NHL: The Most Explosive Goal Scorer in Each Franchise's History

Throughout it's history, the NHL has had many explosive goal scorers that have given us great excitement while watching this awesome sport.

Players like Wayne Gretzky, Cam Neely, Pavel Bure and (more recently) Alexander Ovechkin have displayed great amounts of skill in scoring some wonderful goals at record paces.

Let's look at every NHL team's most explosive scorer ever.

Anaheim Ducks: Teemu Selanne

Teemu Selanne is one of the best forwards of the last 15 years, and he's been a model of consistency.

He has scored 50 goals in a season twice and scored 31 goals last season as a 40-year-old veteran.

Corey Perry might take this title away from Selanne in the future, but Teemu is the clear choice today.

Boston Bruins: Cam Neely

When healthy, Cam Neely was the most explosive goal scorer in the history of the Boston Bruins.

In the 1993-94 season, Neely scored 50 goals in the first 44 games played (his team played 66—he missed some due to injury).

Neely scored 50 in a season three times for the Bruins, 1990-91 and 1994.

Buffalo Sabres: Rick Martin

Rick Martin was a great goal scorer for the Buffalo Sabres during the 1970s.

He scored 50 goals in a season twice, in 1974 and 1975.

Calgary Flames: Jarome Iginla

Jarome Iginla has scored 50-plus goals twice for the Calgary Flames in his career, and he hasn't scored less than 30 goals in a season for Calgary since the 1999-2000 season.

Iginla is a Hall of Fame talent, and even at age 34 he's still an elite offensive player.

Carolina Hurricanes: Blaine Stoughton

Back when the Carolina Hurricanes franchise was the Hartford Whalers, Blaine Stoughton scored 50-plus goals in the 1980 and 1982 seasons and scored 196 goals from 1980-83.

Chicago Blackhawks: Bobby Hull

Chicago Blackhawks legend Bobby Hull became the first player in NHL history to score 50-plus goals twice in a career—and he did it four times in the 1960s, five times total in his career.

In fact, he led the NHL in scoring seven times in the 1960s, and his 604 goals as a Blackhawks player is just remarkable.

Colorado Avalanche: Joe Sakic

Joe Sakic is the best player in Colorado Avalanche history, and he scored many beautiful goals.

He scored 50-plus goals in a season twice for the Avalanche, in 1996 and 2001.

He captained Colorado to the Stanley Cup title in both those seasons.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Rick Nash

Rick Nash is the most explosive goal scorer in the brief history of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

He has scored 262 career goals for the team, notching at least 30 goals in six of his eight seasons.

Dallas Stars: Mike Modano

Mike Modano was the face of the Dallas Stars franchise for a long time and was a great goal scorer for the team since the early 1990s, when the franchise was in Minnesota.

Modano scored 30-plus goals nine times and scored 50 goals in the 1993-94 season.

Detroit Red Wings: Sergei Fedorov

Sergei Fedorov was a fantastic goal scorer on several Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup title teams.

He scored 30-plus goals nine times for the team, including a 56-goal effort in the 1994-95 season.

Edmonton Oilers: Wayne Gretzky

Who else did you think would get the spot on this list for Edmonton Oilers? Jari Kurri? 

No, the Great One is the most explosive goal scorer in Edmonton Oilers history.

Let's look at some facts.

• 92 goals in the 1981-82 season is an NHL record that will never be touched.
• Scored 50 goals in 39 games in the same season, also probably won't be done ever again.
• He scored five goals in game 39 to get 50.

Those are just from one season—in his total Oilers career he scored 50-plus goals in eight seasons.

Florida Panthers: Pavel Bure

Pavel Bure scored 50-plus goals for the Florida Panthers in the 2000 and 2001 seasons (58 in '00 and 59 in '01).

He is without question the best player and most explosive goal scorer in Panthers history.

He'll also show up on this list for another team.

Los Angeles Kings: Marcel Dionne

Marcel Dionne's 731 career goals is fourth-best in the history of the NHL, and he scored 50-plus goals for the Los Angeles Kings six times.

He was an explosive goal scorer for many years in Los Angeles.

Minnesota Wild: Marian Gaborik

Marian Gaborik now plays for the New York Rangers, but he began his career with the Minnesota Wild and was by far their most explosive and best scorer ever.

He scored 30-plus goals five times in eight seasons for the Wild.

Montreal Canadiens: Maurice Richard

Maurice Richard has the trophy given to the NHL's leading goal scorer named after him, so you know he could shoot the puck.

