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 14,837. That stands less-than 200 above his closest competition, Sidney Crosby, who currently has 14,648. But Bergeron’s stellar career finally came to an end with his retirement in 2023. 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 2024-25 season.
Once Crosby sets the record, there’s plenty of competition behind him. Anze Kopitar has 13,614 faceoff wins. Ryan O’Reilly, Claude Giroux, John Tavares, 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 2,164. He’s currently a free agent and his playing career might be done But many active players follow close behind him, including Marc-Edouard Vlasic (2,144), Alex Pietrangelo (1,956), and Ryan Suter (1,934).
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. It will be very interesting to see which of this first generation of recorded shot-blockers sets the mark that future generations will have to chase.
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 129, chasing Jagr at 135.
Because of their situational nature, game-winning goals are a bit harder to predict than outright scoring. But Ovechkin has 13 in his last three seasons, averaging just over 4 per season. Two more seasons at that pace will see him easily break the record.
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 back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals and claimed his first-ever championship 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, 57 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. Maurice has 1,848 games coached, chasing Bowman’s 2,141. That’s almost exactly three and a half seasons. It’s easy to imagine Maurice coaching that much longer in Florida, and even if he parts ways with his current team, there will be plenty of suitors to bring him in and get the job done.
1) Goals Scored: Alex Ovechkin
It isn’t that long ago that even as incredible as Ovechkin was, it seemed inconceivable that he could ever catch Gretzky’s “untouchable” 894 goals record. But more and more in recent seasons, 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 31 goals last season. if he does that again in 2024-25, he’ll be just 10 away. It’s increasingly clear that nothing will stop him. And if anyone still 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.
Sign up for our NHL History Substack newsletter
