The NHL season wraps up tonight, but we already know all the playoff pairings, including Toronto versus Ottawa. It’s the first Battle of Ontario since the two teams met four times in five years from 2000 to 2004. (It’s hard to believe it’s been 21 years since then!) The Maple Leafs have won the Atlantic Division, giving them their first division title in a full (non-Covid) season since 1999–2000. The Senators earned the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and are back in the playoffs for the first time since the 2016–17 season. The Senators won all three games against the Maple Leafs during the regular season, but Toronto should be good enough to win this. Then again, there have been so many playoff disappointments in the Auston Matthews–Mitch Marner–William Nylander–John Tavares “Core-4” era that it’s impossible to be too confidence.

Still, as I often say, people shouldn’t come to me for advice or opinions on current hockey because I can always tell you more about who won the Stanley Cup (and how) 100 years ago than I can tell you who’s going to win it now. So, with that in mind, we’re going back to the early 1920s for the first Toronto–Ottawa NHL playoffs match-ups.

The Senators won their first Stanley Cup since the formation of the NHL at the end of the third season in 1920. Then, led by such stars as Frank Nighbor, Punch Broadbent and Cy Denneny at forward, Eddie Gerard and George Boucher on defence, and Clint Benedict in goal, Ottawa roared out to an 8–2–0 start to the 1920–21 season. That earned them first place in the first-half standings of the four-team NHL and clinched a spot in the postseason. The Toronto St. Patricks won the second half of the schedule with a record of 10–4–0 and faced the Senators in the playoffs for the NHL championship.

Toronto had come on strong in the second half of the season, boosted by the mid-season addition of former Ottawa star Sprague Cleghorn. Offensively, the team was led by Babe Dye who topped the NHL with 35 goals during the full 24-game schedule. Ottawa had fallen to a 6–8–0 record during the second half and Toronto fans were optimistic, but the Senators shutout the St. Pats 5–0 on home ice in the first game of their total-goal playoffs, and then won the second game 2–0 in Toronto to take the series 7–0. The Senators then defeated the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association to win the Stanley Cup again.

The NHL abandoned the split schedule in 1921–22, deciding instead that the first- and second-place teams at the end of a full schedule would meet in the playoffs for the league championship. Ottawa was 14–4–2 through 20 games, but then lost four in a row to finish 14–8–2. Punch Broadbent led the NHL with 31 goals and 45 points on the season, but it was Clint Benedict and the Senators’ league-best team defense that had them on top. In Toronto, Babe Dye tied Broadbent with 31 goals and Harry Cameron led the league with 17 assists, but neither the team’s offense nor its defense was as good as Ottawa’s. The St. Patricks needed three wins in their last four games to finish 13–10–1 and stave off Montreal (12–11–1) for second place and get another chance at the Senators in the playoffs.

“Tomorrow night at the Arena the two best professional teams in eastern Canada will cross sticks, when the St. Patrick’s and Ottawa play the first game of the National Hockey League play-off series,” reported Toronto’s Globe newspaper on March 10, 1922. “The Senators have been the ‘top-dogs’ in the pro league for two years, and they are ambitious to make it three titles in a row, and so take their place in history with the famous Ottawa Silver Seven, which in other years won the Stanley Cup for the Capital.”

Both teams professed their confidence before the March 11 opener. Toronto hoped to build up a lead on home ice in the first game of the two-game, total-goals series. And with warm weather predicted in Ottawa for the second game two nights later, the Senators also hope to take a lead on the artificial ice in Toronto because it was thought the St. Pats would have an advantage on the soft, natural ice in the Canadian capital.

Toronto scored two quick goals for an early lead in Game 1, but Ottawa rebounded for a 3–2 lead at the end of one period. It was 4–3 Ottawa late in the second, but Toronto tied it when Babe Dye took a pass from Harry Cameron and scored just before the period ended. A disputed goal by Corb Denneny (brother of Ottawa’s Cy) late in the third period gave Toronto a 5–4 win and a one-goal lead in the series.

