Wayne Gretzky Sets NHL Record

On March 23, 1994, NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky scored his record-breaking 802nd career NHL goal.  Gretzky surpassed his childhood hero Gordie Howe, whose record stood for almost 15 years.

The iconic photo from Wayne Gretzky's 802nd goal.

In the second period of a game against the Vancouver Canucks, Gretzky received a cross-ice feed from Marty McSorley and buried it into a yawning cage for the record-breaking goal.  “The Great One” would record an additional 92 goals in his career, finishing with a total of 894 regular season goals.  At the time of his retirement many considered this record to be untouchable.

Gretzky’s 20-year NHL career between the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers would see him play in 1,487 regular season games, scoring 894 goals, 1,963 assists for 2,857 points. He would score 204 power play goals, and 73 shootout goals, 91 of those were game winning goals.

Wayne Gretzky on the Los Angeles Kings in 1994.

Gretzky would make the playoffs in all but four seasons, as he played in 208 games, scoring 122 goals, 260 assists for 382 points.

Gretzky would be a star in International play as well, earning three Gold medals (1984, 1987, 1991) and one Silver (1981) in Canada Cup play. He would earn a Bronze in both 1978 World Junior Championship and the 1982 World Championships, as well Silver in the 1996 World Cup. Gretzky would also play for team Canada in the 1998 Winter Olympics, but would not medal.

Gretzky would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Nov. 22, 1999, becoming the tenth player to bypass the three-year waiting period. The Hall of Fame announced he would be the last player to do so. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2000.

In addition, Gretzky's jersey number 99 was retired league-wide at the 2000 NHL All-Star Game. Gretzky's jersey number 99 is only the second number ever to be retired league-wide by a major North American sports league, the other being Jackie Robinson's number 42, which was retired by Major League Baseball in 1997.

After his playing career ended Gretzky would go on to coach in the NHL with the Phoenix Coyotes. He would coach them for four years, never making the playoffs and only once posting more wins than losses in regulation, 2007-2008 season the Coyotes were 38-37-7.

Buffalo Sabers Clint Malarchuk Suffers Near Fatal Injury

On March 22, 1989, Clint Malarchuk of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres suffered a near fatal throat injury in a game against the St. Louis Blues. Malarchuk had his interior carotid artery severed when teamed Uwe Krupp and Blues forward Steve Tuttle crashed into him at high speeds.

Clint Malarchuk of the Buffalo Sabres after having his throat hit with a skate.

Malarchuk came dangerously close to losing his life that night, but the quick thinking of athletic trainer Jim Pizzutelli save his life. Pizzutelli, a former army medic who served in Vietnam, reached into Malarchuk’s neck and pinched off the bleeding until doctors arrived.

It took doctors 90 minutes and over 300 stitches to close the wound. Suprisingly, Malarchuk spent only one night in the hospital and was back at practice just four days later.

Brett Hull Scores 80

On March 19, 1991, Brett Hull becomes only the second player in NHL history to score 80 goals in a season.  Hull finished the year with 86 goals, the third most all-time, behind only Wayne Gretzky’s 92 in 1981-82 and Gretzky’s 87 in 1983-84. Brett also became only the fifth player to score 50 goals in his teams first 50 games.

Brett Hull in 1991 with the St. Louis Blues.

Hull was the game’s premier goal scorer in the early ’90′s, scoring an incredible 339 goals from 1989-1994 for an average of almost 68 goals per season.  “The Golden Brett” was paired with Adam Oates to make up one of the NHL’s most feared duos. Oates was a great playmaker who consistently setup Hull for his trademark one-time slap shot.

Hull’s NHL career would feature 1,269 games played, in which he scored 741 goals and tallied 650 assists for a total of 1,391 points over 20 seasons. Hull would make the playoffs 20 times with the Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings, playing in 202 games. He would score 103 goals and record 87 assists for a total of 190 points in the playoffs.

Known as one of the game's greatest snipers, Hull was an elite scorer at all levels of the game. He played college hockey for the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, where he scored 52 goals in 1985–86. He scored 50 the following year with the Moncton Golden Flames of the American Hockey League (AHL) and had five consecutive NHL seasons of at least 50 goals.

