward needs 26 goals to equalize Wayne Gretzky's record. It's difficult to say if Ovechkin will become the best scorer in NHL history, but there is a real possibility that it will happen. 

The start of the 2023-2024 season was less than ideal for Ovechkin. He failed to score goals, and the Washington Capitals were losing more than winning. However, the experienced player fought off the lower shooting percentage, tried to shoot from different positions and angles, changed hockey sticks, or, for some time, collected more assists than goals. In other words, he stayed patient, and it paid off.

Source: Reddit.com

The success of the Washington Capitals continues to depend on Ovechkin. Less than in the past, but his importance is still very high. The streak of games during which he fails to score is increasing, and his age can't be stopped either. It will probably be a close fight, at the end of which hockey history may be written.

*Stats validity: March 10, 2024