60 Goal Barrier Has Been Crossed 40 Times

Published on May 3rd, 2022 1:06 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


In picture:  the legendary Wayne Gretzky.  How many players have crossed the 60 goal barrier in the NHL? This past season (2021-22), Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs managed to cross the 60 goal barrier.

The last time that this was done? Alexander Ovechkin during the 2007-08 regular season, when he managed to find the net a total of 65 times.

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The 60 goal barrier has been broken a significant number of times, though definitely less often in the "modern" NHL.

The 60 goal mark has been reached a total of 40 times as of the time that this article was written.

Wayne Gretzky did it a number of times, including scoring 92 goals during the 1981-82 season, at the ripe age of 20 years old.

Brett Hull scored 86 goals during the 1990-91 regular season, while Mario Lemieux also went over the 80 goal mark (85 goals) during the 1988-89 regular season.

The 70 goal mark was broken a total of 14 times by the likes of Jari Kurri, Teemu Selanne, Wayne Gretzky, Bernie Nicholls and others.

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The "modern NHL" has resulted in a dramatic decrease in goals scored, which is why Auston Matthews' 60 goal season was so notable.

Some of the reasons behind the lower goal totals include: Better goaltending equipment, better defensive play, more parity in the league and more.

In recent years, however, goal scoring has been on the upswing, as a number of players broke the 50 goal mark in 2021-22.

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Here is the complete list of 60 goal seasons in the NHL:

1. Wayne Gretzky, 1981-82, 92 Goals
2. Wayne Gretzky, 1983-84, 87 Goals
3. Brett Hull, 1990-91, 86 Goals
4. Mario Lemieux, 1988-89, 85 Goals
5. Alexander Mogilny, 1992-93, 76 Goals
6. Phil Esposito, 1970-71, 76 Goals
7. Teemu Selanne, 1992-93, 76 Goals
8. Wayne Gretzky, 1984-85, 73 Goals
9. Brett Hull, 1989-90, 72 Goals
10. Jari Kurri, 1984-85, 71 Goals
11. Wayne Gretzky, 1982-83, 71 Goals
12. Brett Hull, 1991-92, 70 Goals
13. Mario Lemieux, 1987-88, 70 Goals
14. Bernie Nicholls, 1988-89, 70 Goals
15. Mario Lemieux, 1992-93, 69 Goals
16. Mario Lemieux, 1995-96, 69 Goals
17. Mike Bossy, 1978-79, 69 Goals
18. Phil Esposito, 1973-74, 68 Goals
19. Jari Kurri, 1985-86, 68 Goals
20. Mike Bossy, 1980-81, 68 Goals
21. Phil Esposito, 1971-72, 66 Goals
22. Lanny McDonald, 1982-83, 66 Goals
23. Steve Yzerman, 1988-89, 65 Goals
24. Alexander Ovechkin, 2007-08, 65 Goals
25. Mike Bossy, 1981-82, 64 Goals
26. Luc Robitaille, 1992-93, 63 Goals
27. Wayne Gretzky, 1986-87, 62 Goals
28. Steve Yzerman, 1989-90, 62 Goals
29. Jaromir Jagr, 1995-96, 62 Goals
30. Phil Esposito, 1974-75, 61 Goals
31. Mike Bossy, 1985-86, 61 Goals
32. Reggie Leach, 1975-76, 61 Goals
33. Auston Matthews, 2021-22, 60 Goals
34. Pavel Bure, 1993-94, 60 Goals
35. Guy Lafleur, 1977-78, 60 Goals
36. Mike Bossy, 1982-83, 60 Goals
37. Dennis Maruk, 1981-82, 60 Goals
38. Steve Shutt, 1976-77, 60 Goals
39. Steven Stamkos, 2011-12, 60 Goals
40. Pavel Bure, 1992-93, 60 Goals

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The youngest player to ever break the 60 goal mark was Wayne Gretzky, while the oldest was Phil Esposito (32 years old).

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