Mario's 2000-01 where he had 35 goals in 43 games was insane. After 3 years off, in a defensive-minded era, ridiculous. If not for all his injuries, cancer, and 3-year retirement, he may have ended up surpassing Gretzky's mark.
He also had a 199 point season where he missed the last game of the season to injury. Had he played that last game, he could have joined Gretzky in the 200 point club, which to this day still has one lonely member.
@@matthewdaley746 A lot of players smoked then, even in the period breaks, Guy Lafleur and Steve Shutt would smoke away. It's not what got them. Pretty sure Mike Bossy also did, that actually got him, a friend saw him smoke outside the Radio-Canada studio when he was the only guy for Sports news on the night news broadcast in the early '00s, talked to him too, a class act and hilarious guy too (he tried to become a humorist in Quebec in the 90's, it worked for a while, but he was just a normal funny personable act IRL, didn't need to head Juste Pour Rire (for those who don't know, he spoke perfect Quebec French, fully bilingual Montrealer).
IMO there's no "may have" about it. Mario is 11th all time with 690 goals in just 915 games. That's over 350 less games than _anyone_ in the top 10, and over 500 less than Ovi or Gretzky. At Mario's career goals/game pace he would have needed just 270 more games to pass Gretzky, giving him a full season of leeway to have the goals record with a reasonable GP total. I won't argue Mario is a better goal scorer than Ovi because keeping healthy matters, but if someone with Mario's level of goal scoring dominance had Ovi's longevity that player would almost certainly be over 1000 goals.
Still remember watching that NHL draft when PITT selected him and he refused to come out of the stands to meet the team reps. A very poor move, but made amends with it.
Dino Cicarelli never makes enough of these lists. Cicarelli is 19th all time in goals scored. Apart from a stint in Detroit, he played on below average or worst teams for his entire career and without the benefit of skating alongside an elite Center. He scored over 50 goals twice, the first time was in his sophomore season in Minnesota. He was above the 30 goal mark 11 seasons, and would have had many more were it not for injuries. At 36 years of age, he was still able to pot 36 goals playing with a terrible expansion roster for Tampa Bay during the Deadpuck era. Cicarelli was also money in the playoffs with 73 goals in 141 games. That's pretty close to Gretzky's playoff goal pace and all the while playing for lesser teams. In his sophomore season, he led the entire NHL in playoff goal scoring with 14 goals in 19 games during the Northstar's Cinderella run to the Cup Finals. I get it, you can't include every amazing goal scorer over a 40 year period in a top 20 video. I respect the inclusion of Dave Andreychuk who is also often overlooked. But, purely looking at goal scoring ability, just goal scoring ability, he's way better than Pat LaFountaine even if LaFountaine is a much better and more dynamic player.
Underrated comment. I literally forgot Dino Cicarelli even existed. Then I read his name before even reading the rest of your comment and I was like "holy sh*** yeah! Didn't this guy have like 600 freaking goals!?"
Dino was older and was finished playing in 1999. He also was not very productive his last few years. His best goal scoring season was 43 years ago. I don't know if the hockey guy was even watching hockey at this point. Andreychuk was healthier, younger and more productive than dino in the later parts of his career. I watched Andreychuk play as a kid. I never saw Dino
Cicarelli broke his leg in his draft year and went undrafted. Strangely, I think the injury and not being drafted put Cicarelli permanently kind of under the radar.
I'm a die hard Rangers fan with no love for the Pens or Caps, but having the privilege of watching the career of Ovi and Sid has been a treat. It's funny how fictional it sounds, one well rounded player, one big strong pure goal scorer. That dueling hat tricks game in the playoffs was unforgettable. I am 33, too young to remember Gretzky and Messiers glory days, but I'll always be able to talk about Sid, Ovi, and my favorite, Henrik Lundqvist.
I remember watching that game. Being a Pens fan, that game almost gave me a stroke! The clinic both of the put on that night with duel hat tricks was one of the best playoff games ever watched.
Thanks for mentioning Mogilny. As an older person, I still remember Phil Esposito, Guy Lafleur, Richard Martin, Marcel Dionne, etc from the 1970s. Wholly agree with you about Mike Bossy.
There was a small timeframe where he could have been consider the best scorer in the game. He was a machine for that time frame. It just didn't last his whole career
Taking nothing away from Jagrs goal, but it was clearly a casual comment given to the media by Super Mario that no one who knows hockey took seriously at all.
Cam Neely’s 50 in 44 was pretty nuts in 93-94. He only played 49 games that year because of injury. He could score, even without Oates, but it definitely helped.
Pens fan, I appreciate how blessed we've been to have had 3 of your top 10 have long or full careers with the team. Plus we had Iggy stop in for a short stint. But Alex Ovechkin is 100% the best goal scorer of all time. Era adjusted, he must blow Gretzky and Lemieux away. A guy like that just doesn't come along often and you're lucky to see him play. Well, I've been lucky, and unlucky as a Pens fan at times, to witness his ridiculous shot over, and over, and over again blow past a lot of Penguins goalies. Not to mention his excellent stick handling, his hard checks and his ability to be in great positions to score. He's always, always had a leg up on every player in scoring goals and at times was far and above the best by a wide margin. Of course age has cut down his numbers some but he still can score goals as well as, what, 95% of the league? That said, it'll always be sad to know Crosby and Lemieux missed big stretches of their prime due to injuries and in Mario's case lymphoma. Though it likely wouldn't have made a massive difference in the end in terms of points per game, I always considered that stat one of the most telling, those guys both suffered so much with injuries. I won't forget the talk of Crosby possibly retiring when he was only in his late 20's from his many concussions and post-concussion symptoms. But that also brings up how some players just go their career rarely experiencing those issues and Ovechkin has being nothing but durable his entire career. You could almost always count on the man to be there for a game. With the love-hate relationship you gain as a fan of the other team, the times I've seen him hurt my favorite time, but with the love and appreciation of the sport, I can say there's no doubt Ovechkin is the all time greatest goal scorer and hopefully he will be able to have that official when he passes Gretzky.
Stevie Y's, bar down from the blueline, game 7, double overtime goal, was the most perfect goal I've ever seen in 60 years of watching hockey. The replay from the goal is astounding.
@@matthewdaley746Dont act like you wouldnt celebrate like a bull with his testicles tied if it was YOU that scored a GWG OT goal, what are we talking about here? Who cares who the opponent is?
Gut check wise Yzerman smashing his knee into the goal post in 1987-88, then tried to skate on it with his cartilage all torn up and probably hurt himself even more in the process. He really hated not being out missing time on the ice for the team and the fans.
Ovechkin could be over 900 right now. Hes been incredibly healthy his entire career. But also so unlucky considering the chase. His entire rookie season was obliterated because of a lockout. 2012 shortened because of another lockout. Then 2 covid shortened seasons.
@@That90sShow and what’s your point? I didn’t mention Mario. Simply stating Ovechkin was unlucky. So was Mario with injury and cancer. But my comment didn’t mention him and have anything to do with him.
Bure was something special. It really pissed me off when Brian Marchment knee hunted Bure while he was playing on a minor knee injury and essentially pulled an Ulf Samuelsson on Cam Neely to Bure. I liked Marchment until that dirty hit and after that no way.
@@Seriously_Unserious Wow, liking Bryan Marchment...I guess he had been in one of your fav teams because he was one of the dirtiest out there in the 80's and 90's.
Bure and Neely were probably the best I saw live growing up. Sadly, they both had short careers due to injury. Can you imagine if the Canucks hadn’t given up on Cam and they had both at the same time? I don’t think Neely becomes the player he does in Vancouver, but he might have gotten a lot better with Larionov.
For me it's Mario Lemieux at number 1. He could score whatever way you wanted. He could shoot, deke, carry guys on his back, score while being dragged down. 5 goals 5 different ways, in 1 game. Injuries caused by the abuse he took from other players, and then Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, and he kept coming back strong? Yeah, Mario.
