Most times leading the league in ES goals
- Bobby Hull - 6x
- Maurice Richard, Alex Ovechkin, Auston Matthews - 5x
- Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky, Jaromir Jagr - 4x
- Brett Hull - 3x
Only eight players have led the NHL in ES goals more than twice. Matthews is already tied for second place all-time, and he's still only 26.
I think there's a pretty clear top nine for the greatest goal-scorers in NHL history (in chronological order - Richard, Howe, Hull, Esposito, Bossy, Gretzky, Lemieux, Hull, Ovechkin). 10th spot is wide open, with lots of good candidates.
Matthews appears on track to make it a clear top ten.