You’ve seen the lists. You know the names. Wayne Gretzky, Jaromír Jágr, Mark Messier. But honestly, just looking at a leaderboard doesn't tell you the whole story of how these guys actually changed the game. It’s 2026, and we are currently watching history get rewritten in real-time by a 40-year-old Russian with a graying beard and a kid from Newmarket who seems to be playing a different sport than everyone else.
The debate over all-time scoring leaders in the NHL isn't just about who has the biggest number next to their name. It’s about era-adjusted dominance, the sheer insanity of staying healthy for twenty years, and the "what if" scenarios that keep hockey fans up at night.
The Gretzky Problem: Why 2,857 is Basically Unreachable
Let's just get this out of the way. Wayne Gretzky has 2,857 points. If he never scored a single goal in his entire career, he would still be the all-time leading scorer based on his 1,963 assists alone. That is a stat that sounds fake. It sounds like something a proud grandfather would make up about his own youth. But it’s real.
Gretzky didn't just play hockey; he solved it like a math equation. He’d sit behind the net—the "office"—and wait for a defender to blink. By the time they did, the puck was already on Jari Kurri’s tape.
But there’s a nuance here people miss. Gretzky played in the 1980s, an era where goaltenders essentially played the position like they were trying to catch butterflies with their bare hands. Equipment was smaller, and the "butterfly" style hadn't been perfected. Does that diminish the 2,857? Kinda, maybe. But then you realize he was outscoring the next best player by 70 or 80 points some seasons. That’s not the era—that’s the man.
The Great Chase: Ovechkin and the Goal Record
As of January 2026, the hockey world is fixated on one specific column of the scoring leaders list: goals. Alex Ovechkin has officially moved past the 900-goal mark and is currently sitting at 917. He’s already eclipsed Gretzky’s 894, a record most experts thought would stand until the sun burnt out.
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What’s crazy is how he’s doing it. Ovi is 40. He just put up 20 goals in 46 games this season. Think about that. Most guys at 40 are struggling to get out of bed without their knees popping, and he’s still standing in the left circle, hammering one-timers past elite 20-something netminders.
Ovechkin’s climb into the elite tier of all-time scoring leaders in the NHL is a testament to durability. He hits people. He plays a heavy, violent game. Usually, power forwards fall off a cliff at 32. Ovi just decided to ignore the aging curve entirely.
Current Top 10 Point Leaders (As of Jan 14, 2026)
- Wayne Gretzky: 2,857 points. The undisputed king.
- Jaromír Jágr: 1,921 points. This number would be way higher if he hadn't spent three years in the KHL in the middle of his prime.
- Mark Messier: 1,887 points. The ultimate leader who somehow stayed productive until he was basically a senior citizen.
- Gordie Howe: 1,850 points. "Mr. Hockey" did this while playing in an era where you could basically get away with attempted murder on the ice.
- Ron Francis: 1,798 points. The most underrated superstar in history. Quietly efficient.
- Marcel Dionne: 1,771 points. Proof that you don't need a Stanley Cup to be a legend.
- Steve Yzerman: 1,755 points. Transformed from a pure scorer to a defensive beast and still stayed in the top ten.
- Sidney Crosby: 1,736 points. Sid is still climbing. He’s 38 and playing some of the smartest hockey of his life.
- Mario Lemieux: 1,723 points. The biggest "what if" in sports history.
- Alex Ovechkin: 1,663 points. Moving up the points list as he cements his status as the greatest goal-scoring machine ever.
The Mario Lemieux Paradox
If you want to start a fight in a Pittsburgh sports bar, just suggest that Gretzky was better than Mario.
Lemieux had 1,723 points in only 915 games. For context, Gretzky played 1,487 games. Mario’s points-per-game average of 1.88 is the only thing that even breathes the same air as Gretzky’s 1.92.
But Mario did it while battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma and back pain so severe he couldn't tie his own skates. There was a season—1992-93—where he missed two months for radiation treatment, flew to Philadelphia on the day of his last treatment, scored a goal, and then went on a tear to win the scoring title anyway. Honestly, that’s not even human.
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The common argument is that if Mario had been healthy, he would be the one at the top of the all-time scoring leaders in the NHL. While we can't prove it, the math supports the idea that he would have at least been the only person to join Gretzky in the 2,500-point club.
The New Guard: Is Connor McDavid a Real Threat?
Now we get to the current era. Connor McDavid is 28 years old. As of early 2026, he’s already hovering around 1,200 career points.
Let’s do some quick, dirty math. He’s averaging about 1.5 points per game over his career. If he plays 1,200 games—which is a big "if" given how fast he plays—he’s on pace for 1,800 points. That would put him in the top five of all time before he even hits 35.
But McDavid is playing in a league where the average save percentage is much higher than it was in the 80s. Defenses are more structured. Every player on the third pairing is a physical specimen who has watched ten hours of video on how to stop him. The fact that he’s still scoring at a 1980s clip is, frankly, terrifying.
Longevity vs. Peak Performance
When we talk about all-time scoring leaders in the NHL, we often overlook guys like Jaromír Jágr. Jágr is the poster child for "just keep playing." He played in the NHL until he was 45. He’s still playing in the Czech Republic at 53.
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His 1,921 points are impressive, but consider this: he left the NHL for three seasons (2008-2011) to play in Russia. If he stays in North America, he likely passes 2,100 points. He’s the bridge between the high-flying 90s and the modern era, and his booty-first style of puck protection influenced an entire generation of power forwards.
Then you have Ron Francis. Nobody ever talks about Ron Francis. He never had a 150-point season. He never had the flash of Bure or the power of Lindros. He just showed up, won faceoffs, and collected 1,249 assists. He is the "accumulation king," and there’s a specific kind of greatness in being that good for that long without anyone noticing.
Why These Rankings Still Matter
In a world of "advanced analytics" and "expected goals," raw point totals still carry the most weight. They represent the bottom line. You can have all the puck possession in the world, but if you don't put it in the net, it doesn't count.
These rankings define the hierarchy of the sport. When Patrick Kane (who is currently closing in on the record for most points by an American-born player) looks at these lists, he’s looking at the DNA of hockey.
What's really fascinating is how the "middle" of the top 50 is changing. We’re seeing guys like Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby climb into the top 15, pushing out legends from the 60s and 70s. It shows that despite the "dead puck era" of the late 90s, the elite talents of today have found a way to bridge the gap.
Actionable Insights for Hockey Fans
If you want to truly appreciate the all-time scoring leaders in the NHL, don't just look at the NHL.com table. Do this instead:
- Watch the PPG (Points Per Game): Total points tell you about health and longevity. PPG tells you about raw, unadulterated dominance. Check out Mike Bossy’s stats—he retired early but his scoring rate was insane.
- Era Adjustments: Look for "Era Adjusted" stats on sites like Hockey-Reference. It levels the playing field between a guy scoring 100 points in 1982 and a guy scoring 100 points in 2024.
- The Ovechkin Tracker: Keep an eye on Washington Capitals games for the rest of 2026. Every goal he scores now isn't just a point; it’s a new world record.
- Project McDavid: Start a spreadsheet. Map out McDavid’s trajectory. If he stays at his current 140-point pace, see where he lands in three years. It's a fun way to engage with the history as it's happening.
The list of all-time scoring leaders in the NHL is a living document. For decades, it felt like a museum—frozen in time. But between Ovechkin’s goals and McDavid’s speed, the museum is getting a massive renovation, and we’re lucky enough to have front-row seats.