Bossy never scored less than 51 until his last season. He is undoubtedly the best goal scorer ever for a 10 year period and would probably be #1 all time if not for injuries cutting his career short.
@mizer9510 That's objectively wrong. Gretzky's first 10 years from '79-'80 through '88-'89 scored 637 goals all the while being a pass first player. Bossy played during the exact same era and scored 573 in his 10 year career, 64 goals short of Gretzky's mark.
I knew Ovi was #1!! I met Brendan Witt a week before Ovechkin was drafted. I worked at a Tower Records 15 minutes from The Capitals practice rink. Alex seemed magic like a myth at that time. Ovechkin can score from anywhere at any time. He has more hits than the the preceding 5 active goal scorers combined. The goals are wonderful, but Ovi brought DC a Cup. It's all I ever wanted.
Crosby and Ovi will never be dethroned and as the best back to back #1 tandem ever. What an era to watch hockey with these two, absolutely spoiled watching them.
Yeah, Ovi should be number 1, considering he scored so many in the dead puck era. This is coming from a long time Isles fan, and yes Bossy is my favorite all time player. I could make an argument that Bossy should be ahead of Mario if we are talking about just scoring goals, but I can't make the same argument vs Ovi.
I was thinking the same thing. Messier don't belong before Kurri, Selänne or Jagr. Probebly should not on the list at all. Great player, not a goalscorer
As a man in his fifties, Mario Lemieux was the greatest hockey player I had ever seen live. Guys that size didn’t skate like ballerina. TV doesn’t come close to seeing how insanely good of a skater he really was. Before the back surgery, he would rush the net like a freight train. His hands were disgustingly skilled. See the time he fooled Bourque. I definitely list him ahead of Ovechkin who never had as much skill as Lemieux.
Not so much a goalscorer, more of a passer. As an all round player I only rank Crosby ahead of him post-2000. Outstanding defensively, positionally, skating, creative passing, and those sick hands. But nowhere near a top goalscorers list. From a Detroit fan
5'9 180 pounds Joe Mullen, a 50 goal scorer, 7 seasons with 40+goals 10 seasons with 30 +goals Should have been on the list, and he grew up playing roller hockey, got to love that!
I agree as far as Gretzky #4 behind Bossy, Lemieux, and Ovechkin as pure goal scorers. I also agree about Bossy…if his back doesn’t give out he’s well north of 800 goals easily. I’m torn between Lemieux and Ovi for #1…Ovi is lights out especially in a more defensive-minded era, but Super Mario scored so many goals in so many different ways..
On Iginla I'll never forget what he did for Linden's last game where he Instigated a Handshake line after the regular season game which was Linden's last and got all of his team mates to come back out on the ice and shake Trevor's hand It was beautiful.
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As huge a fan as I was of Bossy, when I was a boy, Ovie is just that much more entertaining to behold. I find it difficult to believe that you excluded Datsyuk, and Federov, though. Also, Dale Hawerchuck. And, as a Bruins fan, where's Nealy, Shannon?!
He had a great setup man in Trottier for most of his career He also had a great knack of finding that space in the slot( excellent at sliding backwards into that spot , get the shot off and super accurate, before the cross check) Less about breaking in on the wing, and wiring the shot ( again excellent shot, speed hampered by back)
@@Mayor_Of_Eureka17 Ovi is great, but Bossy was better. He just lacked the health to make a strong push for the records. Matthews will surpass them both before it’s all said and done.
I don't know what the hell you were watching but it wasn't the NHL. I hate the Oilers, especially during the 80s, and I was never a fan of Gretz but if 4 straight seasons of 70 or more goals combined with another five seasons of 50 or more goals while being the best set-up man in hockey isn't the model of goal scoring consistency, then I don't know what is. Again, I am no fan of Gretz or the Oilers but to score at the rate Gretz did while being the assist machine that he was is absolutely mind boggling. And during one of his 40 goal seasons, he had 109 assists for a total of 149 points, which is two more than Bossy's career best.
If I was building a team I would still have Mogilny as my first line winger. Of all the players I saw play live he impressed me with how many ways he could score a goal and it didn’t matter who was playing center with him. Also far more Physical than he got credit for. Props for putting Gartner on the list. 🤘🏻
Mentioning Forsberg as an honourable mention for best goal scorers is kinda crazy to me (though I’m too young to speak from authority), but damn would I love to see where he’d place on best passers / playmakers Some of my absolute favourite plays of his are when he just keeps the puck away from everyone just to pass to whomever is now left wide open Love him
Considering he's likely going to be the all-time leader, Ovechkin is an obvious choice. But Lemieux's still the goat to me. Not just for the _"If he'd only been healthy"_ fantasies. More for what he actually did with all the he played through. That Lemieux is 2nd all-time in points per game, assists per game, *and* goals per game, despite all the serious health problems, that will never quit being ridiculous to me. Among forwards, I think Gretzky and Lemieux are lightyears ahead of everyone else--to the point that trying to put anyone else in their category is farcical. And lets not forget, Lemieux didn't put all those crazy numbers during the high-flying '80s. He played in the Dead Puck Era too, and was still putting up video game numbers.
@@user-dl3uo3we2z His speed might be the most underrated part of his game. He was so big, he covered a ton of ice with every stride. He wasn't Pavel Bure fast. But there are so many instances where he caught someone flatfooted and blew past them.
But the list here is again about pure goal scorers, not better overall player. IF you want to argue Lemiuxs the better overall player ok sure, but in terms of pure goal scoring Ovechkin in his prime was one of the most terrifying forwards this league will ever see and he has the best shot in League history which is why he's knocking on Gretzky's record, his compilations are nuts and up there with McDavid level in some of the goals he scored during his seasons in this league and he kept his scoring numbers high as he aged and re-invented himself over time. Feels like people forget just how dominant Ovi was and is, he does deserve that spot at #1
While it's still "the goal", I feel like that's more of a luck play that went well and is simply unexpected. You could say scoring is in his blood, but I don't think you need to be Ovi to score that goal from the back. His "danglicious" goal against the devils, on the other hand, is what "the goal" should have been and to me much more impressive from a skill perspective.
@@JohnnyBuschi You completely missed my point. What kind of person would say any goal that goes in is luck? Are trying to be dumb or what? Ask yourself, do you think being Ovechkin made the difference when he is on his back? The answer is probably no, because it's just a blind swing. If Ovi himself said I don't know how I do it, it tells you it's luck. Stop being dumb and offensive whenever someone else disagrees with you, especially when the opposite side is also a Caps fan.
Just 752 GP and Bossy comes in at 3rd. Still holds the record for goals per game, just slightly above Lemieux, who also had an abbreviated career of 900+ GP. By comparison, Ovi and Gretz have 1,400+ GP.
Wild to think that the NHL and fans got to see seven guys play more games than Bossy and Lemieux combined. Not a slight against anything, just merely a what if about two guys whose careers were shortened by the tides of life
And it is much easier to score at a high pace over 752 games than to stay consistent for 1400+ games. Which is why the whole GPG/PPG argument is stupid. Doing super well over a short period of time is always much easier than doing very well over a long period of time. And also, longevity is a part of greatness, even if it isn't something you can always control (Ovi > Bossy, Lidström > Orr and so on).
@@qp773 Yep. I read that Bossy had problems with a poorly healed knee cap injury in high school. That made him walk and skate off-kilter, and that's what ruined his back.
Consider this about Ovechkin: yes, he scored goals during a low-scoring era. But, also, he was negated 167 games--more than 2 full seasons of his career--because of lock-outs and Covid. If he would have been able to play those games and score at his career pace, he would be closing in on 1000 goals right now. Most people don't consider that his first season, where he would have entered the league as a 19 year-old was canceled. He didn't start playing in the league until he was 20 years old.