“The most prolific source of hockey conversation to-day,” reported The Toronto Daily Star on March 13, “is the disputed goal in Saturday night’s pro game between Ottawa and St. Patricks. ‘Jimmy’ Main, the well-known Toronto Canoe Club member, who parks himself right beside the goal umpire’s cage for every big game, says that the puck was six inches over the line. He says Goalkeeper Benedict stopped the original shot and then as he fell down the puck slid out about two feet. Corbett Denneny took a sweeping poke at it with his stick and reached it. The puck circled in over the line and was hooked out by Eddie Gerard. Main says that the reason Benedict got so sore was that he knew he had stopped the original shot and that he knew nothing about Denneny’s poke at the rebound. He saw the puck outside [the net] and figured it had always remained there.”

The second game of the series in Ottawa was played on soft, slushy ice as expected. The Senators had the best of the play, and outshot the St. Pats badly, but they couldn’t put one past Toronto goalie John Ross Roach. The St. Pats spent much of the game firing the puck out of their end and all the way down the ice, which was not punished with an own-zone face-off for icing in this era. The game ended in a scoreless tie, which gave Toronto the NHL championship by a total score of 5–4.

When the St. Pats got back to Toronto the day after the game (March 14), they were welcomed by supporters who met their train at Union Station. When they got to their dressing room at the Arena Gardens on Mutual Street, they found a wreath-strewn coffin said to contain the last remains of the Ottawa team. “Bottles … were used as candle-holders, while the Arena attendants played the Dead March in ‘Saul’,” reported The Globe of March 15. “Long green streamers were used to decorate the interior of the room, and all in all, a striking picture was presented… [T]here were other features which amazed the many visitors who flocked to the dressing room when they heard that the last rites were being performed at the expense of the Ottawa team.”

The NHL championship gave Toronto the right to face the PCHA champions from Vancouver for the Stanley Cup. The St. Patricks beat the Millionaires three game to two in the best-of-five series. But unlike 1922, it’ll take more than just a win and a tie to defeat the Senators this year, and then three more rounds — not five more games — to win the Stanley Cup. Still, Leafs fans are hopeful!

Whether he does it before the end of this season (which he could) or not until the start of next year, Alex Ovechkin will very soon pass Wayne Gretzky as the leading goal-scorer in NHL history. Like so many of the records Gretzky set, this one seemed like it would never be broken. We’ll try to avoid any politics here, so let’s not think about Gretzky being a friend of Donald Trump and Ovechkin of Vladimir Putin. We don’t get to pick our moments, and the breaking of the all-time NHL record for goals is too momentous for someone who calls himself a hockey historian to ignore. So please read on for an all-time account of the NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorers…

The first NHL games were played on December 19, 1917. The Montreal Wanderers hosted the Toronto Arenas and beat them 10–9. The Montreal Canadiens were in Ottawa and beat the Senators 7–4. The Canadiens game in Ottawa was scheduled to start at 8:30 that night but was delayed for about 15 minutes. The Wanderers and Arenas faced off in Montreal at 8:15, officially making it the NHL’s first game. Dave Ritchie of the Wanderers scored just one minute into the first period against Toronto, giving him the honor of scoring the first goal in NHL history. But Ritchie wouldn’t remain the career scoring leader for long.

Two players scored five goals apiece on the first night in NHL history: Harry Hyland of the Wanderers and Joe Malone of the Canadiens. Hyland quickly fell off Malone’s pace, but Cy Denneny of Ottawa, who scored three in a losing cause on opening night, kept up. In fact, by the fourth game for each player, played on December 29, 1917, Denneny moved atop the leader board with 12 goals to Malone’s 11. Denneny reached 13 through five games on January 2, 1918. Malone scored twice in his fifth game on January 5 to reach 13 as well, but Denneny scored twice that night in his sixth game to hit 15. Malone moved back on top on January 12 when he scored five again to reach 20 on the season in just his seventh game played.

