Why Isn't Wayne Gretzky Near the Top of the Playoff Games List?

Every once in a while, you bump into a little hockey fact that doesn’t seem possible. For me, it was this: Wayne Gretzky — the guy who is the NHL record book — doesn’t even crack the top tier when it comes to playoff games played. He finished with 208 postseason games, a tremendous number on its own, but nowhere near Chris Chelios (266), Nicklas Lidström (263), or Corey Perry (237), who passed him.

In fact, surprise of surprises, Gretzky ranks 17th on the all-time list.

How Is It Possible that Gretzky Is So Low in Playoff Games Played?

That’s the kind of thing that makes you stop and ask, “How is that even possible?” We’re talking about the most decorated offensive player in hockey history, a man who dragged teams into May and June almost as a habit. Yet somehow, he’s not near the Ironman list.

However, when you look a little closer, it starts to make sense. Gretzky’s glory years in Edmonton with the Oilers were dazzling but surprisingly short. Five Cups in seven seasons makes it feel like the dynasty lasted forever. But in reality, once he moved to Los Angeles, the playoffs weren’t guaranteed. He made one stunning run in 1993, but the Kings missed more often than they hit. By the time Gretzky landed in St. Louis and then New York, he wasn’t playing for teams built to go deep.

Chelios and Lidstron Were Fixtures on Teams that Made Long Playoff Marches

Contrast that with Chelios and Lidström — two defensemen who were practically permanent fixtures on teams built for long playoff marches. Those Red Wings teams just kept rolling and winning.

Even Patrick Roy, who is not listed here because he’s a goalie and not a skater, is high on the list. He played for two different dynasties of his own: the Montreal Canadiens early on, then the Colorado Avalanche during their glory years. These players had longevity, stability, and organizations that kept reaching the postseason season after season.

Thinking of Perry, perhaps he’s the most remarkable. The postseason seems to be stuck to his sweater like a burr. In his 21 NHL seasons, he’s only missed the postseason three times - with the Anaheim Ducks in 2009-10, 2011-12, and 2018-19. Every other season, he’s laced up his skates after the regular season has ended. Somehow, he always lands well on a team bound for more.

Gretzky, as Magical as His Play Was, Didn’t Play that Often When the Regular Season Ended

Gretzky, for all his magic, didn’t always have that.

What makes this little discovery so interesting is how it plays with our assumptions. We remember the highlights, the Stanley Cups, the parades. We forget the years Gretzky dragged weaker teams closer to the surface just to be competitive. His brilliance never wavered; his surroundings did.

And that’s the quiet lesson buried in the numbers: greatness can be individual, but longevity in the playoffs is almost always about team strength, timing, and the luck of landing in the right organization at the right moment.

Even The Great One couldn’t outskate that truth.