You can't put him on the list of course, but Johan Franzen was one of the most freakishly natural goal scorers I've seen. You look at the way he scored goals for a few years there, he could do anything. Ridiculous shot, could make nice moves, hard to stop because of his size, and sometimes the puck just went in somehow. It was nuts.
Lol he certainly was for a few weeks in 08 that's for damn sure . I've seen everything that's happened in hockey one way or another since about 88 or 89 and that round vs Colorado in particular was one of the damnedest thing I can recall lol
Same opinion. I think Ovi is the best goal scorer desipte him growing increasingly old and dropping off fast is because even tho he still basically just stands in his spot everyone has known for a decade, he still scores. It still goes in. It still adds up. And at this point, him getting the record is a given, watching him play through his entire career has been amazing even if we're in the absolute twilight of it. He will be remembered as a machine.
As a Caps fan growing up in the 90’s and watching Lemieux I absolutely loved him which made it all the worse that he played on a team I loathed. Agree Ovi is #1 because of the era.
I heard a Bossy quote a few years ago that he regretted retiring so early. He felt he recovered enough from his back injury that he could have come back and played again, and he wished he hadn't given up. One can only wonder how many more goals he had left in his tank. I was born in the mid-80s so I never got to see him play.
No idea where you heard that but he suffered with his back his entire life - he was injured when he was young and it never was treated properly so he grew injured . He lived in pain most of his life .
@@pjpredhomme7699 type in Bossy regret retiring early and it is the very first thing that comes up I was looking at the possibility of maybe playing 50-60 games and repeating that 38 goals the season before. It was my pride that told me I didn’t want to end my career like that. Today, I tell myself “My God that wasn’t smart”. I should have kept playing. (1:31:38)
@pjpredhomme7699 I don't remember either. It might have even been on his Wikipedia page for all I know now. I didn't save what I read. It's possible he didn't say it, but I remember reading it. And it seems like a weird "quote" for someone else to put words into his mouth and lie about all these years later. Maybe he was just self reflecting later in life on what could have been.
Great list, me being older than you and watching hockey in the mid 70's , I got to see Lafleur at his best. He'd be on " "This Hockey Guy's " list. Probably #6.
Pretty good Top 20. I'm 45 and I'm very happy to see Mike Bossy and Mike Gartner in these kind of lists. Too often forgotten. Many can argue for Neely, Robitaille, Goulet, Shanahan, Ciccarelli, Nieuwendyk, etc. For me, it would be Petr Bondra. Very few players scored more goals than assists in their careers, but only 2 players of this era scored 100+ goals than they had assists: Ovechkin and Bondra. Maybe he'll be included in a couple of years when THG will do his 30 Best Goal Scorers list.
Sergei Fedorov could have been elite of the era, skate like the wind and could play any position. Yet once he won the Hart in 1994 the Red Wings brass were very wary of him slacking off not really caring anymore about giving it his all and just desiring future earnings. His father started getting involved, then Sergei then got involved with missy golden tennis ball and then he was distracted even more. Still a great player for Detroit's historical overview, took less money to go to the Ducks in a strange move. Guy lost about $28 million in very poor investments.
Gretzky's goal totals his first 8 years in the league: 51, 55, 92, 71, 87, 73, 52, 62. Total - 543 goals in 632 games. He is #'s 1, 2, and 3 on this list.
He did it with a roster full of future hall of famers, against Canadian bus drivers and goalies who couldn't stop a single shot in the modern NHL. He'd be nothing in the modern NHL, whereas prime Ovechkin would easily score at least 200 goals every season during the 80's, even if he had to play with a broom handle.
As great as he was, he played in a much different era. And was surrounded by other hall of famers. Id argue mcdavids 64 goal 153 pt season last year is more impressive than any of gretzkys seasons. Yes scoring is on the rise again, but theres more teams now, meaning more jet lag, game is more physically taxing, and hes got maybe one other hall of fame caliber teammate right now, yet put up those numbers.
The ones I miss on this list is Luc Robitaille, Brendan Shanahan and Dino Ciccarelli. Pat Lafontaine's 1,17 ppg (1013 points in 865 games) is the best among all American hockey players, active or retired.
@@doaftheloaf IMO not trying to take anything away from the Great One, but given the option knowing what both have accomplished, I’d have chosen Lemieux over Gretzky simply because I think Lemieux had a better 2 way game. Probably Lemieux over Bossy too, but that’s only considering Bossy’s career was shorter due to his back.
This comment is ridiculous. Messier scored nearly 100 game winning goals in the regular season. You clearly didn’t watch him play much. Another ignorant RUclips comment, surprise!
@@timetowakeup6302 92, actually…nothing like just adding 8 phantom goals…but hey, let’s pretend he has 100. the dude played 25 seasons and 1756 games…not very impressive.
For me Mike Bossy is the best pure goal scorer the NHL as ever seen, and the thing is he was even better in the playoffs winning 4 stanley cups. RIP Boss
as a neutral fan he was 100% without a doubt the most gifted goal scorer I ever saw..I doubt we will ever see a guy who could score every which way like him ever again..even in this non contact era with no center line and lame 3 on 3 goals padding the stats
Ovechkin has scored so many highlight reel, freakishly good goals that it's not even close. The goal in the 2009 playoffs vs NYR, "The goal" against the coyotes (which coincidentally, single handedly got me back into watching the NHL again), the end to end goal against NJD, are three of at least 100+ goals that are crazy enough to be highlight reel material for Ovechkin. Anybody disagreeing because so and so had more goals per game average, blah blah... no. There was never a player in NHL history that you held your breath for when he's on the ice unless you're talking about Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Alex Ovechkin.
Pavel Bure before he got the big contract, May not have been number one, but He was one of the best I ever saw. After he got the contract, he seemed to suffer from fat cat disease, but he could have been the most exciting player in the game for about three years.
Using Hockey Reference's 'Adjusted Goals' metric (goals adjusted for season length and the season's overall goal scoring), Post-1930 only (since season-length was so short before). This is how I would rank the 'Greatest Goal Scorers In NHL History'. Players with a 65+ adjusted Goal season, one other 60+ adjusted goal season, 2 other 50+ adjusted goal seasons The All-Time ELITE 1. Lemieux (71, 67, 59, 56) 2. Gretzky (69, 68, 58, 57) 3. Ovechkin (72, 62, 60, 59) [would be #1 except he never had that 2nd 'all-time great' season of 65 adjusted goals] 4. Br.Hull (78, 63, 61, 52) [had the greatest goal-scoring season of all time, but wasn't as prolific otherwise compared to top3] 5. Esposito (70, 65, 64, 52) 6. Matthews (68, 63, 58, 56) [still has time to pass Esposito, and maybe Hull. Would need 2+ 70+ adjusted goal seasons to be #1] 7. Bure (65, 64, 59, 55) Honourable Mentions (best season 58+, 3 other seasons 47+) Near-ELITE (barely missed my arbitrary cutoff) 8. Stamkos (68, 56, 56, 50) 9. Howe (65, 55, 55, 55) Other all-time goal-scoring GREATS 10. Selanne (62, 60, 54, 53) 11. Jagr (60, 57, 55, 54) 12. Bo.Hull (58, 57, 57, 54) 13. Bondra (60, 59, 50, 49) [criminally underrated] 14. Iginla (60, 56, 48, 48) 15. LeClair (59, 52, 49, 49) [also underrated] 16. Bossy (58, 52, 48, 48) [overrated b/c of the high-scoring era]
Another one who won't make the list because of an injury shorten career is Tim Kerr. Consistent 50 goal scorer when he was healthy and totally immoveable from in front of the crease.