Joe Malone ended the NHL’s first season of 1917–18 with a league-leading 44 goals in 20 games played which (of course!) gave him the all-time league lead at the time. Malone played just eight games in 1918–19 and scored seven goals. Cy Denneny, who was second in the NHL with 36 goals in the first season, equalled Malone as the all-time leader when both scored their 45th career goals on January 4, 1919 and Denneny surpassed Malone with three goals on January 9 to give him 48. Denneny finished the 1918–19 season as the NHL’s career leader with 54 goals to Malone’s 51

Joe Malone moved to the top of the leaderboard again during the 1919–20 season. Playing with the Quebec Bulldogs, Malone matched Denneny with 55 career goals on January 1, 1920 and moved ahead again when he scored four in his next game on January 7. Malone would lead the NHL that season with 39 goals, which gave him 90 in his career.

100 CAREER GOALS
Joe Malone, Hamilton Tigers. February 5, 1921 vs Clint Benedict, Ottawa Senators.
(Milestone goal was Malone’s second of two in a 7–3 loss.)

On the night Joe Malone scored his 100th goal, Newsy Lalonde of the Montreal Canadiens reached 99 for his NHL career. Lalonde scored two in his next game on February 9, 1921, to reach 101. Malone scored once that night, so they were tied as the NHL’s all-time leaders. On February 12, Malone re-took the lead 103–102. Then, on February 16, Malone scored three to reach 106 … but Lalonde scored five to reach 107. By February 19, they were tied again at 108. On February 23, 1921, Joe Malone scored four to reach 112. Lalonde scored only once that night and Joe Malone would remain the NHL scoring leader for the rest of his career.

Joe Malone’s final goal — his only goal of the 1922–23 season (he scored no goal in 10 games in 1923–24) — came on February 3, 1923, in the Montreal Canadiens’ 4–1 win over the Ottawa Senators. He finished his NHL career with 143 goals in 126 games. Cy Denneny of the Ottawa Senators moved ahead of Malone atop the NHL career list again just two weeks later, scoring his 144th on February 17, 1923, versus the Hamilton Tigers’ Jake Forbes.

After passing Newsy Lalonde to take back the NHL career lead in goals, Joe Malone remained the leader for just under two years / 724 days (February 23, 1921 – February 17, 1923) until Denneny passed him again as the overall leader.

200 CAREER GOALS
Cy Denneny, Ottawa Senators. March 4, 1925 vs Clint Benedict, Montreal Maroons.
(Milestone goal was Denneny’s only goal of the game in a 5–1 victory.)

Cy Denneny scored his 247th and final goal on December 4, 1928, as a member of the Boston Bruins against the New York Rangers’ John Ross Roach. In all, he scored 247 goals in 329 NHL games. Howie Morenz surpassed Denneny for the NHL career lead with his 248th goal on December 23, 1933, also against Roach, who was then with the Detroit Red Wings.

After Cy Denneny surpassed Joe Malone as the NHL’s leading goal scorer, he remained the NHL’s leader for 10+ years / 3,962 days (February 17, 1923 – December 23, 1933) until being surpassed by Howie Morenz.

Howie Morenz scored his 271st and final goal on January 24, 1937, versus the Chicago Black Hawks’ Mike Karakas. Morenz suffered a career-ending broken leg two games later on January 28, 1937 (he’d played 550 games) and would die of complications while still in hospital on March 8, 1937. By the time of his death, Morenz had already been surpassed as the NHL’s career goal-scoring leader by Nels Stewart of the New York Americans. Stewart scored his 272nd goal on February 16, 1937, against the Montreal Canadiens’ Wilf Cude.

After Morenz became the NHL’s leading goal scorer, he remained the NHL leader for three+ years / 1,151 days (December 23, 1933 – February 16, 1937) until being passed by Nels Stewart.

300 CAREER GOALS
Nels Stewart, New York Americans. March 6, 1938 vs Dave Kerr, New York Rangers.
(Milestone goal was Stewart’s only goal of the game in a 3–1 victory.)

