This is a list of National Hockey League (NHL) statistical leaders through the end of the 2008–09 NHL season. Most of these records are dominated by Canadian players, due to the traditional popularity of ice hockey in Canada. In the past, most NHL players were from Canada, and even today roughly half of all NHL players are born in Canada (52.3% in the 2008–09 season). To distinguish players of different nations, a flag is placed beside players born outside of Canada based on their place of birth; the Canadian flag (Image:Flag of Canada.svg.png) will not be shown next to Canadian-born players in order to avoid visual clutter.