Because different eras can vary widely with regard to the number of goals scored, a fair way to compare goal scorers might be to judge them by the number of times they led the league in goals scored. Ovechkin : 9 times Lemieux : 3 times Bossy : 2 times Gretzky : 5 times Brett Hull : 3 times Bure : 3 times Matthews : 3 times* Messier : 0 times Jagr : 0 times Crosby : 2 times Kurri : 1 time Selanne : 3 times Gartner : 0 times Sakic : 0 times Yzerman : 0 times McDavid : 1 time* Stamkos : 2 times* Iginla : 2 times LaFontaine : 0 times Andreychuk : 0 times also Bondra : 2 times * active Historical: Bobby Hull : 7 times Gordie Howe : 5 times Rocket Richard : 5 times C. Conacher : 5 times Beliveau : 2 times Esposito : 6 times LaFleur : 1 time Dionne : 0 times F. Mahovlich : 0 times
You should do a video on the most underrated players during this time period. Players that didn't get the glory, but without them Cups or Trophies may not have been won.
I'd only make 2 changes. Top 20? Mogilny has to be on that list. As for honorable mentions, Marion Hossa would be at the top of my list. He was fun to watch.
Having been watching hockey since the early '70's I have to agree with Mike Bossy, who I think may have been the best pure goal scorer in the game. I would compare him to what Auston Matthews is doing in the modern era. For pure overall talent it has to be Mario Lemieux. What he was able to do despite all the injuries is amazing. He would be the equivalent of what Connor McDavid is today.
@YesMan-uy4cj i don't hate ovi. I actually like him a lot, especially these days now that everybody is hating on Russians, I usually defend him. But a lot of his goals are boring, so to me not one of the greatest goal scorers. Just like how McDavid made this list but not Draisaitl even though Drai actually has more goals (and I agree with that). Creativity is definitely a component, otherwise this would just be a copy/paste of the all time goal scorers list
@@scottiepaterson192okay you are clearly not old enough to remember young Ovi if you think this. Prime Ovi is possibly the most electrifying and fun player of all time. Now most of his goals are just because of his shot and positioning but young Ovi could destroy the opponent with a monster hit, dangle through 3 players and score. He just lost the speed and some hands quickness over time so he can’t do it anymore but just check out his first top 10 goals of his career or something and you will see
Very very surprised no Gordie Howe who is 3rd all-time with 801 goals. No Marcel Dionne who is 6th all-time with 731. & No Phil Esposito who is 7th with 717. No criticism from me just not sure if you forgot to add them or the players who took those spots are just players you like better. Howe being 3rd all-time with 801 is a glaring emission tho ☹️ Mr. Hockey gonna gonna deliver elbow drop for not adding him. 💪🏻
I think your list is very solid Shannon. I'm so glad that Mario has gone up I truely believe he was the greatest of all time. As for the full top 20 the only thing i can think of is that i really think marcel dionne should be there. I remember watching him as a kid and his goals were pretty magical.
Obligatory "you're wrong" comment
Obligatory “you’re both wrong” reply to your comment.
Obligatory “nitpick about something that’s not even the point because I want to sidetrack the conversation” comment
Obligatory non-sequitur trying to make it political.
Agree more with his last list. 1 Ovi, 2 Bossy, 3 Gretzky....
Obligatory “Stupid Hockey Guy” comment.
Only THG can get annoyed at a list he made 😂
Mario's 2000-01 where he had 35 goals in 43 games was insane. After 3 years off, in a defensive-minded era, ridiculous. If not for all his injuries, cancer, and 3-year retirement, he may have ended up surpassing Gretzky's mark.
He also had a 199 point season where he missed the last game of the season to injury. Had he played that last game, he could have joined Gretzky in the 200 point club, which to this day still has one lonely member.
@@matthewdaley746 A lot of players smoked then, even in the period breaks, Guy Lafleur and Steve Shutt would smoke away. It's not what got them. Pretty sure Mike Bossy also did, that actually got him, a friend saw him smoke outside the Radio-Canada studio when he was the only guy for Sports news on the night news broadcast in the early '00s, talked to him too, a class act and hilarious guy too (he tried to become a humorist in Quebec in the 90's, it worked for a while, but he was just a normal funny personable act IRL, didn't need to head Juste Pour Rire (for those who don't know, he spoke perfect Quebec French, fully bilingual Montrealer).
IMO there's no "may have" about it. Mario is 11th all time with 690 goals in just 915 games. That's over 350 less games than _anyone_ in the top 10, and over 500 less than Ovi or Gretzky. At Mario's career goals/game pace he would have needed just 270 more games to pass Gretzky, giving him a full season of leeway to have the goals record with a reasonable GP total. I won't argue Mario is a better goal scorer than Ovi because keeping healthy matters, but if someone with Mario's level of goal scoring dominance had Ovi's longevity that player would almost certainly be over 1000 goals.
I still think he was the GOAT. Gretzky was great too, but the competition was often pathetic.
Still remember watching that NHL draft when PITT selected him and he refused to come out of the stands to meet the team reps. A very poor move, but made amends with it.
Dino Cicarelli never makes enough of these lists.
Cicarelli is 19th all time in goals scored. Apart from a stint in Detroit, he played on below average or worst teams for his entire career and without the benefit of skating alongside an elite Center. He scored over 50 goals twice, the first time was in his sophomore season in Minnesota. He was above the 30 goal mark 11 seasons, and would have had many more were it not for injuries. At 36 years of age, he was still able to pot 36 goals playing with a terrible expansion roster for Tampa Bay during the Deadpuck era.
Cicarelli was also money in the playoffs with 73 goals in 141 games. That's pretty close to Gretzky's playoff goal pace and all the while playing for lesser teams. In his sophomore season, he led the entire NHL in playoff goal scoring with 14 goals in 19 games during the Northstar's Cinderella run to the Cup Finals.
I get it, you can't include every amazing goal scorer over a 40 year period in a top 20 video. I respect the inclusion of Dave Andreychuk who is also often overlooked. But, purely looking at goal scoring ability, just goal scoring ability, he's way better than Pat LaFountaine even if LaFountaine is a much better and more dynamic player.
Underrated comment. I literally forgot Dino Cicarelli even existed. Then I read his name before even reading the rest of your comment and I was like "holy sh*** yeah! Didn't this guy have like 600 freaking goals!?"
He killed me on Sega NHL 🤣
Dino was older and was finished playing in 1999. He also was not very productive his last few years. His best goal scoring season was 43 years ago. I don't know if the hockey guy was even watching hockey at this point.
Andreychuk was healthier, younger and more productive than dino in the later parts of his career.
I watched Andreychuk play as a kid. I never saw Dino
Cicarelli - is a good obvservation - he definitely could be near that Igilna , lafontaine , Andreychuk he belongs among that group for sure .
Cicarelli broke his leg in his draft year and went undrafted. Strangely, I think the injury and not being drafted put Cicarelli permanently kind of under the radar.
I'm a die hard Rangers fan with no love for the Pens or Caps, but having the privilege of watching the career of Ovi and Sid has been a treat. It's funny how fictional it sounds, one well rounded player, one big strong pure goal scorer. That dueling hat tricks game in the playoffs was unforgettable. I am 33, too young to remember Gretzky and Messiers glory days, but I'll always be able to talk about Sid, Ovi, and my favorite, Henrik Lundqvist.
I remember watching that game. Being a Pens fan, that game almost gave me a stroke! The clinic both of the put on that night with duel hat tricks was one of the best playoff games ever watched.
Thanks for mentioning Mogilny. As an older person, I still remember Phil Esposito, Guy Lafleur, Richard Martin, Marcel Dionne, etc from the 1970s. Wholly agree with you about Mike Bossy.
There was a small timeframe where he could have been consider the best scorer in the game. He was a machine for that time frame. It just didn't last his whole career
Probably doesn’t deserve to be on the list because the number of goals is low but Pavel Datsyuk was just a magical dude out there
Datsyuk is the dictionary definition of a player that sacrificed a ton of offense to be a more well rounded player
Jagr’s SC goal against the Blackhawks was “the greatest goal I have ever seen” according to Lemieux.