Nels Stewart scored his 324th and final goal with the New York Americans on March 16, 1940, versus the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Turk Broda. He ended his NHL career with 650 games played. Maurice Richard of the Montreal Canadiens surpassed Stewart with his 325th goal on November 8, 1952, versus the Chicago Black Hawks’ Al Rollins. Richard had scored his first career goal, in his second NHL game, exactly 10 years earlier. That goal had come unassisted against Steve Buzinski of the New York Rangers at 9:11 of the second period in a 10–4 Montreal victory.

After Nels Stewart became the NHL’s leading goal scorer, he remained the NHL leader for 15+ years / 5,744 days (February 16, 1937 – November 8, 1952) until his mark was beaten by Maurice Richard.

400 CAREER GOALS
Maurice Richard, Montreal Canadiens. December 18, 1954 vs Al Rollins, Chicago Black Hawks.
(Milestone goal was Richard’s only goal of the game in a 4–2 victory.)

500 CAREER GOALS
Maurice Richard, Montreal Canadiens. October 19, 1957 vs Glenn Hall, Chicago Black Hawks.
(Milestone goal was Richard’s only goal of the game in a 3–1 victory.)

Maurice Richard scored his 544th and final goal on March 20, 1960, also against Al Rollins, who was then with the New York Rangers. He played 978 games in his career. Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings moved past Richard with his 545th goal on November 10, 1963, versus the Montreal Canadiens’ Charlie Hodge.

After Maurice Richard became the NHL’s leading goal scorer, he remained the NHL leader for 11 years / 4,019 days (November 8, 1952 – November 10, 1963) until he was passed by Gordie Howe.

600 CAREER GOALS
Gordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings. November 27, 1965 vs Gump Worsley, Montreal Canadiens.
(Milestone goal was Howe’s only of the game in a 3–2 loss.)

700 CAREER GOALS
Gordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings. December 4, 1968 vs Les Binkley, Pittsburgh Penguins.
(Milestone goal was Howe’s only goal of the game in a 7–2 victory.)

Gordie Howe retired from the NHL after his 25th season in 1970–71 with 786 goals. At the time, Bobby Hull was a distant second on the career list with 554. Howe would return to action in the World Hockey Association in 1973–74. In his six seasons in the WHA, Howe had 174 goals and 334 assists for 508 points in 419 regular-season games. He returned to the NHL in 1979–80 at the age of 51, playing a full 80-game schedule with the Hartford Whalers.

800 CAREER GOALS
Gordie Howe, Hartford Whalers. February 29, 1980 vs Mike Luit, St. Louis Blues.
(Milestone goal was Howe’s only goal of the game in a 3–0 victory.)

In his final NHL season in 1979–80, Gordie Howe had 15 goals and 26 assists to bump his career goals total to 801. Howe scored his 801st and final goal in his last regular-season game (1,767 games) on April 6, 1980, against the Detroit Red Wings’ Rogie Vachon. He would remain the all-time leader until Wayne Gretzky scored his 802nd goal on March 23, 1994, for the Los Angeles Kings versus the Vancouver Canucks’ Kirk McLean. The Kings lost 6–3.

After Gordie Howe became the NHL’s leading goal scorer, he remained the NHL leader for 30+ years / 11,091 days (November 10, 1963 – March 23, 1994) until his mark was surpassed by Wayne Gretzky.

Wayne Gretzky scored his 894th and final goal on March 29, 1999, against the New York Islanders’ Wade Flaherty. He played 1,487 games in his career. As of this post on April 2, 2025, Gretzky still holds the record with Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals closing in. Ovechkin has 891 goals in 1,484 career games with eight games to go in 2024–25. If he hadn’t missed 16 games earlier this season with a fracture fibula, Ovechkin might already have caught Gretzky. His final game of the regular season comes against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 17.

Since Wayne Gretzky became the NHL’s leading goal scorer, he has remained the NHL leader for 31 years / 11,333 days (March 23, 1994 – April 2, 2025).