Ice hockey fans are some of the most passionate in the world but sometimes the appeal of the sport is lost on those who don’t follow it closely. 

It’s quite simple though, it’s like any team sport. We like to see good patterns of play, we love celebrating a shutout, we rejoice at the physical confrontations that come with it all and, more importantly, we want to see our team win and to do that we need goals. Goals are the sweetest thing in the sport and here is our look at the best goal scorers the NHL have ever seen.

If you are starting to play the sport, either in a recreational way or in amateur leagues, you might be tempted to learn from the best. Get inspired by some of these legends of the NHL, the top 5 goal scorers in the history of the league.

NUMBER 5 – BOBBY HULL 

When you think of Hull you drift down memory lane thinking of his blistering pace and insane power, but his stats look pretty damn good on paper too. He led the league in points on three occasions and scored over 600 goals in the NHL. Two MVP awards and 10 First Team all-star appearances don’t show him in a bad light either.

NUMBER 4 – MIKE BOSSY

Bossy spent a decade bossing the opposition whilst playing for the New York Islanders where he found the net 573 times. During his time the Islanders won the Stanley Cup four times with Bossy netting the winner in two of the finals – the only player ever to net the deciding goal on two occasions. In half of his campaigns Bossy scored more than 60 goals and the only reason he’s not right at the top of this list is because of a shorter than average career.

NUMBER 3 – PHIL ESPOSITO

Esposito was a man who prided himself on the ability to bully a defense to create scoring opportunities out of next to nothing and he did it with ease. During his career he racked up near on 1600 points with over 700 goals in just 1200 games. Unquestionably, his greatest time was with the Boston Bruins where he regularly recorded north of 100 points. 1970/71 was a particular standout year as he netted 76 goals in 78 games making him just one of six to achieve such a feat.

NUMBER 2 – WAYNE GRETZKY

If we’re talking about people who can put the puck in the net, then the all time NHL top scorer has to be included. Gretzky not only holds the overall points record but won the Art Ross Trophy in 10 seasons and scooped the MVP award in nine, which is another record. In total, Gretzky spent 20 years plying his trade in the NHL and scored near on 900 goals, which is insan.

NUMBER 1 – MAURICE RICHARD 

Richard, who has been referred to as NHL’s equivalent of MLB holder Babe Ruth, was the original goal master and it’s hard to think of anyone who might displace him from his number one spot. He spent 18 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens and bagged an incredible 544 goals giving him an average of over 30 goals a season.

If his performances alone weren’t enough to place him in the history books, then the fact he was the quickest to notch 50 goals in a season where he did so in 50 games. Faster than a horse in the Kentucky Derby contenders.

Although Gretzky did eventually top that by doing so in 37 matches –   assured him of his place in the archives; on top of that, he’s a Hall of Famer and has a stadium named after him ensuring his memory will last forever.

There you have it, five of the greatest goal scorers the NHL have ever seen. Will any of the current crop of players be able to knock Richard and Gretzky out of their one and two positions? It’s unlikely but records are there to be broken and we’ll enjoy the watch along the way.