Greatest single goal Ive ever seen is Malkin's spinorama vs the Canes. Tempted to put the Edmonton one too. The sound was just soooooooo satisfying.
Taking nothing away from Jagrs goal, but it was clearly a casual comment given to the media by Super Mario that no one who knows hockey took seriously at all.
@@matthewdaley746 Too bad the Islanders haven’t won anything in 40 years
@@Mach141 I am aware of that but he was half serious, half joking I think
@@matthewdaley746 still won’t more cups than the Islanders.
Cam Neely’s 50 in 44 was pretty nuts in 93-94. He only played 49 games that year because of injury. He could score, even without Oates, but it definitely helped.
Beat me to it! Was gonna say Neely as well
Seabass!!!!
I do wonder if healthy Neely + Oates could have been more celebrated than Hull& Oates.
Pens fan, I appreciate how blessed we've been to have had 3 of your top 10 have long or full careers with the team. Plus we had Iggy stop in for a short stint. But Alex Ovechkin is 100% the best goal scorer of all time. Era adjusted, he must blow Gretzky and Lemieux away. A guy like that just doesn't come along often and you're lucky to see him play. Well, I've been lucky, and unlucky as a Pens fan at times, to witness his ridiculous shot over, and over, and over again blow past a lot of Penguins goalies. Not to mention his excellent stick handling, his hard checks and his ability to be in great positions to score. He's always, always had a leg up on every player in scoring goals and at times was far and above the best by a wide margin. Of course age has cut down his numbers some but he still can score goals as well as, what, 95% of the league?
That said, it'll always be sad to know Crosby and Lemieux missed big stretches of their prime due to injuries and in Mario's case lymphoma. Though it likely wouldn't have made a massive difference in the end in terms of points per game, I always considered that stat one of the most telling, those guys both suffered so much with injuries. I won't forget the talk of Crosby possibly retiring when he was only in his late 20's from his many concussions and post-concussion symptoms.
But that also brings up how some players just go their career rarely experiencing those issues and Ovechkin has being nothing but durable his entire career. You could almost always count on the man to be there for a game. With the love-hate relationship you gain as a fan of the other team, the times I've seen him hurt my favorite time, but with the love and appreciation of the sport, I can say there's no doubt Ovechkin is the all time greatest goal scorer and hopefully he will be able to have that official when he passes Gretzky.
Mario is the only player to score 5 different ways in a single game.
That's one game.
@@peterolbrisch8970 lol
@@matthewdaley746 lol
did he score on his back without looking
Stevie Y's, bar down from the blueline, game 7, double overtime goal, was the most perfect goal I've ever seen in 60 years of watching hockey. The replay from the goal is astounding.
Absolutely a Lazer guided piss missile of a shot .
@@matthewdaley746Dont act like you wouldnt celebrate like a bull with his testicles tied if it was YOU that scored a GWG OT goal, what are we talking about here? Who cares who the opponent is?
Gut check wise Yzerman smashing his knee into the goal post in 1987-88, then tried to skate on it with his cartilage all torn up and probably hurt himself even more in the process.
He really hated not being out missing time on the ice for the team and the fans.
Agreed
The fact that he stole the puck from Gretzky before scoring that goal made it even more priceless.
While Hull was a prolific goal scorer, I know of at least one of his goals that should have never counted...
Could have should have would have . Ya lost and you were gonna lose no matter what . Get over it
Great reference haha
But before Ovi, Hull was by far my greatest one-timer goal scorer. The guy was insane.
Shadow in the crease , blame the lighting. lol.
Ovechkin could be over 900 right now. Hes been incredibly healthy his entire career. But also so unlucky considering the chase. His entire rookie season was obliterated because of a lockout. 2012 shortened because of another lockout. Then 2 covid shortened seasons.
And he's still had what, 3000 more shots than Mario ?? 😂😂😂
@@That90sShow and what’s your point? I didn’t mention Mario. Simply stating Ovechkin was unlucky. So was Mario with injury and cancer. But my comment didn’t mention him and have anything to do with him.
Thanks for the Pavel bure reference!! I asked on the stream :). I feel like he’s being forgotten and he’s my fav Canucks player of all time
And a great panther ❤
Bure was something special. It really pissed me off when Brian Marchment knee hunted Bure while he was playing on a minor knee injury and essentially pulled an Ulf Samuelsson on Cam Neely to Bure. I liked Marchment until that dirty hit and after that no way.
@@Seriously_Unserious Wow, liking Bryan Marchment...I guess he had been in one of your fav teams because he was one of the dirtiest out there in the 80's and 90's.
Bure and Neely were probably the best I saw live growing up. Sadly, they both had short careers due to injury. Can you imagine if the Canucks hadn’t given up on Cam and they had both at the same time? I don’t think Neely becomes the player he does in Vancouver, but he might have gotten a lot better with Larionov.
I’m 45 so I don’t remember Bossy, but I’ve never seen anyone score the way Bure did.
Mike Gartner: quite possibly the most 'under the radar' great goal scorer of all time.
Mike Gartner 15 years straight of 30 goals is more reliable than the mail.
For me it's Mario Lemieux at number 1. He could score whatever way you wanted. He could shoot, deke, carry guys on his back, score while being dragged down. 5 goals 5 different ways, in 1 game. Injuries caused by the abuse he took from other players, and then Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, and he kept coming back strong? Yeah, Mario.
Bossy never scored less than 51 until his last season. He is undoubtedly the best goal scorer ever for a 10 year period and would probably be #1 all time if not for injuries cutting his career short.
Absolutely agree with you. Born in '63, grew up in the NYC metro, rooting for the Islanders and Bossy in particular was a privilege beyond measure!
@mizer9510 That's objectively wrong. Gretzky's first 10 years from '79-'80 through '88-'89 scored 637 goals all the while being a pass first player. Bossy played during the exact same era and scored 573 in his 10 year career, 64 goals short of Gretzky's mark.
Mike Bossy is greatest pure goal scorer the NHL has ever seen. Full stop. Case closed.
@@steve8803 And if you only count the 10 seasons Bossy played, he only beats Gretzky by 30 goals with a two season head start.
Brett Hull says hi
I knew Ovi was #1!!
I met Brendan Witt a week before Ovechkin was drafted. I worked at a Tower Records 15 minutes from The Capitals practice rink. Alex seemed magic like a myth at that time.
Ovechkin can score from anywhere at any time. He has more hits than the the preceding 5 active goal scorers combined.
The goals are wonderful, but Ovi brought DC a Cup. It's all I ever wanted.
Yoooo what's up Harbor Center Tower Records!!! I knew Witter well ! Used to dog sit his mastiff Brooklyn!
Crosby and Ovi will never be dethroned and as the best back to back #1 tandem ever. What an era to watch hockey with these two, absolutely spoiled watching them.
@@HYP3DSNIP3R its hard to believe time has flown by so fast that these guys are at the back ends of their careers now. What a ride its been!
He can score from anywhere??? 😂😂😂😂😂
Yeah, Ovi should be number 1, considering he scored so many in the dead puck era. This is coming from a long time Isles fan, and yes Bossy is my favorite all time player. I could make an argument that Bossy should be ahead of Mario if we are talking about just scoring goals, but I can't make the same argument vs Ovi.
Messier's best season was 50 goals. He was more of an assist-leadership guy. I'm a bit puzzled with his 8th place.
I was thinking the same thing. Messier don't belong before Kurri, Selänne or Jagr. Probebly should not on the list at all. Great player, not a goalscorer
3:03 Who's the dead man that hit me with the salt shaker?!
Kick his ass, Seabass!!
Mike Gartner...great player often overlooked and his name is not on the Cup.
and Mike Bossy WAS remarkable.
As a man in his fifties, Mario Lemieux was the greatest hockey player I had ever seen live. Guys that size didn’t skate like ballerina. TV doesn’t come close to seeing how insanely good of a skater he really was. Before the back surgery, he would rush the net like a freight train. His hands were disgustingly skilled. See the time he fooled Bourque. I definitely list him ahead of Ovechkin who never had as much skill as Lemieux.
