EDMONTON - Ever since Maurice "Rocket" Richard scored 50 goals in the 50-game 1944-45 season, the most hallowed scoring mark in the NHL has been the 50 goals in 50 games mark. While the length of the season has changed throughout the years in the NHL, making it a little difficult to compare scorers from different eras, the 50 goals in 50 games mark has always been the benchmark, especially since it took another 33 years for someone to match Richard's mark.
The Islanders' Mike Bossy was the second to achieve that hallowed mark, scoring his 50th goal in the Islanders' 50th game of the 1980-81 season. Later in 1981, in a new season, a young man in Edmonton would make Bossy's mark be quickly forgotten.
Wayne Gretzky was only 20 years old when the 1981-82 NHL season began, but he had already established himself as the best player in the game. Even so, nobody could have expected the flurry he was about to unleash on the NHL. Gretzky was piling up goals faster than anybody had before him, faster than even Bossy the year before. As the final week of December rolled around, Gretzky had scored 41 goals in the Oilers' first 37 games, putting the 50 in 50 mark well within reach.
Then, an explosion. On a Sunday afternoon against Los Angeles, Gretzky unloaded for four goals, his third such game of the season, to give him 45 goals in 38 games. Now, the question wasn't whether he'd get 50 in 50, but whether he'd get it with 6 or 7 games to spare.
On December 30, 1981, the Oilers hosted the Philadelphia Flyers, who still had many of the same players from their Broad Street Bullies heyday of the mid-70s. Though not as dominant as they once had been, they were still a tough and talented defensive team.
That didn't stop Gretzky. He scored his first goal in the closing seconds of a power play, taking a pass off the boards and putting it in the net to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead. Not long after, he fired a slap shot from the slot into the top corner of the net for his 47th goal of the season.
The Flyers started to chip away at the lead, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Ten seconds after Philadelphia's second goal, though, Gretzky struck again, scoring on a breakaway for the hat trick and giving him 48 for the season. For his 49th goal, he crossed the blue line and avoided three players before scoring from long distance.
The Edmonton crowd was going crazy. Gretzky had scored eight goals in two games, giving him 49 in 39 games. It was a remarkable stretch of offensive brilliance. They clamored for one more. And while they should have been upset when Philadelphia scored two quick goals in the third to cut the Edmonton lead to 7-5, the fans weren't too upset, because they knew what it meant: at some point soon, the Flyers were going to pull their goalie. Gretzky was going to have an empty net to shoot at for his 50th goal.
And so it happened. Philadelphia pulled its goalie and got a few shots off with the extra attacker. Edmonton goalie Grant Fuhr made one stop, firing ahead to Glenn Anderson. Anderson found Gretzky on the left boards, and Gretzky skated ahead, flanked by a defender, and fired, scoring his 50th goal, and 5th of the game, with 5 seconds left.
Gretzky's teammates piled on top of him in the corner in celebration, but many of them likely couldn't believe it. He had taken one of the most sacred records in hockey, something that had been done only twice, and obliterated it, getting to 50 with 11 games to spare. When Gretzky's 50th goal crossed the line, no other player in the NHL had yet reached 30 for the season.
Gretzky's first 39 games were a sign of things to come. When the Oilers played their 50th game, Gretzky had reached 61 goals, setting a still-standing mark for scoring brilliance. He kept it up, too, eventually reaching 92 for the season, a single-season mark once thought unreachable and now seen as untouchable. Adding in his 120 assists, and Gretzky earned an unthinkable 212 points in the 81-82 season, another mark people thought would be unbreakable ... until Gretzky himself broke it four years later.
Wayne Gretzky's list of NHL records is so long that it seems impossible that one man could have done all that. Since the 81-82 season, three other players have reached 50 goals in 50 games - Gretzky himself two more times, Mario Lemieux once, and Brett Hull twice. But nobody has come anywhere near Gretzky's 50 goals in 39 games. And it's likely that nobody ever will.
This video shows all 12 goals from the game. It's worth the 9:00 view time if only for the Canadian accents and the wonder that was the Flyers' full-length pants
Showing posts with label Wayne Gretzky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wayne Gretzky. Show all posts
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
August 9, 1988: The Trade
EDMONTON, Alberta - For Canadians, it was one of those shocking, heart-wrenching, jaw-dropping days in the nation's sporting history. It was so unexpected that it defied belief. Wayne Gretzky, the heart and soul of the Edmonton Oilers dynasty, a Canadian national treasure, had been traded to Los Angeles
Canadians were outraged. They directed their anger anywhere they could; some went to Oilers owner Peter Pocklington, some to Gretzky's wife for "forcing" the trade with her desire to enhance her acting career, and some even to Gretzky himself for "abandoning" his home province and country. Even the government expressed its shock - a Canadian Parliament member moved to try to get the government to block the trade.
Pocklington approved the trade because he didn't believe he'd be able to afford to keep Gretzky when his contract was up. He had been losing money in various other business ventures and his profits from the Oilers weren't covering those losses, despite the Oilers winning four Stanley Cups in five seasons. So Pockington traded his best asset, trading Gretzky plus two bodyguards for two players, three draft picks, and $15 million in cash.
While stunned by the trade, the Oilers weren't devestated from a competitive standpoint. Two seasons after trading their captain, they won another Stanley Cup. Meanwhile, Gretzky's presence shot life into the previously moribund Kings franchise. The Kings were suddenly one of the marquee American-based franchises in the NHL. Seemingly overnight, America's second-largest city became a hockey hotbed.
