50 goals in 50 games 50 goals in 50 games refers to the act of scoring 50 goals in the first 50 games of a National Hockey League ( NHL ) season . Scoring fifty goals in fifty ( or fewer ) games in the NHL is a rare achievement . The NHL officially defines " 50 goals in 50 games " to mean that a player scores 50 goals in the team ' s first 50 games of the season , not the player ' s first 50 . This feat has been officially achieved eight times by five different players . Maurice Richard . Maurice " Rocket " Richard of the Montreal Canadiens was the first player to score 50 goals . He achieved the target in the 50th , and final , game of the 1944 – 45 season on goalie Harvey Bennett Sr . of the Boston Bruins , the Canadiens ' archnemesis . It would take another 16 years before the second player ever , Bernie Geoffrion , managed to score 50 goals in a single — albeit 64 game — season . And it took 35 years before anyone matched Richard ' s feat of 50 goals in 50 games . Coupled with being the first 500 goal scorer in NHL history , the ' difficulty ' of matching Richard ' s early 50 in 50 feat led many to declare the Rocket to be the greatest scorer of all time - with the NHL creating an annual trophy in 1999 , the Maurice " Rocket " Richard Trophy , to be presented to the top goal scorer in the league . Mike Bossy . Many thought it would be impossible to beat Maurice Richard ’ s in 50 games Then , in the 1980 – 81 season , Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders became only the second player to score 50 goals in 50 games . He scored twice within the last five minutes of his 50th game . He finished the season with 68 goals in 79 games . Wayne Gretzky . Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers demolished the " 50 in 50 " mark the next season . In Gretzky ’ s 38th game , he scored 4 goals , giving him 45 on the season . In his very next game , on December 30 , 1981 , he scored 5 goals against the Philadelphia Flyers to give him the record of 50 goals in 39 games . He had 50 goals before anybody else even had 30 , and finished with an NHL - record 92 goals on the season . Gretzky went on to score 50 goals in fewer than 50 games two more times in his career . In 1983 – 84 he scored his 50th goal in the team ' s 42nd game ( ending up with 87 goals ) , and in 1984 – 85 he scored his 50th in the team ' s 49th game ( ending the season with 73 goals ) . Mario Lemieux . Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins was the next player to score 50 in 50 or fewer games , achieving the feat on January 20 , 1989 . Lemieux ' s 50th goal officially came in game 46 , which was Lemieux ' s 44th game of the season . He finished the season with 85 goals . Brett Hull . Brett Hull scored 50 goals in 50 games or fewer twice in his career for the St . Louis Blues . Hull first did it in the 1990 – 91 season when he scored his 50th goal , and second of the game , against rookie goalie Dave Gagnon on January 25 , 1991 , in the Blues ' 49th game . Hull finished the season with 86 goals . His second time , the most recent season the feat was achieved , was during the next season , ( 1991 – 92 ) . On January 28 , 1992 , Hull scored his 50th goal against goalie Kelly Hrudey in game number 50 , a 3 – 3 tie in Los Angeles . Unofficial 50 in 50 scorers . The following players scored fifty goals in or before their 50th game in a single season , but do not officially qualify for 50 - in - 50 status because the NHL requires a player to have scored his 50th goal in or prior to his " team ' s " 50th game . Jari Kurri ( 1984 – 85 ) of the Edmonton Oilers scored his 50th goal in his 50th game of the season , which was his team ' s 53rd game . He finished with 71 goals for the year . Alexander Mogilny ( 1992 – 93 ) of the Buffalo Sabres scored his 50th goal in his 46th game of the season , which was his team ' s 53rd game . He finished with 76 goals for the year . Mario Lemieux ( 1992 – 93 & 1995 – 96 ) : in the 1992 – 93 season Lemieux scored his 50th goal in his 48th game , which was his team ' s 72nd game . He was plagued by injury that year , and finished with a total of 69 goals in 60 games played , having scored 19 goals in his remaining 12 games . In the 1995 – 96 season he scored his 50th goal in his 50th game ( the team ' s 59th ) , and finished the season with 69 goals in 70 games . Cam Neely ( 1993 – 94 ) of the Boston Bruins scored his 50th goal in his 44th game ( his teams 66th game ) — tied with Lemieux ' s 88 - 89 season for the fastest by any player other than Gretzky . Plagued by injury , Neely played a total of 49 games and did not score a goal in his remaining five games after reaching fifty . Other leagues . Anders Hedberg and Bobby Hull ( 1974 – 75 ) of the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association became the first players in the history of major league hockey to score 50 goals in fewer than 50 games . Hedberg broke the record established 22 seasons earlier by Montreal ' s Rocket Richard and matched in 1974 – 75 by Bobby Hull . He scored 51 goals in 49 games . Both Hull ' s and Hedberg ' s achievements are not considered NHL achievements , as they took place outside of the league .