NHL history's greatest record-breaking goals: Ranking 12 from worst to best

With the Alex Ovechkin goals chase now down to single digits, it no longer feels like a question of if hell break Wayne Gretzkys mark this season, but rather when.

Weve already covered that question a few weeks back .

But theres a second and maybe even more important question thats now looming: Will the record-breaking goal be any good? Advertisement The NHL is already worrying about this, especially the possibility that the record-breaker falls victim to their very bad and nit-picky replay review system .

Other fans have been openly antagonizing the hockey gods with ideas for the most Team Chaos-worthy way the record could fall.

(Personally, Im a big fan of the Ovechkin has an empty-net look against the Penguins but Sidney Crosby throws his stick for an automatic goal, meaning Sids the one who actually scores the record-breaker scenario.) Whatever happens, it will be a cool moment.

But how cool? Just in case Ovechkin is looking for inspiration, todays column is going to look at a dozen historic NHL goals that broke an important record.

To be clear, were not worried about individual milestones, or important game-winners or sudden-death snipes.

We want the guys who broke a significant record, did it with a goal and did it in style.

Just as we all hope Ovechkin will over the next few weeks.

Well use a modified version of the scale we established for the goalie goals ranking , with an emphasis on the creativity and/or skill of the goal itself.

Well go from worst to best, which means theres really only one pick for the 12th spot ...

12.

Wayne Gretzkys 50th goal in 39 games, 1981 The record: I suppose you could argue over whether this one is really a record so much as a milestone.

But its the fastest anyone has ever made it to the hallowed 50-goal mark, and its certainly stood the test of time all these decades later, so well allow it.

Gretzky came into the Oilers 39th game already having 45 goals, then scored four times to set the stage for some history.

Style points: Its an empty-net goal.

As far as those go, this one is fine, but come on.

When it comes to Ovechkins moment, nobody wants this.

2/20.

The reaction: Pretty good.

The game is in Edmonton, so the fans go nuts, and the commentators give it the perfect mix of excitement and incredulousness.

Even the director gets into the fun, as we cut to an artsy close-up of the red light.

8/10.

The celebration: The open-field tackle by a teammate is pretty fun.

7/10.

Bonus points: Having the goal come at 19:57 is as close to a buzzer-beater as well come on this list.

+ 1 .

Total score: Acting like hitting 50 goals in 39 games is more impressive than just doing it in 40 is kind of arbitrary, but since the next game was on the road, this was a cool moment for Edmonton fans.

You could even argue that this is one of the best empty-net goals ever.

But that still doesnt make it good.

18/40 .

Advertisement 11.

Denis Potvins 271st goal, 1986 The record: With this goal, Potvin became the all-time leading goal scorer among defensemen.

Style points: Ugh.

He dangles a bit, but even based on the standard of mid-80s goals against the Maple Leafs, that ones got a stench to it.

8/20.

The reaction: Its decent, although you wonder if all the fans realized what theyd just watched.

7/10.

The celebration: A little understated, but thats appropriate when youve won four recent Cups and are in the process of beating the Leafs 9-2 in January.

5/10.

Bonus points: For that salad bowl of a helmet.

-1.

Total score: The record didnt last all that long, as well see in a few entries.

19/40 .

10.

Phil Espositos 59th goal, 1971 The record: At this point, the record for goals in a season is 58, held by Bobby Hull.

Esposito ended up shattering it, with the record-breaker coming with nearly a month left in the season.

Style points: Its a nifty little tip play on a setup from Ted Green.

Not bad, but it all happens so quickly, you dont really get the build.

11/20.

The reaction: We cant really tell from the clip since its not the original footage, but this game is in Los Angeles and theyve only had the NHL for a few years at this point, so its probably fair to assume they may not have fully appreciated the moment.

5/10.

The celebration : Esposito has a nice little solo dance, and Im always a sucker for the teammate immediately goes to get the puck move.

7/10.

Bonus points: For those Kings uniforms, which have ruined my whole day.

-3.

Total score: Its still wild that Esposito ended up topping Hulls record by 131 percent.

If somebody did that to the single-season record today, it would mean scoring 120 goals.

Ill file that under unlikely.

20/40 .

9.

Ray Bourques 386th goal, 1999 The record: With this goal, Bourque passes Paul Coffey, whod already passed Potvin as the all-time goals king among defensemen.

