League Leaders Who Led?

NHL Single-Season Plus/Minus Record Progression

Every season that raised the bar, and the leader in every season between.

All-time career leaders →

The NHL single-season plus/minus record is 124, set by Bobby Orr in 1970. It has stood for 55 years. The mark has been raised 2 times since 1959.

PGAP/GPPPGGWGPIM+/-SHGPPPSS%G/GPGP

Record Holders

3 marks since 1959
Year Player +/- Stood for
1970 Bobby Orr Bobby Orr 124 still standing
1961 Lou Fontinato Lou Fontinato 55 9 years
1959 Doug Harvey Doug Harvey 37 2 years

The earliest marks here are records only in the sense that nobody had done better yet. Season length, schedule and the rules themselves have all changed, so a figure from the 1870s is not comparable with a modern one and is not offered as though it were.

Every Season

75 seasons
Year Leader +/-
2025 Nathan MacKinnon 57
2024 Ryan McDonagh 43
2023 Gustav Forsling 56
2022 Hampus Lindholm 49
2021 Johnny Gaudreau 64
2020 Mikko Rantanen 30
2019 Ryan Graves 40
2018 Mark Giordano 39
2017 William Karlsson 49
2016 Ryan Suter 34
2016 Jason Zucker 34
2015 Tyler Toffoli 35
2014 Nikita Kucherov 38
2014 Max Pacioretty 38
2013 David Krejci 39
2012 Pascal Dupuis 31
2011 Patrice Bergeron 36
2010 Zdeno Chara 33
2009 Jeff Schultz 50
2008 David Krejci 37
2007 Pavel Datsyuk 41
2006 Thomas Vanek 47
2005 Wade Redden 35
2005 Michal Rozsival 35
2003 Martin St. Louis 35
2003 Marek Malik 35
2002 Peter Forsberg 52
2002 Milan Hejduk 52
2001 Chris Chelios 40
2000 Patrik Elias 45
2000 Joe Sakic 45
1999 Chris Pronger 52
1998 Alexander Karpovtsev 39
1997 Chris Pronger 47
1996 John LeClair 44
1995 Vladimir Konstantinov 60
1994 Ron Francis 30
1993 Scott Stevens 53
1992 Mario Lemieux 55
1991 Paul Ysebaert 44
1990 Theo Fleury 48
1990 Marty McSorley 48
1989 Paul Cavallini 38
1988 Joe Mullen 51
1987 Brad McCrimmon 48
1986 Wayne Gretzky 69
1985 Mark Howe 87
1984 Wayne Gretzky 100
1983 Wayne Gretzky 78
1982 Wayne Gretzky 61
1982 Charlie Huddy 61
1981 Wayne Gretzky 80
1980 Brian Engblom 63
1979 Jim Schoenfeld 60
1978 Bryan Trottier 76
1977 Guy Lafleur 73
1976 Larry Robinson 120
1975 Bobby Clarke 83
1974 Bobby Orr 80
1973 Bobby Orr 84
1972 Jacques Laperriere 77
1971 Bobby Orr 83
1970 Bobby Orr 124 new record
1969 Bobby Orr 54
1968 Phil Esposito 55
1968 Bobby Orr 55
1967 Dallas Smith 33
1966 Pierre Pilote 54
1965 Ted Harris 34
1964 Carl Brewer 33
1963 Pierre Pilote 31
1962 Carl Brewer 32
1961 Lou Fontinato 55 new record
1960 Tim Horton 31
1959 Doug Harvey 37 new record