List of NHL players with 500 goals

For ice hockey players in the National Hockey League (NHL), scoring 500 regular season goals is considered a highly significant achievement.

As of the completion of the 2017–18 NHL season—the 100th regular season of play of the National Hockey League—a total of 45 players have scored at least 500 regular season goals in their NHL career.

A 500-goal career was first achieved in 1957–58, the 41st season of the NHL, when Maurice Richard scored his 500th goal in his 863rd game played. The most recent player to score 500 goals is Patrick Marleau who achieved it on February 2, 2017.

Season achievements

The 2006–07 NHL season saw the largest number of players (five) achieve their 500th goal (Teemu Selanne, Mike Modano, Mark Recchi, Mats Sundin, and Peter Bondra). A total of four players scored their 500th goal in the 1995–96 season (Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, Mark Messier, and Dale Hawerchuk).

Starting with Maurice Richard's achievement in the 1957–58 NHL season, the greatest stretch between 500 goal scorers was the eight seasons between Gordie Howe in the 1961–62 season and Bobby Hull in the 1969–70 season.

Player achievements

The 45 players to score 500 goals consist of 33 Canadians, five Americans (Brett Hull, Joe Mullen, Mike Modano, Jeremy Roenick, and Keith Tkachuk), two Finns (Jari Kurri and Teemu Selanne), two Slovaks (Peter Bondra and Marian Hossa), one Czech (Jaromir Jagr), one Swede (Mats Sundin), and one Russian (Alexander Ovechkin). Jari Kurri has the honor of being the first non-Canadian to score 500 goals. Of note, Stan Mikita was born in Sokolče, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), and was the first not born in Canada. However, Mikita immigrated when he was young and represented Canada internationally.

The fewest number of NHL games required to reach the mark was 575, set by Wayne Gretzky. Second-quickest was Mario Lemieux, achieving the mark in his 605th game.

Of the 45 players to score at least 500 goals in their career, 18 reached the mark in fewer than 1000 career games played.

Of those on the list, Lanny McDonald came closest to 'not' achieving 500 goals—reaching the mark with only four games remaining in his final NHL season. Similarly, Joe Mullen scored his 500th goal with only ten games remaining in his final season.

Four players have scored their 500th goal on an empty net: Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy, Jari Kurri and Keith Tkachuk.

Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy is the only net minder to concede more than one opponent's 500th career goal: Steve Yzerman in 1996, Joe Mullen in 1997 and Brendan Shanahan in 2002. A contributing factor for this statistical coincidence is Roy playing the second-most games ever by a goaltender, at 1,029.

In 2006, on Hockey Night in Canada, Mats Sundin scored his 500th goal short handed, in overtime, to finish off a hat trick and to win the game for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Team achievements

A total of 20 different franchises have had a player score their 500th goal while playing for the franchise. The Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks have both had five different players score their 500th goal while playing for the team.

To date, no team has had the coincidence of multiple players reaching 500 goals on the same team in the same season. The 2001–02 Detroit Red Wings were the first team to have three 500+ goal scorers on the roster (Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille), and would finish the season with four players in the exclusive club after Brendan Shanahan joined them at the 500-goal plateau. Yzerman, Hull, Robitaille and Shanahan are four of only thirteen players with 650 or more goals in NHL history.

500-goal scorers

Updated through the end of the 2016–17 season

Legend

Rank - Ranking on all-time goals list

Goals – Career regular season goals

With team – Team for which the player scored their 500th goal

Game no. – Number of career regular season games played when 500th goal was scored

GP – Career regular season games played

HHOF – Year of induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame or eligibility

