Wayne Gretzky. Obviously.
If you’re looking for the short answer to who has the most goals in the playoffs NHL fans have ever witnessed, it’s #99. He finished his career with 122 postseason goals. It’s a massive number. It feels untouchable, honestly. But the thing about playoff hockey is that the "total" doesn't always tell the whole story. You've got guys like Jari Kurri who were right there in the thick of it, or Mark Messier pulling off late-game heroics when the chips were down.
Then there's the modern era. We're watching players now who are basically machines. They’re faster, the goalies are bigger, and the systems are tighter. Yet, some of these guys are climbing the ranks at a pace that makes you wonder if "The Great One" might actually see his record challenged one day—well, maybe not the playoff one, but the regular season one for sure. Playoff hockey is just a different beast. It’s about grit, luck, and staying healthy for four grueling rounds.
Why 122 is the Magic Number for Most Goals in the Playoffs NHL
Gretzky didn't just score; he lived in the offensive zone. To get to 122 goals, you need more than just talent. You need to be on a dynasty. Those Edmonton Oilers teams of the 1980s were essentially an All-Star team playing against guys who, quite frankly, couldn't keep up. Gretzky played 208 playoff games. That’s nearly three extra full seasons of hockey played at the highest possible intensity.
If you look at the top of the list, it's basically an Oilers reunion. Jari Kurri sits at second all-time with 106 goals. People sort of forget how lethal Kurri was because he played in Wayne’s shadow, but 106 goals is absurd. For context, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin—the two defining players of the last two decades—are nowhere near that 100-goal mark in the playoffs. It really puts into perspective how much the game has changed. Back then, scores like 7-5 were common in May. Today, a 2-1 overtime slog is the standard.
Mark Messier rounds out the top three with 109, though many official counts place him just behind Kurri depending on how you're filtering for specific eras. The point is, those three guys dominated an era where the net seemed twice as big as it does now.
The Modern Challengers: Can Anyone Catch Him?
Honestly? Probably not.
To break the record for the most goals in the playoffs NHL history, a player would need to average 10 goals a post-season for 13 years. Think about how hard that is. Most players are lucky to make the playoffs three years in a row.
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Alexander Ovechkin is the greatest pure goal scorer I've ever seen. But "Ovi" spent years stuck in the second round. If your team doesn't go deep, you don't get the games. You can't score from the golf course. Even with his Stanley Cup win in 2018, his total is currently sitting in the 70s. He’s amazing, but he’s not catching Gretzky in the playoffs.
Joe Sakic and Brett Hull are other names you have to mention. Hull was a "one-timer" god. He finished with 103 playoff goals. He was the kind of player who could be invisible for 55 minutes and then boom—puck's in the back of the net twice before the buzzer. That’s the kind of efficiency you need.
The Single-Season Explosion: 19 Goals
While the career record is a marathon, the single-season record is a sprint. This is where things get really interesting.
The record for the most goals in a single playoff season is 19. It’s held by two people: Jari Kurri (1985) and Reggie Leach (1976).
Reggie Leach's run is actually more impressive in a way. He did it for the Philadelphia Flyers, and he actually won the Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP) despite his team losing in the Finals. That almost never happens. He was just that dominant. Imagine scoring 19 goals in a single spring. Most players don't score 19 goals in an entire 82-game regular season.
Does the Era Matter?
You'll hear older fans argue that the 80s were "easy" for scoring. Sure, goalies wore pads that looked like pieces of cardboard compared to the mattresses they wear today. And yeah, the "butterfly" style wasn't really a thing yet. But you also have to remember that players were getting hacked and whacked with no calls. "Clutch and grab" hockey was the law of the land.
If you put Prime Mario Lemieux (who has 76 goals in just 107 playoff games—a ridiculous 0.71 goals per game) in today’s NHL, does he score more? Maybe. The officiating is tighter, which helps skill players. But the defensive schemes are so much better now. Coaches like Jon Cooper or Paul Maurice can shut down a superstar for an entire series if they want to.
