By the Numbers: Chasing the 60-Goal Spectacle
In the NHL, certain numbers just mean more. 50 goals in one season is the gold standard—the mark that tells everyone a player is elite. 60, though? 60 is different. That’s where great seasons turn into legendary ones.
Any fan who’s been in the building when a player is stuck on 59 knows the feeling. Every touch of the puck brings people to their feet. You can feel the tension, the anticipation, the sense that you might be about to witness something special. Hitting 60 isn’t just about skill—it’s about stamina, nerves, and delivering when every defender on the ice knows exactly what you’re trying to do.
The Architects of the Impossible
You can’t talk about goal scoring without starting with Wayne Gretzky. “The Great One” didn’t just reach 60—he blew the doors off the whole concept. His 92-goal season in 1981–82 still feels unreal, even decades later. Watching Gretzky back then was like watching hockey get rewritten in real time. Defenses scrambled to keep up, systems changed, and the league was never the same.
60-Goal Club—A Roster of Pure Snipers
The NHL 60-goal club is hockey’s most exclusive scoring fraternity, filled with the purest shooters the game has ever seen. At the top sit Gretzky and Mike Bossy, each reaching the mark five times. Right behind them are Mario Lemieux and Phil Esposito, with four 60-goal seasons apiece. Brett Hull carved out his own space with three such seasons, including his jaw-dropping 86-goal explosion during the 1990-91 season.
A handful of stars proved they weren’t one-hit wonders by hitting 60 twice: Auston Matthews, Pavel Bure, Jari Kurri, and Steve Yzerman. Then there’s the long list of players who touched the 60-goal summit once—a mix of legends and modern icons like Teemu Selanne, Alexander Mogilny, Jaromir Jagr, Guy Lafleur, Steven Stamkos, Connor McDavid, Lanny McDonald, Alex Ovechkin, and many more.
60-Goal Club—A Legacy of Impact
What makes a 60-goal season truly special is what it does to a team and a city. When offensive stars like Matthews, McDavid, or Ovechkin start scoring in large numbers during the season, it’s not just about wins in the standings—it’s about the emerging energy. Excitement spills out of the arena, into the streets, and across the fanbase.
Looking around the league in 2025-26, one thing hasn’t changed: 60 goals is still the mountaintop. Few ever reach it, and that’s exactly what makes it matter. These are the seasons fans talk about forever—the ones you swear you saw with your own eyes, because numbers like that don’t come around often.