Mario Lemieux
Alexander Ovechkin
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Mario Lemieux leads 2 of 4 categories. Our all-time ranking places Mario Lemieux at #3 and Alexander Ovechkin at #7.
Head-to-head FAQ
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The case for Mario Lemieux
At six-foot-four with impossible hands, Mario Lemieux may be the most talented player who ever lived, a scorer who could deke through an entire team or overpower it. Le Magnifique won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and captured the Art Ross six times, all while battling adversity that would have ended most careers: chronic back injuries, and a 1993 diagnosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma. He returned from his final radiation treatment to play that same night, then won the scoring title. His 1.88 points per game is the highest of any player with a substantial career, trailing only Gretzky. In 1988-89 he scored 199 points; in one 1988 game he tallied goals five different ways, at even strength, on the power play, shorthanded, on a penalty shot and into an empty net. He retired in 1997, returned in 2000 as a player-owner having literally saved the franchise from bankruptcy, and played until 2006. Had health permitted a full career, the debate for number one might look very different.
The case for Alexander Ovechkin
The greatest pure goal-scorer the game has ever seen, Alexander Ovechkin achieved the once-unthinkable on 6 April 2025, scoring his 895th career goal to pass Wayne Gretzky's supposedly untouchable record. Through the 2024-25 season the Washington Capitals captain sits at 897 goals and climbing. Drafted first overall in 2004, Ovi has won a record nine Rocket Richard Trophies as the league's top scorer, three Hart Trophies, and, silencing critics who doubted he could win, the 2018 Stanley Cup, where he was named playoff MVP after finally leading Washington to its first title. His signature is the one-timer from the left face-off circle, his office, unleashed on the power play with such force and accuracy that everyone knew it was coming and few could stop it. Combining a booming shot with a heavy, physical game rare in a superstar, Ovechkin has scored 50 or more goals in a season nine times. His longevity and single-minded pursuit of the record redefine what a scorer can accomplish.