What a nice, non-controversial topic for a video that surely won't cause any upset in the comment section :)
Obligatory "I'm really pissed off" comment.
Disappointed Peter Bondra didn't get a mention
@@matthewdaley746 Because he was pure goal scorer
He is the only player along with Maurice Richard with over 500 goals but less than 1000 points
@@matthewdaley746 He was the best goal scorer in 2 seasons
Agreed. There was also a time when I thought Dany Heatley might be on this list one day.
Probably the last player that could come down the wing, unload from the top of the circle, and score on a high percent of those shots.
Great shot and too many pp goals to consider but not very slippery or creative either.im guessing 475 goalsish
I'm a Pens fan so love this list, but I've always been so impressed with Pavel Datsuk--surprised he didn't make the cut.
Not so much a goalscorer, more of a passer. As an all round player I only rank Crosby ahead of him post-2000. Outstanding defensively, positionally, skating, creative passing, and those sick hands. But nowhere near a top goalscorers list. From a Detroit fan
@@tomchamberlain4329 as a fellow Detroit fan, I agree. Now that said, if we did a list of best shootout players of all time, he's the clear #1
5'9 180 pounds Joe Mullen, a 50 goal scorer,
7 seasons with 40+goals
10 seasons with 30 +goals
Should have been on the list, and he grew up playing roller hockey, got to love that!
One fine American 🇺🇸
Underrated for sure
Input thanks
he gets forgotten all the time
Alex Ovechkin being number one wasn't a matter of if, but when.
Most over rated player ever.
@@yoholmes273 and yet he still has a chance to break the Gretzky's goal record
It's crazy to think that without the 1.5 years he missed from lockouts, and the 2 covid shortened years, he'd be well on his way to 1000
I agree as far as Gretzky #4 behind Bossy, Lemieux, and Ovechkin as pure goal scorers.
I also agree about Bossy…if his back doesn’t give out he’s well north of 800 goals easily.
I’m torn between Lemieux and Ovi for #1…Ovi is lights out especially in a more defensive-minded era, but Super Mario scored so many goals in so many different ways..
On Iginla I'll never forget what he did for Linden's last game where he Instigated a Handshake line after the regular season game which was Linden's last and got all of his team mates to come back out on the ice and shake Trevor's hand It was beautiful.
As huge a fan as I was of Bossy, when I was a boy, Ovie is just that much more entertaining to behold. I find it difficult to believe that you excluded Datsyuk, and Federov, though. Also, Dale Hawerchuck. And, as a Bruins fan, where's Nealy, Shannon?!
Nice to see Joe Sakic on the list. One of the most versatile centers to ever play
Haven’t watched the video, but Mike Bossy is the most consistently great goal scorer I’ve seen in my 65 years.
He had a great setup man in Trottier for most of his career
He also had a great knack of finding that space in the slot( excellent at sliding backwards into that spot , get the shot off and super accurate, before the cross check)
Less about breaking in on the wing, and wiring the shot ( again excellent shot, speed hampered by back)
Have you only watched hockey for 10 of those years sir? Ovi is clearly Him.
@@Mayor_Of_Eureka17 Ovi is great, but Bossy was better. He just lacked the health to make a strong push for the records.
Matthews will surpass them both before it’s all said and done.
@@djardine2520 hahahahahaah that's a load of nonsense. But sure... whatever helps you sleep at night kid.
I don't know what the hell you were watching but it wasn't the NHL. I hate the Oilers, especially during the 80s, and I was never a fan of Gretz but if 4 straight seasons of 70 or more goals combined with another five seasons of 50 or more goals while being the best set-up man in hockey isn't the model of goal scoring consistency, then I don't know what is.
Again, I am no fan of Gretz or the Oilers but to score at the rate Gretz did while being the assist machine that he was is absolutely mind boggling. And during one of his 40 goal seasons, he had 109 assists for a total of 149 points, which is two more than Bossy's career best.
Two way forwards don’t get enough love. I think you should make a list of the best two way forwards you’ve seen. They’re some of my favorite players!
If I was building a team I would still have Mogilny as my first line winger. Of all the players I saw play live he impressed me with how many ways he could score a goal and it didn’t matter who was playing center with him. Also far more
Physical than he got credit for. Props for putting Gartner on the list. 🤘🏻
Mentioning Forsberg as an honourable mention for best goal scorers is kinda crazy to me (though I’m too young to speak from authority), but damn would I love to see where he’d place on best passers / playmakers
Some of my absolute favourite plays of his are when he just keeps the puck away from everyone just to pass to whomever is now left wide open
Love him
I guess Guy Lafleur was just before your time watching hockey. Six seasons with 50+ goals ... like Bossy, injuries & age did him in far too early.
Thank you !!! Watching him fly down the ice hair flying Around…. Awesome
Bossy has the highest goals per game followed closely by Mario. It’s unfortunate that they both had health problems.
Considering he's likely going to be the all-time leader, Ovechkin is an obvious choice. But Lemieux's still the goat to me. Not just for the _"If he'd only been healthy"_ fantasies. More for what he actually did with all the he played through. That Lemieux is 2nd all-time in points per game, assists per game, *and* goals per game, despite all the serious health problems, that will never quit being ridiculous to me. Among forwards, I think Gretzky and Lemieux are lightyears ahead of everyone else--to the point that trying to put anyone else in their category is farcical.
And lets not forget, Lemieux didn't put all those crazy numbers during the high-flying '80s. He played in the Dead Puck Era too, and was still putting up video game numbers.
He was so much bigger and stronger, fast too than most players, so they were limited to chopping wood,hooking on Mario to slow him down
@@user-dl3uo3we2z His speed might be the most underrated part of his game. He was so big, he covered a ton of ice with every stride. He wasn't Pavel Bure fast. But there are so many instances where he caught someone flatfooted and blew past them.
How many years do you want to give Ovechkin to beat Gretzky's record ?
@@robintaylor1490 2 beat and batter, I mean, he would have broken the record a long time ago if lockdown and stuff.
But the list here is again about pure goal scorers, not better overall player. IF you want to argue Lemiuxs the better overall player ok sure, but in terms of pure goal scoring Ovechkin in his prime was one of the most terrifying forwards this league will ever see and he has the best shot in League history which is why he's knocking on Gretzky's record, his compilations are nuts and up there with McDavid level in some of the goals he scored during his seasons in this league and he kept his scoring numbers high as he aged and re-invented himself over time. Feels like people forget just how dominant Ovi was and is, he does deserve that spot at #1
My favorite goal is Ovi scoring on his back from behind. That was ridiculous.
While it's still "the goal", I feel like that's more of a luck play that went well and is simply unexpected. You could say scoring is in his blood, but I don't think you need to be Ovi to score that goal from the back. His "danglicious" goal against the devils, on the other hand, is what "the goal" should have been and to me much more impressive from a skill perspective.
@@jkliao6486 you can call it luck but he still did what he did. By that logic, any goal that goes in has an element of luck to it.
@@JohnnyBuschi You completely missed my point. What kind of person would say any goal that goes in is luck? Are trying to be dumb or what? Ask yourself, do you think being Ovechkin made the difference when he is on his back? The answer is probably no, because it's just a blind swing. If Ovi himself said I don't know how I do it, it tells you it's luck. Stop being dumb and offensive whenever someone else disagrees with you, especially when the opposite side is also a Caps fan.
@@jkliao6486 oh, let me just reply to your nice and respectful comment, momo
@@jkliao6486name one other player that's done it? That's right you cant
Forsberg says himself he could do pretty much everything except shoot the puck 😂 Probably fair to keep him off
Mike bossy was amazing and I agree he probably would have had over 900
Just 752 GP and Bossy comes in at 3rd. Still holds the record for goals per game, just slightly above Lemieux, who also had an abbreviated career of 900+ GP. By comparison, Ovi and Gretz have 1,400+ GP.
