Winning four Stanley Cup titles (1984,1985,1987,1988), Gretzky set records in both regular season and post-season play, including regular season goals (894), assists (1,963), points (2,857), andhat-tricks (50). The next closest player in total points for the regular season isJaromir Jagr at 1,921,[2] thus Gretzky has more career assists than any other player has total points. On April 6, 2025, 26 years after Gretzky scored his last regular season goal,[3]Alexander Ovechkin broke Gretzky's record for most regular season goals.
Gretzky scored hisfirst 1,000 points faster (424 games) than any other player in NHL history, and scored the second 1,000 faster (433 games) than any player other than himself. His point total including regular season and playoffs stands at an imposing 3,239 (1,016 goals, 2,223 assists).
Gretzky still maintains the record for the most career playoff goals (122), assists (260), points (382), hat-tricks (10) and game-winning goals (24). His 47 playoff points in 1985 are still the most for a single postseason. His record of 31 playoff assists in a single postseason held for 36 years before being broken byConnor McDavid in game four of the2024 Stanley Cup Final.
Most goals, including playoffs:1,016 in 1,487 regular season games including 122 playoff goals[4]
Most goals, one season:92 in 1981–82, 80-game schedule[6]
Most goals, one season, including playoffs:100 in 1983–84, 87 goals in 74 regular season games and 13 goals in 19 playoff games
Most goals, 50 games from start of season:61 in 1981–82 (October 7 to January 22, 80-game schedule) and 1983–84 (October 5 to January 25), 80-game schedule
Most goals, one period:4 (tied with ten other players) February 18, 1981
Most assists, one playoff year:31 in 1988 (19 games)[21] (Since broken byConnor McDavid)
Most assists in one series:14 (at the time tied withRick Middleton and since broken byLeon Draisaitl) in 1985 Conference Finals (six games vs.Chicago)
Most assists in final series:10 in 1988 (four games, plus suspended game vs.Boston)
Most assists, one playoff game:6 (tied withMikko Leinonen) on April 9, 1987[22]
Most assists, one playoff period:3 — Three assists by one player in one period of a playoff game has been recorded on 70 occasions, five of them by Gretzky
Since Gretzky's retirement, six of his records have been broken, and he has gained one. The current NHL Record Book also now recognizes additional records held by Gretzky.
Gretzky's record of 15 regular season overtime assists has now been surpassed by over 40 players. Regular season overtime was notintroduced until his fifth season in the NHL, and was played 5-on-5 during his tenure; after he retired, in a successful effort to increase scoring in overtime, the league changed the rule to 4-on-4, and later to 3-on-3. Patrick Kane is the current record holder at 26 assists in regular season overtime.
Joe Sakic (16), Mark Messier (14), andRay Bourque (13) have passed Gretzky's record (12) for most All-Star game assists.
On March 21, 2023, Alexander Ovechkin broke Gretzky's record for most 40-or-more goal seasons, with his 13th.
On June 15, 2024,Connor McDavid recorded his 32nd assist in his 22nd game of the2024 playoffs to break Gretzky's record of 31 assists in a playoff year.[27] McDavid finished the 2024 playoffs with 34 assists in 24 games.
On April 6, 2025,Alexander Ovechkin scored his 895th career goal to break Gretzky's 31-year-old record of 894.[5]
Gretzky finished his career with a 1.921 points per game average. At the time,Mario Lemieux held the record at 2.005. After Lemieux returned to the NHL, from 2000 to 2005, his average fell to second place, and Gretzky became the record holder.
Along with his numerous official records, Wayne Gretzky also has over 100 "unofficial" ones. These other records — though not recognized by the 1999 NHL Official Guide and Record Book — are still significant.
Youngest player to score 50 goals in a season (19 years, two months)
Most points by an NHL player in his first year: 137. Because of Gretzky's season played in theWHA, the then-19-year-old was not considered a rookie when he finished his first year, so the rookie record belongs toTeemu Selanne, who had played for two seasons in thetop professional league inFinland, achieved 132 NHL points as a 22-year-old.