Style points: Its not exactly a highlight-reel goal, but its classic Bourque, as he gets open and then rips a quick shot that finds the net.

13/20.

The reaction: Not bad.

6/10.

The celebration : Its understated compared to some others well see, but you can never go wrong with the classic fist pump.

8/10.

Bonus points: This is where we have to hold this goal up as a cautionary example, for reasons you may have already caught on to.

Did you catch the announcer saying first goal of the season there? Thats because this is the Bruins season opener, meaning Bourque had chased the record the year before but fallen a goal short, making everyone wait a summer for it to finally fall.

Dont even think about doing that to us, Alex.

2 .

Advertisement Total score: Solid work by the organist, though.

25/40 .

8.

Darryl Sittlers ninth point, 1976 The record: This will be the only single-game record on our list, which has its pros and cons.

While you get the I cant believe this is happening vibe, you also lose the long-term build that season or career records bring.

Still, this one is basically as big as it gets, and is still standing almost 50 years later.

Style points: Its pretty good, in that 1970s way.

The record-breaker is certainly better than the 10th point, which is a lucky bank shot from behind the line.

12/20.

The reaction: The Maple Leaf Gardens crowd gives the moment the reaction it deserves.

8/10.

The celebration: Nothing too crazy, although Sittler does that personal trademark where he looks like hes about to fall over.

Having Lanny McDonald arrive for the hug is a nice moment.

5/10.

Bonus points: For the other coach being Don Cherry, which was always a fun touch.

+ 1 .

Total score: Lets pour one out for Dave Reece.

26/40 .

7.

Wayne Gretzkys 1,851st point, 1989 The record: While its not a goals record, its broken with a goal, so well include it.

Enjoy it while you can, kids, this is the last time well ever see the NHLs all-time points record fall.

Style points: Its no beauty, but it does nicely combine two Gretzky trademarks: his backhand and his ability to just leak out of the play until hes all alone in exactly the right place at the right time.

10/20.

The reaction: Its not often that a record can be broken on the road and have it feel even more appropriate than it happening at home, but Gretzky scoring in Edmonton a year after he was traded away was just too perfect.

Gordie Howe being there is the icing on the cake.

10/10.

The celebration : Its fine.

6/10.

Bonus points: For the way longtime linemate Jari Kurri delivers an almost imperceptible pat on the back right after the goal.

+ 1 .

Total score: Not bad, but just short of the next (and final) Gretzky entry.

27/40 .

6.

Wayne Gretzkys 802nd goal, 1994 The record: Five years after Gretzky broke the points record, this is the big one, the one Ovechkin is chasing right now.

At the time, Howe had held the mark for three decades, passing Rocket Richards 544 in 1963-64 and finishing his career at 801.

Style points: Its pretty close to the easiest record-breaking goal youll ever see, as Gretzky gets fed for a wide-open net.

Still, its a cool play that develops at just the right pace, and I always thought it was neat that the underrated Marty McSorley was the one to put it on a platter for his longtime teammate.

12/20.

The reaction: The crowd goes nuts, Gary Thorne knocks it out of the park and then we grind the whole game to a halt so new commissioner Gary Bettman can come out and give Gretzky a scrapbook that he presumably made himself.

No notes.

10/10.

The celebration : Nothing overboard, although Gretzky does break out his trademark tippy-toe dance.

7/10.

Bonus points: For the presence of that Target ad in the corner boards in L.A.

in the early 90s.

It knows what it did.

-1 .

Total score: I didnt plan it this way, but I kind of love that the last time the all-time goals record fell, it was a moment that sets the bar reasonably high while still leaving room for Ovechkin to pass it.

28/40 .

Advertisement 5.

Mike Modanos 1,233rd point, 2007 The record: This is the moment that saw Modano become the highest-scoring American-born player in history.

He still holds the record, retiring with 1,374 points, although Patrick Kane should catch him next year.

Style points: Well see some nice goals on todays list, but this is the only classic breakaway.

He basically flubs it, but recovers enough that it looks vaguely intentional, and the whole thing basically sends Evgeni Nabokov to the shadow realm.

17/20.

The reaction: Its a road game, although the San Jose crowd gives it a decent pop.

5/10.

The celebration : A wave that turns into a high-five.

Its fine.

6/10.

Bonus points: For Mike Babcock not being there to ruin it.

+ 1 .