Bossy also played in some the highest scoring seasons in history
Wild to think that the NHL and fans got to see seven guys play more games than Bossy and Lemieux combined. Not a slight against anything, just merely a what if about two guys whose careers were shortened by the tides of life
And it is much easier to score at a high pace over 752 games than to stay consistent for 1400+ games. Which is why the whole GPG/PPG argument is stupid. Doing super well over a short period of time is always much easier than doing very well over a long period of time. And also, longevity is a part of greatness, even if it isn't something you can always control (Ovi > Bossy, Lidström > Orr and so on).
@@Peksisarvinen You're argument is stupid. I'm talking 600 fewer games, not a couple hundred difference.
@@qp773 Yep. I read that Bossy had problems with a poorly healed knee cap injury in high school. That made him walk and skate off-kilter, and that's what ruined his back.
Very good list Shannon! Ovechkin for me is the number one goal scorer of all time too.
Have you ever made a video about the best defensive forwards you've ever seen? If not I think that would be a cool video.
Consider this about Ovechkin: yes, he scored goals during a low-scoring era. But, also, he was negated 167 games--more than 2 full seasons of his career--because of lock-outs and Covid. If he would have been able to play those games and score at his career pace, he would be closing in on 1000 goals right now. Most people don't consider that his first season, where he would have entered the league as a 19 year-old was canceled. He didn't start playing in the league until he was 20 years old.
honorable mentions : Bondra and Kariya sadly didn't have the longevity but man growing up in the mid-late 90s those guys where amazing
As e left handed person I'm just so blown away by your board writing skills!!!
Me too. Such nice handwriting for a fellow Southpaw
You can't put him on the list of course, but Johan Franzen was one of the most freakishly natural goal scorers I've seen. You look at the way he scored goals for a few years there, he could do anything. Ridiculous shot, could make nice moves, hard to stop because of his size, and sometimes the puck just went in somehow. It was nuts.
Lol he certainly was for a few weeks in 08 that's for damn sure . I've seen everything that's happened in hockey one way or another since about 88 or 89 and that round vs Colorado in particular was one of the damnedest thing I can recall lol
The Mule 💯
Yeah how many 4+ goal games did he have? I still pull his jersey out sometimes to wear for big games.
No.
Franzen lol
Same opinion. I think Ovi is the best goal scorer desipte him growing increasingly old and dropping off fast is because even tho he still basically just stands in his spot everyone has known for a decade, he still scores. It still goes in. It still adds up. And at this point, him getting the record is a given, watching him play through his entire career has been amazing even if we're in the absolute twilight of it. He will be remembered as a machine.
As a Caps fan growing up in the 90’s and watching Lemieux I absolutely loved him which made it all the worse that he played on a team I loathed. Agree Ovi is #1 because of the era.
shout out to Tomas Holmstrom who should have had about 70 more goals than he ended up with
I heard a Bossy quote a few years ago that he regretted retiring so early. He felt he recovered enough from his back injury that he could have come back and played again, and he wished he hadn't given up. One can only wonder how many more goals he had left in his tank. I was born in the mid-80s so I never got to see him play.
No idea where you heard that but he suffered with his back his entire life - he was injured when he was young and it never was treated properly so he grew injured . He lived in pain most of his life .
@@pjpredhomme7699 type in Bossy regret retiring early and it is the very first thing that comes up
I was looking at the possibility of maybe playing 50-60 games and repeating that 38 goals the season before. It was my pride that told me I didn’t want to end my career like that. Today, I tell myself “My God that wasn’t smart”. I should have kept playing. (1:31:38)
@pjpredhomme7699 I don't remember either. It might have even been on his Wikipedia page for all I know now. I didn't save what I read. It's possible he didn't say it, but I remember reading it. And it seems like a weird "quote" for someone else to put words into his mouth and lie about all these years later. Maybe he was just self reflecting later in life on what could have been.
Great list, me being older than you and watching hockey in the mid 70's , I got to see Lafleur at his best. He'd be on " "This Hockey Guy's " list. Probably #6.
A top 20 playmakers as well would be nice!
Pretty good Top 20. I'm 45 and I'm very happy to see Mike Bossy and Mike Gartner in these kind of lists. Too often forgotten. Many can argue for Neely, Robitaille, Goulet, Shanahan, Ciccarelli, Nieuwendyk, etc. For me, it would be Petr Bondra. Very few players scored more goals than assists in their careers, but only 2 players of this era scored 100+ goals than they had assists: Ovechkin and Bondra. Maybe he'll be included in a couple of years when THG will do his 30 Best Goal Scorers list.
Loved this list! :D
I totally agree about Mike Bossy
Sergei Fedorov could have been elite of the era, skate like the wind and could play any position. Yet once he won the Hart in 1994 the Red Wings brass were very wary of him slacking off not really caring anymore about giving it his all and just desiring future earnings. His father started getting involved, then Sergei then got involved with missy golden tennis ball and then he was distracted even more.
Still a great player for Detroit's historical overview, took less money to go to the Ducks in a strange move. Guy lost about $28 million in very poor investments.
I was a huge Sakic and Forsberg fan but I remember seeing Mario come back and score what seemed like 2 goals every game… what a player
Gretzky's goal totals his first 8 years in the league: 51, 55, 92, 71, 87, 73, 52, 62. Total - 543 goals in 632 games. He is #'s 1, 2, and 3 on this list.
He did it with a roster full of future hall of famers, against Canadian bus drivers and goalies who couldn't stop a single shot in the modern NHL. He'd be nothing in the modern NHL, whereas prime Ovechkin would easily score at least 200 goals every season during the 80's, even if he had to play with a broom handle.
As great as he was, he played in a much different era. And was surrounded by other hall of famers. Id argue mcdavids 64 goal 153 pt season last year is more impressive than any of gretzkys seasons. Yes scoring is on the rise again, but theres more teams now, meaning more jet lag, game is more physically taxing, and hes got maybe one other hall of fame caliber teammate right now, yet put up those numbers.
Only according to a subjective view.
Agreed. Best to ever lace em up.
And Mario had 472 goals in 517 games between the 1986-87 and 1995-96 seasons. I’d say that’s just as, if not even more, insane.
I feel like Marcel Dionne needs a spot
Best assist/playmaker would be a fun list.
Selanne is probably glad you forgot his time in Colorado 😉
Idea for a list video: best playmakers
This is one heck of an "A-list" and the perfect case for the Mt. Rushmore of hockey to be extended to 20 faces.
Bobby Hull has to be on this list somewhere
The players in this list seem to have started their careers around 1980. But you are right. Hull and Ovi are probably the 2 greatest goal scorers.
Great video! I thought of another honorable mention: Rick Nash. I always thought he was a pretty solid goal scorer.
Where is Tony Tanti ?? Just kidding :) keep up the good work
Bondra deserves to be on here. If you look up pure goal scorer in the dictionary, that is him. Like Ovi is now, he was the Caps offense.
The ones I miss on this list is Luc Robitaille, Brendan Shanahan and Dino Ciccarelli.
Pat Lafontaine's 1,17 ppg (1013 points in 865 games) is the best among all American hockey players, active or retired.
I could be wrong, but I think if his back had not given out Bossy would have broken 1,000. Especially if he had played as many games as Gretzky
i'm certain lemieux would have hit 4 digits as well. probably more likely than bossy. don't know about 1000 for him, but 900 definitely.
@@doaftheloaf IMO not trying to take anything away from the Great One, but given the option knowing what both have accomplished, I’d have chosen Lemieux over Gretzky simply because I think Lemieux had a better 2 way game. Probably Lemieux over Bossy too, but that’s only considering Bossy’s career was shorter due to his back.
