Which NHL player holds the record for most penalty minutes in a single season?

Dave Schultz holds the NHL record for the most penalty minutes in a single season, with 472 in 1974–75.

Schultz played left wing for the Philadelphia Flyers and became famous as “the Hammer,” one of the league’s best-known enforcers. His record season came during the Flyers’ Broad Street Bullies era, when the team built a tough, intimidating identity around physical play.

The 472-minute total is a measurement of penalty time, not the number of penalties. It adds up to nearly eight hours in the penalty box across the season. Schultz also contributed offensively, scoring 20 goals for Philadelphia in 1973–74.

Readers often confuse this record with career penalty minutes. Tiger Williams owns the career record with 3,966, while Randy Holt holds the single-game mark with 67. Schultz’s two Stanley Cup victories, both with Philadelphia, came in 1974 and 1975.