  Active NHL player is highlighted

Rank	Country	Player	Goals[1]	Date of 500th goal[1]	With team[1]	Game no.[1]	Opposing goaltender[1]	GP[1]	HHOF	Ref.
1		Wayne Gretzky	894	November 22, 1986	Edmonton Oilers	575	(empty Canucks net)	1487	1999	[2]
2		Gordie Howe	801	March 14, 1962	Detroit Red Wings	1045	Gump Worsley	1767	1972	[3]
3		Jaromir Jagr	766	February 4, 2003	Washington Capitals	928	John Grahame	1733	Active	[4]
4		Brett Hull	741	December 22, 1996	St. Louis Blues	693	Stephane Fiset	1269	2009	[5]
5		Marcel Dionne	731	December 14, 1982	Los Angeles Kings	887	Al Jensen	1348	1992	[6]
6		Phil Esposito	717	December 22, 1974	Boston Bruins	803	Jim Rutherford	1282	1984	[7]
7		Mike Gartner	708	October 14, 1991	New York Rangers	936	Mike Liut	1432	2001	[8]
8		Mark Messier	694	November 6, 1995	New York Rangers	1141	Rick Tabaracci	1756	2007	[9]
9		Steve Yzerman	692	January 17, 1996	Detroit Red Wings	906	Patrick Roy	1514	2009	[10]
10		Mario Lemieux	690	October 26, 1995	Pittsburgh Penguins	605	Tommy Soderstrom	915	1997	[11]
11		Teemu Selanne	684	November 22, 2006	Anaheim Ducks	982	Jose Theodore	1451	2017	[12]
12		Luc Robitaille	668	January 7, 1999	Los Angeles Kings	928	Dwayne Roloson	1431	2009	[13]
13		Brendan Shanahan	656	March 23, 2002	Detroit Red Wings	1100	Patrick Roy	1524	2013	[14]
14		Dave Andreychuk	640	March 15, 1997	New Jersey Devils	1070	Bill Ranford	1639	2017	[15]
15 (tie)		Joe Sakic	625	December 11, 2002	Colorado Avalanche	1044	Dan Cloutier	1378	2012	[16]
15 (tie)		Jarome Iginla	625	January 7, 2012	Calgary Flames	1149	Niklas Backstrom	1554	2017	[17]
17		Alexander Ovechkin	611	January 11, 2016	Washington Capitals	801	Andrew Hammond	1003	Active	[18][19]
18		Bobby Hull	610	February 21, 1970	Chicago Blackhawks	861	Ed Giacomin	1063	1983	[20]
19		Dino Ciccarelli	608	January 8, 1994	Detroit Red Wings	946	Kelly Hrudey	1232	2010	[21]
20		Jari Kurri	601	October 17, 1992	Los Angeles Kings	833	(empty Bruins net)	1251	2001	[22]
21		Mark Recchi	577	January 26, 2007	Pittsburgh Penguins	1303	Marty Turco	1652	2017	[23]
22		Mike Bossy	573	January 2, 1986	New York Islanders	647	(empty Bruins net)	752	1991	[24]
23 (tie)		Mats Sundin	564	October 14, 2006	Toronto Maple Leafs	1162	Miikka Kiprusoff	1346	2012	[25]
23 (tie)		Joe Nieuwendyk	564	January 17, 2003	New Jersey Devils	1094	Kevin Weekes	1257	2011	[26]
25		Mike Modano	561	March 13, 2007	Dallas Stars	1225	Antero Niittymaki	1499	2014	[27]
26		Guy Lafleur	560	December 20, 1983	Montreal Canadiens	918	Glenn Resch	1126	1988	[28]
27		Johnny Bucyk	556	October 30, 1975	Boston Bruins	1370	Yves Belanger	1540	1981	[29]
28		Ron Francis	549	January 2, 2002	Carolina Hurricanes	1533	Byron Dafoe	1731	2007	[30]
29		Michel Goulet	548	February 16, 1992	Chicago Blackhawks	951	Jeff Reese	1089	1998	[31]
30		Maurice Richard	544	October 19, 1957	Montreal Canadiens	863	Glenn Hall	978	1961	[32]
31		Stan Mikita	541	February 27, 1977	Chicago Blackhawks	1221	Cesare Maniago	1394	1983	[33]
32		Keith Tkachuk	538	April 6, 2008	St. Louis Blues	1055	(empty Blue Jackets net)	1201	Eligible	[34]
33		Patrick Marleau	535	February 2, 2017	San Jose Sharks	1463	Ryan Miller	1575	Active	[35]
34		Frank Mahovlich	533	March 21, 1973	Montreal Canadiens	1105	Dunc Wilson	1181	1981	[36]
35		Marian Hossa	525	October 18, 2016	Chicago Blackhawks	1240	Michal Neuvirth	1309	Active	[37]
36		Bryan Trottier	524	February 13, 1990	New York Islanders	1104	Rick Wamsley	1279	1997	[38]
37		Pat Verbeek	522	March 22, 2000	Detroit Red Wings	1285	Fred Brathwaite	1424	Eligible	[39]
38		Dale Hawerchuk	518	January 31, 1996	St. Louis Blues	1103	Felix Potvin	1188	2001	[40]
39		Pierre Turgeon	515	November 8, 2005	Colorado Avalanche	1229	Vesa Toskala	1294	Eligible	[41]
40		Jeremy Roenick	513	November 10, 2007	San Jose Sharks	1267	Alex Auld	1363	Eligible	[42]
41		Gilbert Perreault	512	March 9, 1986	Buffalo Sabres	1159	Alain Chevrier	1191	1990	[43]
42		Jean Beliveau	507	February 11, 1971	Montreal Canadiens	1101	Gilles Gilbert	1125	1972	[44]
43		Peter Bondra	503	December 22, 2006	Chicago Blackhawks	1050	Jean-Sebastien Aubin	1081	Eligible	[45]
44		Joe Mullen	502	March 14, 1997	Pittsburgh Penguins	1052	Patrick Roy	1062	2000	[46]
45		Lanny McDonald	500	March 21, 1989	Calgary Flames	1107	Mark Fitzpatrick	1111	1992	[47]

References

Footnotes

General

• Cameron, Steve, ed. (2013), Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Players, Richmond Hill, Ontario: Firefly Books, ISBN 978-1-77085-224-2
• Diamond, Dan, ed. (2014). National Hockey League Guide and Record Book 2015. Triumph Books. p. 204. ISBN 978-1-62937-011-8.