The most consistent 30-goal scorer in NHL history — 708 goals but never a Stanley Cup.
Michael Alfred Gartner was born in Ottawa, Ontario in 1959. Washington Capitals selected him fourth overall in the 1979 NHL Draft. His 19-season career produced 708 goals and 627 assists for 1,335 career points. He scored 30 or more goals in 17 consecutive seasons — the most consistent sustained goal-scoring record in NHL history. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001 and named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017. He was considered the fastest skater in the NHL for most of his career — winning the breakaway competition at All-Star Weekend multiple times. He never won the Stanley Cup — traded from Washington to Minnesota and then New York, he was famously traded away from the Rangers just before his 1994 championship run. He was one of the first prominent Christian athletes in the NHL — his faith was public throughout his career. His 708 career goals, without ever winning a championship, make him one of hockey's great individual cases of excellence divorced from team success.
Hall of Fame (2001)
Career Honours
- Hall of Fame (2001)
- NHL 100 Greatest Players
- 708 career goals
- 30+ goals in 17 straight seasons