The Montreal Canadiens legend became the first player in league history to score 50 goals in a season, which he did in 50 games during the 1944-45 season.

Not until Mike Bossy in 1980-81 would a player score 50 goals that quickly into a season.

Nashville Predators: David Legwand

David Legwand has been with the Nashville Predators since their inaugural season in 1999, and he is the team's all-time leading scorer with 171 career goals (as of this writing).

The Predators have had very few offensive stars in their short history, but Legwand has been a consistent offensive force.

New Jersey Devils: Patrik Elias

Patrik Elias is a very clutch player who has scored 339 goals in his career, all with the New Jersey Devils.

He has scored 25-plus goals six times and 30-plus goals four times, and he always seems to come up with a big goal when the Devils need it most.

New York Islanders: Mike Bossy

Mike Bossy was a true sniper during his NHL career from 1977-87, and his unbelievable shot allowed him to rack up 573 career goals.

He never had less than 38 goals in a season, and he scored 64 goals in 1981-82.

New York Rangers: Rod Gilbert

Rod Gilbert is arguably the best New York Rangers player ever, and he scored 460 goals in just over 1,000 career games with the Blueshirts.

He's also the only player in Rangers history to have 1,000 or more career points as a member of the team.

Ottawa Senators: Dany Heatley

Dany Heatley scored a very impressive 180 goals in just four seasons with the Ottawa Senators, and he scored 50-plus goals for them twice.

Heatley is now with the Minnesota Wild, but he is the most explosive goal scorer in Ottawa's history.

Philadelphia Flyers: Eric Lindros

When healthy, Eric Lindros was a very explosive goal scorer, and although he never scored 50 or more goals in a single season, he scored 290 goals in just 486 games as member of the Flyers.

If not for injuries, Lindros may have been one of the best scorers ever.

Phoenix Coyotes: Keith Tkachuk

Keith Tkachuk started his career with the Phoenix Coyotes when the organization was still the Winnipeg Jets, and he became their most explosive scorer ever in just a few seasons.

He scored 50-plus goals in back-to-back seasons in 1995 and 1996 and scored 25 goals or more seven times in his Coyotes career.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Mario Lemieux

Mario Lemieux is one of the most explosive goal scorers in NHL history, and throughout his career he totaled 690 goals.

He scored 40 or more goals in a single season 10 times, including 70 goals in 1987-88 and 85 goals in 1988-89.

San Jose Sharks: Owen Nolan

Owen Nolan scored 206 goals in 586 games as a San Jose Sharks player and was an unbelievable offensive talent for them.

He is arguably the best player in Sharks history, but he is surely the most explosive scorer ever for San Jose.

St. Louis Blues: Brett Hull

St. Louis Blues legend Brett Hull is one of the most explosive goal scorers in recent memory.

He scored 40-plus goals eight times for the Blues.

From 1989-90 through 1991-92, Hull scored 228 goals.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Vincent Lecavalier

Since the 1998-99 NHL season, Tampa Bay Lightning star center Vincent Lecavalier has scored at least 20 goals every season.

He has been one of the most explosive scorers of the last decade, and his personal best mark for goals came in the 2006-07 season, when he scored 52 times.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Doug Gilmour

Doug Gilmour didn't put up 50 goals once for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but during his time with the Leafs he was one of the more explosive goal scorers in hockey.

He scored 25 goals or more three times for the Leafs, and his jersey has been retired by the team.

Vancouver Canucks: Pavel Bure

Pavel Bure is the best Vancouver Canucks player ever, and one of the most explosive goal scorers in the history of hockey.

Bure scored many amazing goals and was the team's first superstar.

He scored 50-plus goals three times as a Canucks player, including two 60-goal seasons.

Washington Capitals: Alexander Ovechkin

Alexander Ovechkin is the most explosive goal scorer in the history of the Washington Capitals and is among the most explosive scorers in the entire NHL today.

He has scored 45-plus goals five times, 50-plus goals four times, and had a career-best 65 goals during the 2007-08 season.

Winnipeg Jets: Ilya Kovalchuk

Ilya Kovalchuk is the only superstar the Winnipeg Jets franchise (formerly the Atlanta Thrashers) have ever had.

Kovalchuk has been one of the league's most explosive scorers for over a decade.

He scored 30 goals or more seven times for the Thrashers.

For updates on all NHL news throughout the season, follow Nick Goss on Twitter. Follow @NicholasGoss35

Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins featured columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.