By the Numbers: The Rare Air of the 70-Goal Season
In the NHL, 50 goals marks an elite sniper. 60 goals defines a legend. But 70? That is a different universe. It is a statistical stratosphere so thin that only eight players in league history have ever breathed its air. If 60 is a mountaintop, 70 is the moon.
There is a specific kind of electricity that hums through an arena when a player chases 70. When a star hits late March sitting on 66 or 67, every single shift becomes must-watch television. You can feel the collective breath being held. The game seems to slow down, and the weight of history hangs on every flick of the wrist. Reaching this plateau requires more than a hot streak; it demands a season of sustained, superhuman dominance where every bounce goes your way.
The Architects of the Impossible
You cannot discuss the 70-goal mark without starting with Wayne Gretzky. While most icons spend a career dreaming of hitting the number once, "The Great One" cleared it four times. His 92-goal campaign in 1981–82 remains the gold standard—a logic-defying feat that fundamentally rewrote the record books. Watching Gretzky back then wasn't just watching hockey; it was watching a masterclass in offensive geometry.
Then there is Brett Hull. "The Golden Brett" authored a three-year tear that remains the envy of every modern winger, headlined by his staggering 86-goal explosion in 1990–91. Hull’s gift was finding the gap in coverage and unloading a one-timer before the goaltender could even set up.
The Ultimate Fraternity
The 70-goal club is a "Who's Who" of hockey royalty. Phil Esposito was the pioneer, first shattering the ceiling with 76 goals in 1970-71. Mario Lemieux reached the peak twice, including his 1988–89 masterclass. The fraternity is rounded out by the purest finishers the game has seen: Alexander Mogilny and Teemu Selanne, who famously dueled to 76 goals apiece in 1992-93; Jari Kurri, the legendary finisher for the Oilers dynasty scored 71 in 1984-85; and Bernie Nicholls, who joined the 70-goal club in 1988-89.
A Legacy of Greatness
For decades, the 70-goal season felt like a relic of the high-flying 80s. Its return to the modern conversation reminds us why we watch—recently, in 2023-24, Auston Matthews came close by scoring 69 goals. These aren't just stats; they are the seasons fans talk about forever—the years when a player became larger than the game itself.