Most Unbreakable NHL Records

The National Hockey League is watched by many around the world. There are a handful of players that go on to build an unforgettable, Hall Of Fame-worthy career. Some of them solidify their resume by setting records.

There are some records that will go unblemished for generations. This write-up will touch on some of the most unbreakable NHL records. These are considered such based on popular opinion and statistical analysis.

We can talk about active players like Crosby, Ovechkin, or Vasilevsky any day of the week. There are those who become big stars. Yet, they may never come close to breaking any of these records below.

Wayne Gretzsky’s Scoring Records

We begin to discuss who else but The Great One? There is no doubt that Wayne Gretzky had an unforgettable career of dominance in the sport. He currently holds several scoring records both in the regular season and the playoffs.

Goals

In the regular season, Gretzky has scored 894 regular season career goals. In the playoffs, he has scored 122 career goals. This totals an eye-popping 1016 total career goals.

However, he’s also scored plenty of regular season points. Not to be outdone, it also led to him holding the record of career points.

Points

Gretzky has scored a grand-total of 3239 career points. This includes a total of 2857 regular season points and 382 points in the playoffs. He holds the single season points record with 215, which was set in the 1985-86 NHL season.

He is also the current record holder for the fastest to 100 points from the start of a season. It would take Gretzky 34 games in the 1981-82 season. Even though he was one of the best scorers, those points were not all from goals.

It’s probably due to the fact that he holds the most career assists with 2223. Including 1963 in the regular season and 260 in the playoffs. He set the single season assist record, which also happened in the 85-86 NHL season. 

For his efforts of racking up these points, he has won the Art Ross Trophy a record 10 times (including a record 7 consecutive award wins). The award is given to the NHL player who has scored the most points.

Let’s not forget that Gretzky is the current record holder for winning several different prestigious NHL awards. This includes 9 Hart Memorial Trophies (including 8 consecutive wins).

These records including the points record will be very difficult to break. Compared to the NHL of today, Gretzky played in an era where there were 80 games. Plus, players in the old school era played almost every other day.

Not only that, Gretzky played the game like no other player has ever duplicated. His style of play was crafty. He also had a couple of enforcers that watched over him during his times in Edmonton and Los Angeles.

In his years with the Oilers, Dave ‘Cementhead’ Semenko was the perfect enforcer. That role of protector was soon passed to fellow Oiler teammate Marty McSorely when he and Gretzky were dealt to the Kings after their cup-winning 1988 season.

After retiring in the fittingly enough year of 1999, Gretzky has set the standard for greatness in the sport of hockey. He may have been responsible for amassing what may be half of the NHL records for any non-goaltending player. 

“Gretzky’s list of achievements are as long as the sticks - wooden and composite. He handled those like magic wants. His combined feats are a preposterous encyclopedia.” - Dave Stubbs, NHL.com

“He (Gretzky) could hold onto the puck for a long time. Even if you knew what he was going to do, there was no stopping him.” - Harry Sinden, former General Manager of the Boston Bruins

“No Canadian kid wanted to play like a Soviet hockey player. They wanted to play like Gretzky.” - Ken Dryden, former NHL goaltender.

Martin Brodeur’s Wins Record

There was a time in the NHL when there were plenty of excellent netminders. We can talk about the names of Hasek, Potvin, and Roy among others. Yet, there was one in particular that was the best of the best in the position.

That was none other than New Jersey Devils legend Martin Brodeur. Throughout his near quarter-century long professional career, Brodeur amassed a total of 691 regular season wins. Add the 151 playoff wins and it total out to 804 total career wins.

Of these total wins, he holds the record for most shutouts in a career with 149. This included 125 in the regular season and 24 in the playoffs (including 7 in a single playoff season, when the Devils won the Stanley Cup in the 2002-03 season). 

Even though he holds the record for the most wins, he also holds the dubious honor of having the most career losses for a goaltender. Nevertheless, his winning accomplishments can easily overshadow it.

Other records he holds include the most 30+ win seasons by a goaltender with 14. He would rack 40 wins or more on 8 different occasions, another one of the most unbreakable records today. Aside from setting these records, Brodeur was perhaps the most reliable goaltender of them all.

He was not as injury prone as some players. Even though he would be absent from games due to injuries he has sustained, he would continue to remain in elite form in his return. Not to mention, his puck-handling skills were appreciated.

However, it would lead to the creation of the infamous ‘Brodeur Rule’, which greeted the trapezoid behind the net. Despite the rule change trying to slow him down, the namesake would go on to snag three Stanley Cups, ten All-Star nods, and a combined eight NHL award wins for goaltenders including four Vezina and Jennings Trophies a piece.

Because of the rule bearing his name, Brodeur’s records may go untouched for a long time. It will be a challenge for any of the current goalies to handle the puck the way he did. 

“There’s a lot of guys who can stop the puck quickly. What made Brodeur special was he could handle the puck. It didn’t get him in trouble. He saved half of his job. He only faced 20 shots when other goalkeepers have to face 40.” - Jaromir Jagr

Glenn Hall’s Ironman Streak

When we think of an Ironman streak, we think of a different sport. Baseball’s Cal Ripken Jr. may have been the first to think about. Then again, this is hockey we’re talking about here. So the equivalent of that Ironman record is currently held by Glenn Hall.

Hall was a goaltending pioneer that developed the Butterfly style. Yet, he accomplished the Ironman streak in his 20 year career. This went on for six seasons from the beginning of the 1955 season and ending in 1962.

Back then, the NHL season was 70 games long. All told, Hall had the most consecutive complete games with 502. This streak would be impossible to break by any player of any position.