Hull would win NHL First Team All-Star nominations from 1989-1992, and would play in the All-Star game from 1989-1994, 1996-1997 and 2001. He would win the NHL All-Star Game MVP in 1992. Hull would win the NHL’s MVP award the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1991 as well the Lester B. Pearson Award the MVP voted on by the players the same year. He would win the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1990, a trophy awarded for Sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct. He would win the Stanley Cup in 1999 with the Dallas Stars and in 2002 with the Detroit Red Wings.

Hull would also win a Silver medal with Team USA at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. He would also earn a Silver medal at the 1991 Canada Cup, and a Gold medal at the World Cup of Hockey in Canada in 1996.

Gretzky Scores 50

On Dec. 30, 1981, Edmonton Oilers center Wayne Gretzky scored his 50th goal of the season in just his 39th game.  Gretzky broke the record of 50 goals in 50 games that was held by both Maurice Richard and Mike Bossy.

Wayne Gretzky entered game #39 with 45 goals and needed to score five to get to 50 before the new year.  With already four goals to his name, Gretzky buried an empty netter for his fifth goal of the game to reach 50 in the Oilers 7-5 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.  Gretzky went on to break Phil Esposito’s record of 76 goals in a season when he recorded his 77th in February.  “The Great One” finished the year with 92 goals, a record which still stands today.

Scoring in the National Hockey League is way down when compared to the numbers being put up in the 1980’s.  With that being said, Gretzky’s record of 50 goals in 39 games figures to be safe for a very long time.

Gretzky would finish his career as the all-time leading scorer in NHL history with 894 goals, 1,963 assists for 2,857 points in the regular season.

Gretzky would also excel in the playoffs, in his 20 seasons in the NHL, Gretzky made the playoffs 16 times with the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kinds, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers. He would score 122 goals, 260 assists for 382 points in just 208 playoff games.

Gretzky would also excel in the International format for his home country of Canada. In 63 games split between World Junior Championships, Canada Cup, World Championships, Rendez-vous ’87, the World Cup and the Winter Olympics in 1998, Gretzky would score 34 goals, 69 assists for a total of 103 points in 63 games.

After his playing career was over Gretzky went on to coach the Phoenix Coyotes from 2005-2009. While he was outstanding as a player he was not that as a coach, missing the playoffs every year, posting his best record in 2008 when he coached the team to a 38-37-7 record, finishing fourth in the Pacific Division with 83 points.

Gretzky at the time of his retirement, Gretzky held or shared a remarkable 61 records, which in itself is a record.  Wayne holds many of the significant offensive records for the regular season, playoffs and the All-Star Game.  Gretzky also represented Canada on several different occasions in International play, including the Winter Olympics, World Championships, World Cup and Canada Cup.

One year after his retirement, at the 2000 All-Star Game, the National Hockey League announced that Wayne Gretzky’s famous no. 99 would be retired league wide.  Gretzky became only the second man in professional North American sports to have his number permanently retired, with Jackie Robinson’s no. 42 being the first by Major League Baseball.

Gretzky Scores 50

On Dec. 12, 1981, Wayne Gretzky makes history with his 50^th goal of the season.

Wayne Gretzky is no stranger to making history. He has done it plenty of times. One example came on this day in 1981 . Gretzky scored his 50^th goal of the season. It was just his 39^th game and that meant he had reached 50 faster than any player before him. He would finish the season with 92 goals.

The 92 goals would be the most Gretzky would score in a single season, although he was close two years later as he scored 87 goals in the 1983-1984 season.

Gretzky would finish his career as the all-time leading scorer in NHL history with 894 goals, 1,963 assists for 2,857 points in the regular season.

Gretzky would also excel in the playoffs, in his 20 seasons in the NHL, Gretzky made the playoffs 16 times with the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers. He would score 122 goals, 260 assists for 382 points in just 208 playoff games.

Gretzky would also excel in the International format for his home country of Canada. In 63 games split between World Junior Championships, Canada Cup, World Championships, Rendez-vous ’87, the World Cup and the Winter Olympics in 1998, Gretzky would score 34 goals, 69 assists for a total of 103 points in 63 games.

