Unlikely to be unseated anytime soon, Wayne Gretzky boasts a great many records in the NHL and Stanley Cup Playoffs, most of which centre on his incredible scoring prowess and consistency.
As such, the player with the most assists scored in an NHL career won’t come as a surprise. Still, given the rate that a certain active superstar is scoring at, is it possible that he could one day claim Gretzky’s crown?
Read on to find out more about Gretzky’s incredible NHL assists records, his assists in the playoffs, the top ten trailing The Great One, and if any active player could mount a challenge.
Who has the Most Assists in an NHL Career?
Wayne Gretzky has the most assists in an NHL career, putting up 1,963 assists in his 1,487 NHL games.
This rate of scoring puts The Great One at an average of 1.32 assists per game, or 98.15 per season across his 20-campaign career.
Perhaps the only NHL player who can rival Gretzky’s rate of assist scoring atop the all-time standings is Mario Lemieux, but even he could only muster 1.13 assists per game to hit 1,033 in 915 games.
Who has the Most Total Assists in an NHL Career?
The playoffs offer a different kind of pressure and a much more intense environment for trying to score, but that didn’t bother Gretzky, who put up 260 assists in 208 postseason games.
When you include his scoring in the playoffs, this brings Gretzky’s total NHL career assists to 2,223 in 1,695 games, with the rate of scoring assists dipping slightly to 1.31 assists per game overall.
The tally places Gretzky over 800 assists above his next-closest competitor, setting a bar that – unless there are some drastic changes to the rules and set-up of NHL games – will likely never be met.
Which Active Player has the Most Assists in an NHL Career?
The active player with the most NHL career assists is Sidney Crosby. Even though injuries have blighted his career, now in his 19th season, the Pittsburgh Penguins captain has put up 957 assists in 1,199 games to date.
Currently 15th in the regular season assists table, Crosby is 14th in overall assists, thanks to his 130 assists in 180 postseason games. For total assists, the star center averages 0.79 per game.
This season, it doesn’t look likely that he’ll be able to add to his postseason haul. The Penguins have started 3-6 despite Crosby scoring five goals and five assists in those nine games.
Still, they need to wait for matchups against the likes of the lowly San Jose Sharks to become the favourites to win a game in the NHL betting this season.
Top 10 Players with the Most Assists in an NHL Career
With Gretzky way ahead up top, these are the other NHL legends who put up well over 1,000 assists in the regular season and playoffs combined top rank among the top ten.
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Wayne Gretzky, 2,223 assists
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Mark Messier, 1,379 assists
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Ron Francis, 1,346 assists
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Ray Bourque, 1,308 assists
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Jaromír Jágr, 1,278 assists
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Paul Coffey, 1,272 assists
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Joe Thornton, 1,211 assists
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Adam Oates, 1,193 assists
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Steve Yzerman, 1,178 assists
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Gordie Howe, 1,141 assists
Who Could Catch Gretzky’s NHL Assists Record?
Simply put: no one. Gretzky’s rate of putting up assists over such a prolonged career essentially makes him unbeatable in the modern game. Of course, the one name that comes to mind as a potential contender is Connor McDavid.
Despite the poor 2-5-1 start, having McDavid on the team keeps the Oilers in the race for the Stanley Cup, as far as NHL futures are concerned, as he’ll almost certainly score 100 points by the end of the campaign.
At the time of writing, McDavid has scored 554 assists in 575 games. It’s a tremendous rate in the modern NHL, but it’s still only a rate of 0.96 assists per game in the regular season. That’s a fair bit shy of Gretzky’s 1.32 hit rate.
Other than the skater Gretzky himself hails as the best player in hockey, the top younger active players in terms of their average assists per game rate would include Cale Makar (0.77), Quinn Hughes (0.76), and Mitchell Marner (0.76).
Wayne Gretzky stands supreme as the NHL’s ultimate assists scorer, and it’s unlikely that he’ll ever be topped.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to Alamy*