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Most Goals in the Playoffs NHL: The Top 10 All-Time List
If you're looking for the raw data, here's how the leaderboard generally shakes out. These numbers represent the mountain that current stars like Nathan MacKinnon or Connor McDavid are trying to climb:
- Wayne Gretzky: 122 goals (208 games)
- Mark Messier: 109 goals (236 games)
- Jari Kurri: 106 goals (200 games)
- Brett Hull: 103 goals (202 games)
- Glenn Anderson: 93 goals (225 games)
- Jaromir Jagr: 78 goals (208 games)
- Phil Esposito: 61 goals (130 games) - Note: This shows how much shorter the playoffs used to be.
- Alex Ovechkin: 72 goals (151 games - active)
- Sidney Crosby: 71 goals (180 games - active)
You notice something? Look at the games played. Glenn Anderson has 93 goals but it took him 225 games to get there. He was a "clutch" player, but he wasn't the focal point of the offense like Hull or Gretzky.
The "Per Game" Kings
If we stop looking at totals and look at who was most dangerous on a nightly basis, the list changes.
Mario Lemieux is the king here. If Mario hadn't dealt with cancer and back injuries, he might be the one with 130+ playoff goals. He was scoring at a rate that defied logic. In the 1991 and 1992 Cup runs, he was basically a cheat code.
Then you have Mike Bossy. The late, great Islander. Bossy had 85 goals in 129 games. That’s a 0.66 goals-per-game average. For context, that is significantly higher than Gretzky’s 0.59. If the Islanders’ dynasty had lasted just a few more years, Bossy might be the record holder. He was the purest shooter to ever play the game. Period.
Why These Records Might Be Safe Forever
The NHL parity is at an all-time high.
Back in the day, the top seeds would absolutely steamroll the lower seeds in the first round. You’d see 8-1 blowouts. Now? The 8th seed beats the 1st seed all the time (just ask the 2023 Bruins).
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When every game is a one-goal game, it’s hard for a single player to rack up 15 goals in a run. Most modern playoff leaders finish with 10 to 12 goals if they make it to the Finals.
Also, the "power play" isn't the guaranteed goal it used to be. Penalty killing has become a science. Teams block shots with a desperation that didn't exist in 1982. Every defenseman is willing to eat a puck to keep it out of the net.
What to Watch For in the Coming Seasons
If anyone is going to shake up the top 10, it’s Leon Draisaitl.
Seriously. Keep an eye on his stats. Draisaitl’s playoff production is actually historic. He has a higher points-per-game average in the playoffs than almost anyone in history not named Gretzky or Lemieux. If the Oilers can stay relevant for another five or six years, Leon might actually crack that 80 or 90 goal mark.
McDavid is obviously the best player in the world, but Draisaitl is the one who seems to find the back of the net more consistently in the post-season. He’s got that "Ovi-style" office on the power play, but he’s also a big body who can score "dirty" goals in the crease.
Practical Insights for Fans and Analysts
When you're debating who the best playoff performer is, don't just look at the total "most goals in the playoffs NHL" list.
First, look at Goals Per Game. This levels the playing field for guys like Mike Bossy or Maurice Richard, who played in eras with fewer playoff rounds.
Second, consider Game-Winning Goals (GWG). Gretzky has 24. Hull has 24. These are the goals that actually end series and win Cups. A goal in an 8-2 blowout is statistically the same as an OT winner, but we all know it’s not the same in reality.
Third, check the Era-Adjusted Stats. There are several sports analytics sites that "adjust" scoring based on the league average for that year. When you do that, players from the late 90s (the "Dead Ball Era" of hockey) look a lot better than they do on a raw list.
Next Steps for Deeper Research
- Compare the "Big Three": Look at the playoff game logs for Gretzky, Lemieux, and Bossy. You'll see that Bossy's consistency was actually higher, even if his ceiling wasn't as high as Wayne's.
- Track Active Leaders: Follow the playoff totals for Leon Draisaitl and Nathan MacKinnon. They are the only active players with a realistic shot at moving into the top 15 all-time within the next four seasons.
- Watch 1980s Highlights: To understand how these goals were scored, watch the 1985 Finals. The speed of the Oilers' transition game explains exactly why they own the record books.
- Analyze Special Teams: Nearly 30% of all-time playoff goals come on the power play. See how much of a player's total is "man-advantage" vs "even strength" to see who was more dominant in 5-on-5 play.