From the ice to the fast paced world of the National Hockey League (NHL), legends do not just break records but they set high expectations for future players. Players who rewrote history include: Vegas Golden Knights, Alex Ovechkin, Zdeno Chara, and Wayne Gretzky. While each player broke their own records, Las Vegas Golden Knights broke records overall as a team rather than as an individual by transforming a brand-new expansion team into one of the league’s fiercest contenders in record time.
In early 2017, the Golden Knights joined the NHL as an expansion team. NHL owners voted to approve their expansion in June 2016, making them an official team. Their first season they captured 51 wins and 109 points overall more than any other expansion team in history and reached the Stanley Cup Final. Instead of relying on super stars, the Golden Knights worked together as a team resulting in only six seasons later, lifting up the Stanley Cup. During their 2023-24 season, they reached another record: the longest season-opening win streak by a defending champion. Reaching this impressive record required dedication and commitment from players who randomly got selected from different NHL teams to play for the Golden Knights. Coach Gerald Gallant, who won Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year proudly says, “What the players did this year proved incredible. They believed from Day 1 and never stopped.”
As the Golden knights rose together as a successful team. Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin, who plays on the Washington Capitals recently passed a major record for NHL. During 2025, He scored his 897th goal, passing legend Wayne Gretzky to become the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer against the New York Islanders. After his big game, Ovechkin told Bolavip, “[I feel] still a little shaky and still [cannot] believe it… It’s history. It’s great for the
game, It’s special.” Unlike Gretzky, who built his legacy on vision and passing. Ovechkin earned his name through his consistency throughout games. Over the years of Ovechkin’s career he kept the mindset, “My weapon [doesn’t] remain shot. It’s me.” Having confidence through his hockey career helped him achieve another record in the books.
While Ovechkin changed the scoring record. Zdeno Chara showed physical dominance on the ice. Chara stood at 6 ‘9”, the tallest hockey player in NHL history. At an interview with MensHealth, he exclaimed,“I had always loved endurance sports. You don’t really run much during hockey season, but I always warm up on a bike, cooling off on a bike. It always lingered in the back of my mind.” Chara always loved physical fitness and became a very competitive player in the NHL league. During the 2012 All-Star Skills competition, his determination led to a 108.8 mph slap shot, which became another record in the book: Fastest slap shot ever recorded. This shows that Chara committed and he continues to “just enjoy every day… [he] loves competing and [shows] an extreme passion for the sport.”
Wayne Gretzky, often referred to as the greatest of all time, always focused more on his effort and commitment rather than his talent. However, Gretzky always gave in his all which helped him get better at the sport skill wise. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he says, “People think I got handed everything… but I wanted them to realize [it feels] a lot tougher than waking up one day and you’re in the NHL.” Gretzsky had impressive vision and timing which led him to 1,963 assists. Putting another record in the book: The most assists in NHL history. He showed dedication and his team helped him achieve this record, and he showed that achieving greatness often means helping others succeed as well.
Ultimately, together these individual legends and the Golden Knights show what happens when passion meets purpose. When dedication and hard work shines and when teamwork plays a major role in the NHL. Gretsky changed the way hockey is viewed and played. Chara showed that strength can lead to success and always staying confident. The Golden Knights proved that even without support, they showed how a brand-new team will make history when nobody expects it. These players did not wait for success, but they chased it and made it their own.