One of the major things to do with it is injury. It would take insane training and conditioning to prevent injuries from occurring. Plus, there’s always the discussion that an NHL goalie shouldn’t start in situations where games are played on back-to-back nights.

From 2012 until today, the percentage of zero rest days for goalies have dwindled. Performance may also play a role as well. One goalie would be sensational one night and then have one of the worst games of their career the night after.

This is one more reason why things were much different back in the day compared to now. Especially when it comes to all the new rules (written or otherwise) being implemented. Glenn Hall’s Ironman record will continue to stand the test of time.

It’s up to the coach to make a decision on who can start between the pipes. Plus, the back-to-back nights at goal has become a rare feat in recent years. Thus, the Ironman streak continues to become one of the most unbreakable records in the sport.

“Glenn Hall was a breed apart. A class by himself. Not only for what he did on the ice, but also in the locker room.” -Scotty Bowman, former player and coach

Doug Jarvis’s Consecutive Games Record

The Ironman streak and consecutive games played may be similar to one another. However, one man has played a total of 964 NHL games, the most consecutive games in the league’s history. That record is held by Doug Jarvis, whose streak began throughout his tenure with the Montreal Canadiens from 1975 to 1982. His streak continued throughout his time with the Washington Capitals from 1982 until he was traded to the Hartford Whalers in the middle of the 1985-86 season.

His streak would come to an end at the start of the 1987-88 season. Jarvis’s consecutive games record would be impossible to beat. Once again, the physical aspect of the game can be taxing on the body.

The record would be set when Keith Yandle would surpass Jarvis. Even though it took 35 years to set a new record, it’s still a challenge to beat. 

“It’s unbelievable. I can’t believe he didn’t catch a cold being out that long.” - Gordie Howe

“He (Jarvis) played hard every game. He never gave into injury or even the flu. He didn’t accomplish this record on the cheap.” -Ron Francis, Hartford Whalers

Bobby Orr’s +/- Record

Bobby Orr holds the single season plus/minus record with +124, set in the 1970-71 season. He would finish his career second behind Larry Robinson with a total record of 582. Behind him in the career numbers were Ray Bourque and Wayne Gretzky.

That single season plus/minus record is holding strong after a half century. It would be impossible to beat it (even though Robinson was the closest to do it six years later). The amount of points Orr accrued in the 1970-71 season plays part of the reason why this +/- record one of the most unbreakable NHL records out there.

The reason it would be hard to beat is because back then, the NHL when Bobby Orr was around was a high scoring affair. Yet, what made him great was he had a combination of various attributes including speed, strength, and skill. He was a two-way player that was not only good with defense, but also offense.

“If Bobby Orr could do it, you can too.” - Don Cherry

Henri Richard’s Most Career Cup Wins

Sports fans have a weird logic when it comes to debating on who the GOAT is. In a sport like the NFL, people say Tom Brady is the GOAT because of his seven career Super Bowl wins. With due respect to #12, he does have some records that will be just as unbreakable as the NHL records we’re talking about.

Yet, by that logic, would we crown Henri Richard as The Great One for winning 11 Stanley Cups? While we digress, hoisting Lord Stanley that many times in a career might just be one of the most unbreakable of NHL records.

The Montreal Canadiens have the most Stanley Cup titles with 24. For Richard to be on the team for half of them further solidifies how impressive the accomplishment is. Perhaps it’s one of the perks of being on one team throughout the rest of your career.

Richard isn’t the only one with his surname to hold NHL records. His brother is none other than ‘Rocket’ Maurice Richard. The elder Richard has also etched his name in the history books (specifically in the Stanley Cup finals).

He holds the record of 34 goals in the finals round alone. The Richard family might possess some hard to beat records of their own.

Winning the Stanley Cup is a team effort. For one player to win it 11 times in their career will be a near impossible task. A player may want to play somewhere else possibly due to their potential to win the Cup.

However, a team’s performance varies from year to year. It would take sheer luck and strategy to hop from one team to another in an effort to win a Stanley Cup multiple times in your career.

“He was the most inspirational player they (Montreal Canadiens) have had.” - Terry Crisp, Philadelphia Flyers (1972-77).

Teemu Selanne and his Rookie Goals

Teemu Selanne set the record that no rookie might ever touch at all. He scored 76 goals in his first ever year in the NHL during the 1992-93 season for the Winnipeg Jets. In conjunction with the goals record, he scored 132 points (which is the most for a rookie).

Rookies may have a hard time reaching this record. Even the most heralded names such as Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin missed it by more than a mile. When rookies enter the league, there’s an amount of trust that needs to be earned from their veteran teammates.

A young rookie isn’t expected to be a team leader. As much as they can be able to produce on the ice, the league isn’t as high scoring as it was back in the day.

Conclusion

These NHL records are perhaps the most unbreakable not only in one sport, but any other. Hockey continues to be appreciated by fans around the world. Of these records, only one has been surpassed up to this point.

Even if an NHL player manages to break certain records, it sets the bar higher for other players. Which one may be slated to be broken next? It’s impossible to tell, but time may still do so.

FAQ

What is the best NHL record of all time?

The best NHL record of all time belongs to the 1929-30 Boston Bruins with a win percentage of .875.

Does Wayne Gretzky still hold records?

Yes. He holds or shares over 60 different NHL records.

What record can Ovechkin break?

Currently, Alex Ovechkin may break the career number of regular season goals of 894 within the next two years (2025-26 season). 

What is the most unbreakable record in sports?

Wayne Gretzky’s 2857 career NHL points is considered the most unbreakable record of any sport.