Off The Crossbar

Now that every team has a handful of games under their belt and Opening Week is behind us, the focus shifts towards the rest of the regular season and beyond. For a few individuals, this means chasing records until the campaign ends in April; the idea of being forever etched in the record books of the sport is not something most take lightly, for good reason. 

One of the milestones to look for involves one of the best to ever do it in Sidney Crosby (626-1,065–1,691 in 1,355 GP) as he looks to pass Mario Lemieux (690-1,033–1,723 in 915 GP) for the eighth-most points by a player in NHL history. Crosby passed another notable name in Joe Sakic, who tallied 625-1,016–1,641 in 1,378 GP, last season and could even find himself in the company of Steve Yzerman (692-1,063–1,755 in 1,514 GP) by the season’s end if he produces at the same rate that NHL fans have seen him do for years. The Nova Scotia native is already considered to be one of the greatest players to play the game, and for many, moving up this list doesn’t necessarily do anything for that argument, but it can’t hurt to keep making history while he’s still in the game. Part of that history also includes franchise history, as his passing of Lemieux on the all-time list will also signify him passing Lemieux on the franchise list of most points scored; the Penguins have long been a historic franchise, but having two of the best players in history only helps to cement their legacy. 

Crosby isn’t the only modern-day great chasing a record in 2025-26, as Steven Stamkos looks to climb a list of his own as the campaign gets underway. Stamkos, a franchise great in his own right with the Tampa Bay Lightning before his departure to Nashville ahead of the 2024-25 NHL season, is hunting down powerplay goal number 229, which would put him three shy of tying Dino Ciccarelli (232) for the tenth most in NHL history since goals on the man advantage started being tracked in 1933-34. The center from Markham, Ontario holds the franchise mark for the Lightning by over 100 goals and his move to Bridgestone Arena has done little to slow his roll, seeing as he tied for the fourth-most power play goals across the League in 2024-25 with 14. It may take a while for this milestone to take shape given the circumstances, but if he matches his total from the previous campaign, he could end up as high as seventh place on the list, passing Marcel Dionne (234), Mario Lemieux (236), and Brendan Shanahan (237). 

In addition to player milestones, a couple of head coaches could make headlines this season by moving up the ranks on the all-time regular season wins list in NHL history. Among them is Paul Maurice, current head coach of the Florida Panthers, whose 30 years of experience resulting in 919 wins behind the bench, has put him within striking distance of Joel Quenneville (970) for the second-most by a head coach in NHL history. Maurice would need to tally 52 victories as a head coach in 2025-26 to accomplish the feat, and given the Panthers’ win totals in the years since he was named skipper (42 in 2022-23, 52 in 2023-24, 47 in 2024-25) the milestone is well within reach. Another coach who could make his way up the list alongside Maurice is Lindy Ruff, the current head coach of the Buffalo Sabres. Ruff’s benchmark could come well before that of Maurice, seeing as the Warburg, AB native is sitting at an even 900, just 14 shy of tying Barry Trotz (914) for the third most wins. The timing of Ruff’s milestone will be dependent on how well the Sabres perform as they settle in, and their upcoming stretch in which they face the Senators, Panthers, Canadiens, Red Wings and Maple Leafs could be indicative of when he will eclipse Trotz as well as how their season will go as a whole. 

Milestone tracking is one of the best parts of any NHL season, and with the amount of greats, whether that be on the ice or the bench, chasing records, this season could shape up to be one of the best in recent memories. It’ll be some time until then, though, so make sure to follow along as the players and coaches inch closer to history.