NHL Playoffs: Top 10 Stanley Cup Playoff Snipers of All Time

As the postseason moves along, we have seen timely goal scoring from players such as Chris Kreider, Dustin Brown, Shane Doan and others. If you want to win in the postseason, the players that know how to light the lamp need to do it on the game's biggest stage.

Historically, the game's greatest players are ones that have performed in the postseason and, offensively, have been the ones to score goals.

Without adding more words for fun, let's take a look at the the greatest snipers in postseason history.  

Joe Sakic

The heart and soul of the Colorado Avalanche in the 1990’s and into the 2000’s, Joe Sakic is a two-time Stanley Cup winner with a Conn Smythe Trophy on his resume, as well. 

With a wicked wrist shot, Joe Sakic tallied 84 playoff goals in his career and holds the current playoff-overtime goal record with eight.

Mike Bossy

In the four years the New York Islanders reined supreme in the NHL, Mike Bossy averaged over 15 goals per playoff season. This also includes scoring 17 goals in each postseason run in 1981, 1982 and 1983. 

The 1982 Conn Smythe winner, Bossy retired with 82 playoff goals under his belt. 

Wayne Gretzky

No brainer here. 

The greatest player of all time performed on the biggest stage with two Conn Smythe Trophies and four Stanley Cup rings. 

24 game-winning playoff goals, 11 shorthanded playoff markers and a record 122 playoff snipes speaks for itself.

Jari Kurri

Gretzky’s most productive sidekick, Jari Kurri had little trouble pumping in goals for the Oilers during the go-go 1980’s. 

Kurri’s total is over the century mark with 106 career playoff goals. In the 1985 postseason, Kurri finished with 19 tallies and four hat tricks.

These two records still stand today.

Reggie Leach

The only player to score as many goals as Kurri in the postseason is Reggie Leach. Kurri tied Leach’s 19 goals in a playoff season, but in 1976, Leach hit that marker in 16 games. 

While his career playoff goal total may not be as gaudy as some others, Leach is the only non-goaltender to win a Conn Smythe Trophy in a losing effort. 

Mario Lemieux

You can’t have a list like this without including “Super” Mario. 

Lemieux has the best goals-per-game average in the playoffs (0.710). The two years the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992, Lemieux scored 16 goals in each playoff run and won the Conn Smythe both times. 

With 76 career playoff goals, Lemieux's playoff legacy is cemented. 

Maurice Richard

In an era when scoring was not as prevalent and there were less playoff games in a season, the “Rocket” Maurice Richard continued to snipe. 

Richard scored nine goals in 11 games in the 1951 postseason and 11 goals in 10 playoff games in 1958. 

When all was said and done, Richard retired with 82 goals in 133 playoff games. 

Not too shabby.   

Claude Lemieux

Few NHL players relished the playoff spotlight quite like Claude Lemieux. Part of four Stanly Cup winners over 18 playoff seasons, Claude Lemieux seemed to always be in the mix, scoring big goals. 

With 13 goals in the 1995 playoffs, Lemieux brought home MVP honors. In two other playoff years, he had 10-plus goals. 

Lemieux went on to score 80 career playoff goals and will be known as one of the most clutch playoff performers of all time. 

Brett Hull

The “Golden” Brett had an absolute clapper of a shot and scoring was what he did best. 

In 1999, Hull scored the overtime Cup-winning goal for the Dallas Stars in Buffalo and that was only one of his 103 career playoff markers. 

Four times, Brett Hull registered 10 or more goals in a playoff season.

Mark Messier

While Mark Messier is identified more with his 1994 Stanley Cup win with the New York Rangers, his years in Edmonton were clearly his most dominant. 

In the 1983 playoffs, he buried 15 goals in 15 games. He won the Conn Smythe in the 1984 postseason, scoring three huge goals in the Stanley Cup Final against the Isles. 

Messier currently sits second on the all time playoff goal-scoring list with 109 tallies.