Today’s NHL is very different from the 1980s, but it is still impressive that Wayne Gretzky scored 92 goals in the 1980-81 season. It is the record most goals in an NHL season. A record that still stands today and may be one of the unbreakable Gretzky records.
With the regular season ending, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews fell one goal short of becoming the first player to score 70 goals since the 1992-93 season.
That year, Teemu Selanne of the Winnipeg Jets and Alexander Mogilny of the Buffalo Sabres each scored 76 goals.
Matthews played in all 82 games, tried, and had chances in the final two games to hit 70. He probably should have gotten it. However, he ties Mario Lemieux and Mike Bossy for the most goals in a season.
Alex Ovechkin had the most in the modern game, with 65 goals, and Connor McDavid was right behind him at 64.
Wayne Gretzky scored over 60 goals five times, with his best being 92 goals. He also had an 87-goal campaign as well. Mario Lemieux accomplished the feat four times. Lemieux’s best was 85 goals in the 1988-89 season.
| Rk | Name | Season | GP | G | ESG | PPG | SHG | G/GP | Shots | SH% |
| 1 | Wayne Gretzky | 1981‑82 | 80 | 92 | 68 | 18 | 6 | 1.15 | 370 | 0.249 |
| 2 | Wayne Gretzky | 1983‑84 | 74 | 87 | 55 | 20 | 12 | 1.176 | 326 | 0.267 |
| 3 | Brett Hull | 1990‑91 | 78 | 86 | 57 | 29 | 0 | 1.103 | 389 | 0.221 |
| 4 | Mario Lemieux | 1988‑89 | 76 | 85 | 41 | 31 | 13 | 1.118 | 313 | 0.272 |
| T5 | Alexander Mogilny | 1992‑93 | 77 | 76 | 49 | 27 | 0 | 0.987 | 360 | 0.211 |
| Phil Esposito | 1970‑71 | 78 | 76 | 51 | 24 | 1 | 0.974 | 550 | 0.138 | |
| Teemu Selänne | 1992‑93 | 84 | 76 | 52 | 24 | 0 | 0.905 | 387 | 0.196 | |
| 8 | Wayne Gretzky | 1984‑85 | 80 | 73 | 54 | 8 | 11 | 0.913 | 354 | 0.206 |
| 9 | Brett Hull | 1989‑90 | 80 | 72 | 45 | 27 | 0 | 0.9 | 385 | 0.187 |
| T10 | Jari Kurri | 1984‑85 | 73 | 71 | 54 | 14 | 3 | 0.973 | 267 | 0.266 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 1982‑83 | 80 | 71 | 47 | 18 | 6 | 0.888 | 343 | 0.207 | |
| T12 | Brett Hull | 1991‑92 | 73 | 70 | 45 | 20 | 5 | 0.959 | 408 | 0.172 |
| Mario Lemieux | 1987‑88 | 77 | 70 | 38 | 22 | 10 | 0.909 | 382 | 0.183 | |
| Bernie Nicholls | 1988‑89 | 79 | 70 | 41 | 21 | 8 | 0.886 | 385 | 0.182 | |
| T15 | Mario Lemieux | 1992‑93 | 60 | 69 | 47 | 16 | 6 | 1.15 | 286 | 0.241 |
| Mario Lemieux | 1995‑96 | 70 | 69 | 30 | 31 | 8 | 0.986 | 338 | 0.204 | |
| Mike Bossy | 1978‑79 | 80 | 69 | 42 | 27 | 0 | 0.863 | 279 | 0.247 | |
| Auston Matthews | 2023‑24 | 81 | 69 | 51 | 18 | 0 | 0.852 | 369 | 0.187 | |
| T19 | Phil Esposito | 1973‑74 | 78 | 68 | 50 | 14 | 4 | 0.872 | 393 | 0.173 |
| Jari Kurri | 1985‑86 | 78 | 68 | 46 | 16 | 6 | 0.872 | 236 | 0.288 | |
| Mike Bossy | 1980‑81 | 79 | 68 | 38 | 28 | 2 | 0.861 | 315 | 0.216 | |
| T22 | Phil Esposito | 1971‑72 | 76 | 66 | 37 | 27 | 2 | 0.868 | 426 | 0.155 |
| Lanny McDonald | 1982‑83 | 80 | 66 | 49 | 17 | 0 | 0.825 | 275 | 0.24 | |
| T24 | Steve Yzerman | 1988‑89 | 80 | 65 | 45 | 17 | 3 | 0.813 | 388 | 0.168 |
| Alexander Ovechkin | 2007‑08 | 82 | 65 | 43 | 22 | 0 | 0.793 | 446 | 0.146 |
** Stats taken from QuantHockey
Wayne Gretzky has appeared in the top 10 for most goals in a season three times, and Brett Hull has been in the top 10 twice. The offensive output back then compared to now is remarkable.
However, the game is heading in that direction again with Matthews, McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, and the list goes on.