@@mikemallimo9286 me too. 66 was a more talented player.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Messier was the most unimpressive 600+ goal scorer in NHL history…can’t remember a single regular season goal of his.
This comment is ridiculous. Messier scored nearly 100 game winning goals in the regular season. You clearly didn’t watch him play much. Another ignorant RUclips comment, surprise!
@@timetowakeup6302 92, actually…nothing like just adding 8 phantom goals…but hey, let’s pretend he has 100. the dude played 25 seasons and 1756 games…not very impressive.
Lost art of being a goal scorer, penalty Killer and physical presence all at once.
For me Mike Bossy is the best pure goal scorer the NHL as ever seen, and the thing is he was even better in the playoffs winning 4 stanley cups. RIP Boss
😂😂😂😂😂😂
as a neutral fan he was 100% without a doubt the most gifted goal scorer I ever saw..I doubt we will ever see a guy who could score every which way like him ever again..even in this non contact era with no center line and lame 3 on 3 goals padding the stats
can't argue much about your list! pretty similar to what would be mine! good job!
Ovechkin has scored so many highlight reel, freakishly good goals that it's not even close. The goal in the 2009 playoffs vs NYR, "The goal" against the coyotes (which coincidentally, single handedly got me back into watching the NHL again), the end to end goal against NJD, are three of at least 100+ goals that are crazy enough to be highlight reel material for Ovechkin.
Anybody disagreeing because so and so had more goals per game average, blah blah... no. There was never a player in NHL history that you held your breath for when he's on the ice unless you're talking about Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Alex Ovechkin.
And Bobby Hull
Pavel Bure before he got the big contract, May not have been number one, but He was one of the best I ever saw. After he got the contract, he seemed to suffer from fat cat disease, but he could have been the most exciting player in the game for about three years.
I mean bold to put Garry Bettman at #1 Shanon but I love these list videos
Honorable mention: Ron Hextall
I agree with your former list. Ovi, Bossy, Gretzky...
Using Hockey Reference's 'Adjusted Goals' metric (goals adjusted for season length and the season's overall goal scoring), Post-1930 only (since season-length was so short before). This is how I would rank the 'Greatest Goal Scorers In NHL History'.
Players with a 65+ adjusted Goal season, one other 60+ adjusted goal season, 2 other 50+ adjusted goal seasons
The All-Time ELITE
1. Lemieux (71, 67, 59, 56)
2. Gretzky (69, 68, 58, 57)
3. Ovechkin (72, 62, 60, 59) [would be #1 except he never had that 2nd 'all-time great' season of 65 adjusted goals]
4. Br.Hull (78, 63, 61, 52) [had the greatest goal-scoring season of all time, but wasn't as prolific otherwise compared to top3]
5. Esposito (70, 65, 64, 52)
6. Matthews (68, 63, 58, 56) [still has time to pass Esposito, and maybe Hull. Would need 2+ 70+ adjusted goal seasons to be #1]
7. Bure (65, 64, 59, 55)
Honourable Mentions (best season 58+, 3 other seasons 47+)
Near-ELITE (barely missed my arbitrary cutoff)
8. Stamkos (68, 56, 56, 50)
9. Howe (65, 55, 55, 55)
Other all-time goal-scoring GREATS
10. Selanne (62, 60, 54, 53)
11. Jagr (60, 57, 55, 54)
12. Bo.Hull (58, 57, 57, 54)
13. Bondra (60, 59, 50, 49) [criminally underrated]
14. Iginla (60, 56, 48, 48)
15. LeClair (59, 52, 49, 49) [also underrated]
16. Bossy (58, 52, 48, 48) [overrated b/c of the high-scoring era]
I think the only thing difficult for Joe Sakic was safe snow blower usage.
Another one who won't make the list because of an injury shorten career is Tim Kerr. Consistent 50 goal scorer when he was healthy and totally immoveable from in front of the crease.
Because different eras can vary widely with regard to the number of goals scored, a fair way to compare goal scorers might be to judge them by the number of times they led the league in goals scored.
Ovechkin : 9 times
Lemieux : 3 times
Bossy : 2 times
Gretzky : 5 times
Brett Hull : 3 times
Bure : 3 times
Matthews : 3 times*
Messier : 0 times
Jagr : 0 times
Crosby : 2 times
Kurri : 1 time
Selanne : 3 times
Gartner : 0 times
Sakic : 0 times
Yzerman : 0 times
McDavid : 1 time*
Stamkos : 2 times*
Iginla : 2 times
LaFontaine : 0 times
Andreychuk : 0 times
also
Bondra : 2 times
* active
Historical:
Bobby Hull : 7 times
Gordie Howe : 5 times
Rocket Richard : 5 times
C. Conacher : 5 times
Beliveau : 2 times
Esposito : 6 times
LaFleur : 1 time
Dionne : 0 times
F. Mahovlich : 0 times
Teemu and Ovie are the best pure goal scores I’ve seen but I also wasn’t watching hockey in the 80s due to a bad case of not being born yet.
As your agent, Shannon, more of this type of content. More.
maaaaaaan i cannot stand for not seeing marc-eduard vlasic here,,,, this is so dishonest
You should do a video on the most underrated players during this time period. Players that didn't get the glory, but without them Cups or Trophies may not have been won.
I'd only make 2 changes. Top 20? Mogilny has to be on that list. As for honorable mentions, Marion Hossa would be at the top of my list. He was fun to watch.
Solid list.
So after doing this video, now you gotta do top 20 passers, top 20 defensemen, and especially your top 20 in a shootout
As a fan of the Avs since their move to Colorado, seeing Sakic one ahead of Stevie Y really makes me smile.
Having been watching hockey since the early '70's I have to agree with Mike Bossy, who I think may have been the best pure goal scorer in the game. I would compare him to what Auston Matthews is doing in the modern era.
For pure overall talent it has to be Mario Lemieux. What he was able to do despite all the injuries is amazing. He would be the equivalent of what Connor McDavid is today.
Great list, brother. Have you done an all-time goalie list?
Any thoughts on where McDavid and Bedard will end up? Maybe a future predictions video?
I have the same top 5 but a different order.
1.Lemieux
2.Bossy
3.Ovechkin
4.Gretzky
5.Brett Hull
ovechkin still overrated on this list
@@scottiepaterson192 there is no way Ovechkin isnt the best, even if you hate him you are total stupid if you think otherwise
@YesMan-uy4cj i don't hate ovi. I actually like him a lot, especially these days now that everybody is hating on Russians, I usually defend him. But a lot of his goals are boring, so to me not one of the greatest goal scorers.
Just like how McDavid made this list but not Draisaitl even though Drai actually has more goals (and I agree with that). Creativity is definitely a component, otherwise this would just be a copy/paste of the all time goal scorers list
@@scottiepaterson192okay you are clearly not old enough to remember young Ovi if you think this. Prime Ovi is possibly the most electrifying and fun player of all time. Now most of his goals are just because of his shot and positioning but young Ovi could destroy the opponent with a monster hit, dangle through 3 players and score. He just lost the speed and some hands quickness over time so he can’t do it anymore but just check out his first top 10 goals of his career or something and you will see
BOSSY is the easily number #1.
Bossy is the greatest pure goal scorer to ever play hockey on ice ever.
Very very surprised no Gordie Howe who is 3rd all-time with 801 goals.
No Marcel Dionne who is 6th all-time with 731.
& No Phil Esposito who is 7th with 717.
No criticism from me just not sure if you forgot to add them or the players who took those spots are just players you like better.
Howe being 3rd all-time with 801 is a glaring emission tho ☹️ Mr. Hockey gonna gonna deliver elbow drop for not adding him. 💪🏻
I think your list is very solid Shannon. I'm so glad that Mario has gone up I truely believe he was the greatest of all time. As for the full top 20 the only thing i can think of is that i really think marcel dionne should be there. I remember watching him as a kid and his goals were pretty magical.
That jersey is 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 go pens!