On this page, you’ll find a ranked list of the highest scoring games in hockey history. The list is composed of all official NHL game scores from 1917–2017 as well as many of the game’s most memorable highlights.
Some of the games on this list were won by one goal while others were decided by five or more goals. However, no matter how the games ended, they all had one thing in common: they were all exciting to watch and remember.
While there’s no denying that the rise of video games and the internet has made it easier for people to remain connected even when they aren’t living in the same city, it’s also made it easier for fans of a particular team to relive those incredible moments of game history through highlights and clips.
Table of Contents
1917–1918: The Original “Golden Age” Of Hockey
The first hockey “golden age” ran from 1917 to 1918 and was the direct result of the introduction of the sport to the United States during World War I. Prior to the war, ice hockey was mainly played among the elite in Europe and Canada. However, as the United States entered the war in 1917, they too sought to establish a hockey league. The National Hockey Association (NHA) was the first to establish a professional hockey league in the U.S., and the first official game was played on January 3, 1917 between the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators. The game was tied 1–1 in the final seconds when Frank Calderhead, captain of the Canadiens, scored the winning goal.
The game’s first superstar was born in Montreal on this day in 1914. The legendary Gordie Howe, nicknamed “Mr. Hockey” after winning three consecutive Stanley Cups with the Red Wings from 1955–1957, played 19 seasons in the NHL and was the last active player to score a goal in a game that was held in January. Howe, who was known for his extraordinary strength and his aggressive playing style, played a total of 1560 NHL games and scored 652 goals.
The NHL’s first superstar, Frank “The Flying Frenchman” Shevlin, was also born in Montreal on this day in 1886. Like Howe, Shevlin played for the Canadiens for 11 seasons and was considered one of the best stickhandlers in NHL history. In total, he played 15 seasons for Montreal and scored 413 goals.
1919: The Year The NHL Split In Two
The Canadian-American War caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, ravaged the economies of both countries, and brought an end to the first “golden age” of hockey. With the country split apart, the teams that were previously located in Canada traveled to the U.S. and formed a new league, the American Hockey Association (AHA). The teams that were once the dominant force in hockey formed the NHL, and the AHA subsequently became known as the “Minor League.”
The final game of the First World War was actually the last game of the first season of hockey as we know it. The Ottawa players who had been frozen during the war were given one final chance at playing on October 11, 1919, against the Montreal players who were veterans of the conflict. The final score was 2–0, with the visitors from Montreal, who were now rivals, gaining a first place finish in the league.
Even though the economy suffered greatly during the war, it didn’t dampen the passion for hockey in the United States. Many of the games on this list were played in the years immediately following World War I.
1920: The Year Gordie Howe Died
Gordie Howe, the legendary hockey player who was known as “Mr. Hockey” after helping the Detroit Red Wings win three consecutive Stanley Cup titles, died June 11, 1920 at the age of 37. Howe, who had played for the Red Wings from 1926 to 1928, had suffered from nephritis since he was a teenager. He had had a kidney transplant in May 1919, and though he had recovered well, he still had to take immunosuppressants.
Gordie Howe’s death had a profound impact on the sport. In addition to being one of the biggest names in hockey history, he was also a beloved teacher and mentor to many aspiring hockey players. His death also created a stir in the media, with most newspapers carrying obituaries and many magazine covers featuring photographs of Howe in mid-flight as he soared through the air in a triumphant pose.
The year 1920 also saw the beginning of another “golden age” of hockey. The American Hockey League (which later became the American Hockey Association), now known for its “Little League” moniker, was established that year and became the top tier of the sport in the United States. One of the league’s coaches, Billy Boucher, summed up the difference between the two leagues thusly: “The big leagues are the best league, the NHL. The little league is the American Hockey League, where the boys are strong and the skates are fast.”
The game grew in popularity in the U.S. but also began to be influenced by a new wave of hockey players who were from Scotland. These highlanders helped popularize a brand of hockey that is most notably seen in the Boston Bruins. In addition to speed and strength, the players were also known for their stamina and work ethic. Thanks to these qualities, the games on this list often feature a lot of fights and injuries, making them as interesting to watch as they are violent.
1921: The First Year Of The National Football League
One of the most significant events in the history of the NHL was the birth of the United States’ National Football League (NFL) that same year. The NFL was organized as a rival league to the NHL in 1920 and began play on December 18, 1921. It was the first professional sports league to feature a fall and a winter season, a practice that would soon be followed by other leagues like the NHL.
The NFL’s first few seasons were very competitive, with the league having a total of eight teams in 1922 and nine teams in 1923. Many of these early games were close, highly contested affairs. Teams would often trade punches in the name of football, with players often suffering from broken bones and cuts in the process. If that wasn’t enough, the violence on the field, especially during the 1925 season, led to the deaths of three players: Chuck Hiller, Frank Gifford, and Ralph Kiner.
Football didn’t really become an accepted pastime in the U.S until the 1930s, and it would be another few decades before the NHL began to accept it as an official sport. For the first 60 years of its existence, the NHL mostly ignored the “football” game, instead preferring to concentrate on their own form of hockey. The Cleveland Indians were the first pro football team to play in the NHL, doing so on January 23, 1924. The first interleague game between the NHL and the then-called American Football League was played on January 13, 1925, with the visitors from the AFL winning 6–4.
1923: The Year That Hockey Finally Grew In The U.S.
In 1923, the NHL finally decided to expand their reach into the American market. That year, the league had only six teams, but they still wanted to establish themselves within the U.S. The NHL decided to do this by sending a delegation to Toronto, where a new arena, Maple Leaf Stadium, had just been built. The owners of the NHL’s Boston Bruins offered to play one game a week in Toronto to help the league establish a presence in the city. The offer was accepted, and the National Hockey League became the first major sports league to have games played outside of its traditional borders.
The Toronto series was a major success, drawing huge crowds and helping hockey finally grow in popularity in the United States. It wouldn’t be long before the rest of the NHL followed suit, setting the stage for a true revival of the sport.
1924: The Year That International Ice Hockey Was Born
In the year that saw the birth of both the NHL and the NFL, international ice hockey was also started. The International Hockey League (IHL) was formed that year as well, and teams from France, Germany, and Switzerland began to play games against each other, with some games even featuring European teams playing against amateur teams from the U.S. The French Club de Hockey adopted the Nordstrom name and became known as the “Green Nordstroms.” They would later change their name to the Leoféns.