After his playing career was over Gretzky went on to coach the Phoenix Coyotes from 2005-2009. While he was outstanding as a player he was not that as a coach, missing the playoffs every year, posting his best record in 2008 when he coached the team to a 38-37-7 record, finishing fourth in the Pacific Division with 83 points.

Gretzky Passes Up Howe

On Oct. 15, 1989, Wayne Gretzky passes Gordie Howe as the NHL's all-time top scorer.
Howe is often referred to as Mr. Hockey, and is generally regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time.

Howe is most famous for his scoring prowess, physical strength, and career longevity. He is the only player to have competed in the NHL in five different decades (1940s through 1980s). A four-time Stanley Cup champion with the Red Wings, he won six Hart Trophies as the league's most valuable player and six Art Ross Trophies as the leading scorer. He was the inaugural recipient of the NHL Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

Howe's name and nickname, "Mr. Hockey," as well as his wife's nickname as "Mrs. Hockey," are registered trademarks.

During his NHL career Howe scored 801 regular season goals and 1048 assists totaling 1850 points in 1767 games. In the playoffs Howe would score 68 goals and 92 assists for 160 total points in 157 games.

Gretzky’s 20-year NHL career between the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers would see him play in 1,487 regular season games, scoring 894 goals, 1,963 assists for 2,857 points. He would score 204 power play goals, and 73 shootout goals, 91 of those were game winning goals.

Gretzky would finish his career as the all-time leading scorer in NHL history with 894 goals, 1,963 assists for 2,857 points in the regular season.

Gretzky would also excel in the playoffs. In his 20 seasons in the NHL, Gretzky made the playoffs 16 times with the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kinds, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers. He would score 122 goals, 260 assists for 382 points in just 208 playoff games.

Gretzky would also do well in the International format for his home country of Canada. In 63 games split between World Junior Championships, Canada Cup, World Championships, Rendez-vous ’87, the World Cup and the Winter Olympics in 1998, Gretzky would score 34 goals, 69 assists for a total of 103 points in 63 games.

After his playing career was over Gretzky went on to coach the Phoenix Coyotes from 2005-2009. While he was outstanding as a player he was not that as a coach, missing the playoffs every year, posting his best record in 2008 when he coached the team to a 38-37-7 record, finishing fourth in the Pacific Division with 83 points.

On Nov. 22, 1999, Gretzky was inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame. Gretzky became the tenth and last player to bypass the usual three-year waiting period.

Wayne Gretzky being elected to the Hall-Of-Fame was a no-brainer, as he is considered by many to be the greatest player in hockey history, hence his nickname “The Great One.”

At the time of his retirement, Gretzky held or shared a remarkable 61 records, which in itself is a record.  Wayne holds many of the significant offensive records for the regular season, playoffs and the All-Star Game.  Gretzky also represented Canada on several different occasions in International play, including the Winter Olympics, World Championships, World Cup and Canada Cup.

One year after his retirement, at the 2000 All-Star Game, the National Hockey League announced that Wayne Gretzky’s famous no. 99 would be retired league wide.  Gretzky became only the second man in professional North American sports to have his number permanently retired, with Jackie Robinson’s no. 42 being the first by Major League Baseball.

Rheaume Plays In NHL

On Sept. 23, 1992, the National Hockey League was never known for being diverse, but on this day in 1992, the sport did something rather dynamic: a girl played in it.

Manon Rheaume, a 20 year-old Canadian woman, played goalie for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a preseason game against the St. Louis Blues. Rheaume allowed two goals on nine shots and was lifted in the first quarter with score tied at two. She would play in another NHL exhibition game in 1993, again playing for the Lightning. These were her only two game appearances.

Rheaume continued to play in the independent hockey circuit and was the goalie on the Canadian woman's hockey team in 1998, which won a silver medal. She never played in a regular season NHL game however. The Lightning were an expansion team when Rheaume first played for them, and Tampa Bay general manager Phil Espesito readily admitted that her preseason appearance was mostly for publicity.

Although Rheaume never got in a real game, she went further than any woman had ever gone in the four major sports leagues. No woman has ever played in an NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL game.