Most assists by an NHL player in his first year: 86. The rookie record is held jointly byPeter Stastny andJoe Juneau with 70 assists. Note that the record book gives Gretzky the record for most assists and points in a game as a first year player, but there is no official record for the season totals.
Most 200-or-more point seasons: 4. In addition to holding the official record for most 100 point seasons, Gretzky is the only player to reach 200 points in a season.
Most consecutive 200 point seasons: 3
Most 70-or-more goal seasons: 4. The NHL has a record for most 60 goal seasons, but not 70. Eight players have achieved 70 goals, and Brett Hull did so three times.
Most consecutive 70 goal seasons: 4
Most 80-or-more goal seasons: 2
Most 90-or-more goal seasons: 1. Gretzky is the only player to achieve this.
Fastest 50 goals from start of season: 50 goals in 39 games. While not an official record, the mark of50 goals in 50 games is a celebrated and rare event, achieved by only five players. The quickest, 50 goals in 39 games, is often labelled as the most difficult one to break of all of Gretzky's records – official or otherwise. The NHL has an official record for the most goals in first 50 games (held, and later repeated, by Gretzky, with 61 goals), but not the fastest to 50 goals.
Most consecutive seasons averaging at least 1 point per game: 19 (surpassed bySidney Crosby in the 2024-2025 season)
Most seasons averaging at least 2 points per game: 10
Most consecutive seasons averaging at least 2 points per game: 9
Most game-winning goals in the playoffs: 24 (tied with Brett Hull)
Most game-winning assists in one season: 23
Most game-winning assists in regular season career: 234
Most game-winning points in regular season career: 325
Highest career game-winning points per game average: 0.2185
Most 100-or-more assist seasons: 11
Most consecutive 100-or-more assist seasons: 11
Most seasons leading in even strength goals: 4
Most career even strength goals: 617
Most seasons leading in short-handed goals: 5
Most seasons leading in assists: 16
Most seasons leading in points: 11
Most seasons leading in both goals and assists: 5 (this was only achieved 7 other times in history, with Gordie Howe (2) and Mario Lemieux (2) accounting for 4 of those other occurrences).
Most seasons leading the league in goals, assists and plus/minus: 4 (no other player has done this, although plus/minus was only counted since 1967).
Most seasons leading in goals created: 7
Most seasons leading in assists per game: 12
Most seasons leading in points per game: 11
Most seasons leading in total goals on-ice for: 8
Most short-handed regular season career goals: 73
Most short-handed goals career (regular season and playoffs) : 85
Most 10+ shorthanded goals in a season : 2
Most shorthanded assists career (regular season) : 76
Most shorthanded assists career (playoffs) : 13
Most shorthanded assists career (regular season and playoffs) : 89
Most shorthanded points career (regular season) : 149
Most shorthanded points career (playoffs) : 24
Most shorthanded points career (regular season and playoffs) : 173
Most NHL and WHA regular season assists: 2,027 — Gretzky's 1,384th career assist occurred on November 2, 1990, in Washington's 4–3 win over the Kings, breaking the record held by Gordie Howe.
Most NHL and WHA regular season points: 2,967 — Gretzky broke the record held by Gordie Howe on March 9, 1992, with an assist on a first period goal byTony Granato to make the game score Los Angeles 2, Toronto 0 (final was 4–1). It was his 2,359th career point on 1,567 assists and 792 goals.
Most NHL and WHA goals, regular season (940) and playoff (132): 1,072 (one more thanGordie Howe), with Gretzky's final goal on March 29, 1999, being the game-winner with 2:07 remaining in the Rangers' 3–1 win over the New York Islanders
Most NHL and WHA regular season and playoff assists: 2,297
Most NHL and WHA regular season and playoff points: 3,369
He won nineHart Trophies, the NHL's most valuable player award, and eight of these were awarded in consecutive years from 1980 to 1987. Gretzky holds the record for most MVP awards of any player in North American professional sports.