List of NHL players with 50 goal seasons

As of the completion of the 2006–07 regular season, 87 different hockey players have scored at least 50 goals in a National Hockey League (NHL) regular season.

Collectively, these players have achieved this feat on 181 different occasions, playing for 26 different franchises. Including four franchises that have changed cities, there have been 30 different teams with 50 goal players.

A 50 goal season was first achieved in March of the 1944–45 NHL season by Maurice Richard.cite book | last = National Hockey League | authorlink = National Hockey League | title = National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2008 |publisher = Dan Diamond & Associates, Inc. | date = 2007 | location = Toronto | pages = 656 |id = ISBN 978–1–894801–11–9] He achieved the target in the 50th, and final, game of the 1944–45 season. Richard also created the standard for the rarely achieved mark of 50-in-50.

It would take another 16 years, to the 1960–61 NHL season, before Bernie Geoffrion became the second player ever to score 50 goals in a single season.

eason achievements

The 1992–93 NHL season had the most 50 goal players, with 14. The second most was the 1981–82 NHL season, with 10.

Counting the 1970–71 NHL season, there was at least one 50 goal player for 24 straight years, until the lockout shortened 1994–95 NHL season.

Counting the 1960–61 season when Geoffrion became the second ever 50 goal scorer, there have only been 9 seasons out of 47 that did not have a 50 goal player. Not unexpectedly, this span includes the lockout shortened year of 1994–95 and the lockout ‘non-season’ of 2004–05. More surprisingly, no player was able to achieve the feat in the complete/lengthy 82 game seasons of 1998–99 and 2003–04.

The 50 goal player became a rarity in the 6 seasons from 1998–99 to 2003–04. The mark was only achieved by 5 unique players, on 6 different occasions. Contrast this with the fact that 14 different individual seasons have matched or exceeded the numbers achieved in this 6 season run.

Player achievements

The players with the most 50 goal seasons are Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky, with 9 each. Next closest are 3 players with 6 seasons of 50 goals.

Bossy also holds the record of 9 consecutive 50 goal seasons, from 1977–78 to 1985–86, followed by Gretzky with 8 consecutive seasons from 1979–80 to 1986–87.

Two different players have been traded during a 50 goal season: Craig Simpson and Dave Andreychuk.

Team achievements

Excluding the 2 split-team players above, the Edmonton Oilers have had the most incidents of a player achieving 50 goals during the franchise's history, with 15. The Los Angeles Kings follow with 14 players scoring 50 goals.

Excluding the 2 split-team players above, the Atlanta Flames/Calgary Flames franchise has had the greatest number of unique players (ignores repeats for same player, same team) achieve 50 goals, with 8. This is followed by 4 teams who have had 6 different/unique players achieve 50 goals while with the team.

The Edmonton Oilers are the only team to have 3 players achieve 50 goals in the same season, in both the 1983–84 and 1985–86 seasons. A total of 11 teams have had 2 players score 50 goals in the same season, with the Boston Bruins the first team to achieve the mark in the 1970–71 season.

The New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers have had at least one 50 goal player in 11 different seasons, followed by 4 teams that have had at least one 50 goal scorer in 10 different seasons.

The New York Islanders had at least one 50 goal player in 9 consecutive seasons, from 1977–78 to 1985–86 (Bossy's above-noted 9 consecutive 50-goal seasons, though he wasn't always the only Islander to achieve this), followed by the Edmonton Oilers with 8 consecutive seasons.

The Edmonton Oilers are the only team to have 2 players achieve 70+ goals in the same year, with Wayne Gretzky (73 goals) and Jari Kurri (71 goals) achieving this in the 1984–85 NHL season. The Pittsburgh Penguins are the only team to have two players in the 60 goal category in the same season, with Mario Lemieux (69) and Jaromir Jagr (62) in the 1995–96 NHL season.

Four franchises have had 50 goal players both before and after the entire team moved: the Atlanta Flames/Calgary Flames, the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars, the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche and the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes.

One franchise has had a 50 goal player in its original city, but not their new city: the Hartford Whalers (now Carolina Hurricanes).

Four franchises currently playing in the NHL have never had a player achieve 50 goals: New Jersey Devils (started as Kansas City Scouts in 1974–75), Nashville Predators (1998–99), and the two newest teams Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild (2000–01). As noted above, the three youngest franchises arrived at a time when the 50 goal player is not as common as in previous years. The oldest of these four franchises, the Devils, has won 3 Stanley Cup championships relying on a strong defensive style rather than 50 goal players.

Players who have scored 50 goals

ee also

* List of NHL statistical leaders
* List of NHL players with 1000 games played
* List of NHL players with 1000 points
* List of NHL players with 500 goals
* List of NHL players with 100 point seasons
* List of NHL players with 50 goals in 50 games

References