Total score: Its not the most memorable record-breaking moment in NHL history, but as far as goals go, its pretty great.

29/40 .

4.

Bobby Orrs 100th point, 1970 The record: Orr establishes a new record by becoming the first defenseman to ever hit the 100-point mark, which was supposed to be hallowed territory reserved only for forwards.

Style points: Its classic Orr, an end-to-end rush where he seems like hes moving at regular speed and everyone else is stuck in slow motion.

Short-handed too.

17/20.

The reaction: Its a bit muted, only because Bobby Orr embarrasses a whole team wasnt exactly a unique moment back then.

6/10.

The celebration: The goal makes it 3-2, which means the game is close enough that Orr can actually celebrate a bit instead of acting embarrassed like he usually had to.

6/10.

Bonus points: For Derek Sandersons sideburns.

+ 1 .

Total score: This one is a beauty.

And to make it even better, nobody seems to have taken any overrated photos of it .

30/40 .

3.

Paul Coffeys 47th goal, 1986 The record: With three games left in the season, Coffey ties and then breaks Orrs single-season goals record for a defenseman.

Style points: Thats just a jaw-dropper of an end-to-end rush, including a one-on-four finish.

18/20.

The reaction: We get that great combo of a crowd going wild and an announcer whos smart enough to go quiet and let us take it in.

8/10.

The celebration : Not bad, although you can tell Coffey is a little sheepish over how bad he just made the Canucks look.

6/10.

Bonus points: For a pre-goal cameo from the soon-to-be-traded Cam Neely, who gets a partial break only to have Coffey catch him and blatantly hook him, just in case you forgot this was the 1980s.

+ 1 .

Total score: To this day, Orr and Coffey are the only two defensemen to get to 40 goals.

33/40 .

2.

Bobby Hulls 51st goal, 1966 The record: It had been 21 years since Rocket Richard became the first player to hit 50 goals, and while that record had since been tied by Bernie Boom Boom Geoffrion in 1961 and Hull himself in 1962, nobody has ever topped it.

Style points: Its just about the perfect Hull goal, a solo rush that ends with a booming slap shot.

Seriously, if Ovechkin did exactly this to break the record, it would be just about perfect.

18/20.

The reaction: The fans are buzzing, as theyve been waiting four games since Hull hit 50.

They throw hats on the ice even though its his first goal of the game, because why not? Great job by the announcer, too, and we eventually even get an on-ice interview.

9/10.

The celebration : Its relatively low-key, although I kind of love Hull stopping to offer firm handshakes to his teammates on the bench.

6/10.

Bonus points: For the moment at 8:00, where Hull picks up a hat and puts it on, which I would like to make mandatory for all players from now on.

+ 2 .

Total score: As far as record-breaking goals go, this one is pretty much perfect.

Do this, Alex.

35/40 .

1.

Teemu Selannes 54th goal, 1993 The record: With 20 games left in the season, there wasnt much suspense over whether Selanne would break Mike Bossys rookie goals record.

But doing it at home was going to be tough, as he went into this game needing three goals and with a long road trip looming.

But goals in the first and second periods set the stage for some late-game drama.

Style points: Yes, that is indeed Tie Domi making the Hail Mary pass to spring Selanne.

From there, its a foot race, which turns out exactly as youd expect.

Stephane Fisets desperation dive doesnt work, but it makes the goal even more memorable.

16/20.

The reaction: The crowd is fantastic, but the real highlight here is when the Jets owner randomly shows up with a gold hockey stick, and Selannes confused reaction makes it clear he had no idea that was going to happen.

9/10.

The celebration : Quite possibly the most iconic celebration in NHL history.

But were deducting a point for Dallas Eakins trying to casually one-hand the flung glove and dropping it, a moment I assume haunts him every day.

Use two hands, kids! 9/10.

Bonus points: For the 52, 53, 54, Bossys record is no more sign in the crowd that predicted Selannes three goals.

Honestly, that might be the best fan-made sign ever, right? + 3 .

Total score: That doesnt leave a lot of room for Ovechkin to top.

Heres hoping hes got a home-ice hat trick and a sick celebration ready for us.

And that one of his teammates knows how to catch a glove.

37/40 .

(Photo of Mike Modano scoring against Evgeni Nabokov on Nov.

7, 2007 and becoming the all-time leading U.S.-born scorer: Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.