While Canadians felt betrayed by Gretzky's willingness to be traded, Edmontonians bore no grudge. In his first game back as a member of the Kings, the Oilers saw the largest crowd in their franchise's history give Gretzky a four-minute-long standing ovation. They cheered loudly when he got two assists to make him the NHL's all-time scoring leader, and they cheered just as loud when new captain Mark Messier checked Gretzky into the boards.
Gretzky never won another Stanley Cup, making the finals only once as a member of the Kings. The Oilers won one more after trading him, but haven't won one since. With the talent that was in place at the time of the trade, it's reasonable to assume the Oilers could have won two or more additional Cups had Gretzky remained.
Instead, the Oilers dynasty ended, stopped not by an up-and-coming team beating them on the ice, but by an owner looking for a way to save some money.
Canadians were outraged. They directed their anger anywhere they could; some went to Oilers owner Peter Pocklington, some to Gretzky's wife for "forcing" the trade with her desire to enhance her acting career, and some even to Gretzky himself for "abandoning" his home province and country. Even the government expressed its shock - a Canadian Parliament member moved to try to get the government to block the trade.
Pocklington approved the trade because he didn't believe he'd be able to afford to keep Gretzky when his contract was up. He had been losing money in various other business ventures and his profits from the Oilers weren't covering those losses, despite the Oilers winning four Stanley Cups in five seasons. So Pockington traded his best asset, trading Gretzky plus two bodyguards for two players, three draft picks, and $15 million in cash.
While stunned by the trade, the Oilers weren't devestated from a competitive standpoint. Two seasons after trading their captain, they won another Stanley Cup. Meanwhile, Gretzky's presence shot life into the previously moribund Kings franchise. The Kings were suddenly one of the marquee American-based franchises in the NHL. Seemingly overnight, America's second-largest city became a hockey hotbed.
While Canadians felt betrayed by Gretzky's willingness to be traded, Edmontonians bore no grudge. In his first game back as a member of the Kings, the Oilers saw the largest crowd in their franchise's history give Gretzky a four-minute-long standing ovation. They cheered loudly when he got two assists to make him the NHL's all-time scoring leader, and they cheered just as loud when new captain Mark Messier checked Gretzky into the boards.
Gretzky never won another Stanley Cup, making the finals only once as a member of the Kings. The Oilers won one more after trading him, but haven't won one since. With the talent that was in place at the time of the trade, it's reasonable to assume the Oilers could have won two or more additional Cups had Gretzky remained.
Instead, the Oilers dynasty ended, stopped not by an up-and-coming team beating them on the ice, but by an owner looking for a way to save some money.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
May 29, 1993: The Great One's greatest
TORONTO - By the spring of 1993, Wayne Gretzky had been a member of the Los Angeles Kings for five full seasons, so most hockey fans were probably over the shock of seeing him wearing the Kings' black and silver instead of the Oilers' royal blue and orange. Even still, seeing the Oilers miss the playoffs in 1993 had to have been a shock, one that was compounded by the Kings' improbable run to the Stanley Cup finals.
The Kings' opponents in the Conference finals were the Toronto Maple Leafs, who Gretzky had never played in the playoffs in his years in Edmonton. The series was brutal, with hard hits and fights all series long. After Game 1, the Kings' Marty McSorley had 97 threatening messages on his hotel phone after a vicious hit on the Maple Leafs' Doug Gilmour. The Maple Leafs emerged from the first five games with a 3-games-to-2 series lead.
Gretzky turned the series around in Game 6, but not in the way people would have expected. In overtime of Game 6, Gretzky high-sticked Gilmour in the face, cutting it open, an infraction that should have led to at least a five-minute penalty if not a game-misconduct. No penalty was called, and Gretzky scored the game-winner moments later.
That set the stage for Game 7 on May 29 in Toronto. Before the game, a Toronto newspaper columnist had written that Gretzky looked like he was playing the series with a piano on his back. That might have been all he needed to hear. Gretzky scored in all three periods, capping his hat trick by scoring after an attempted pass deflected off a defender's skate, to lead the Kings to their first Stanley Cup final.
Gretzky had many memorable games in his career, including three different instances when he had 7 assists in a game and 10 playoff games where he had a hat trick. But he said his performance in Game 7 against the Maple Leafs was the best game he played in his career.
Against Montreal in the finals, the beating the Kings took against Toronto might have cost them. After winning the first game, Los Angeles, lost the next three, all in overtime, before dropping the series in five game. It was the last time Gretzky would play in the Stanley Cup finals.
The Kings' opponents in the Conference finals were the Toronto Maple Leafs, who Gretzky had never played in the playoffs in his years in Edmonton. The series was brutal, with hard hits and fights all series long. After Game 1, the Kings' Marty McSorley had 97 threatening messages on his hotel phone after a vicious hit on the Maple Leafs' Doug Gilmour. The Maple Leafs emerged from the first five games with a 3-games-to-2 series lead.
Gretzky turned the series around in Game 6, but not in the way people would have expected. In overtime of Game 6, Gretzky high-sticked Gilmour in the face, cutting it open, an infraction that should have led to at least a five-minute penalty if not a game-misconduct. No penalty was called, and Gretzky scored the game-winner moments later.
That set the stage for Game 7 on May 29 in Toronto. Before the game, a Toronto newspaper columnist had written that Gretzky looked like he was playing the series with a piano on his back. That might have been all he needed to hear. Gretzky scored in all three periods, capping his hat trick by scoring after an attempted pass deflected off a defender's skate, to lead the Kings to their first Stanley Cup final.
Gretzky had many memorable games in his career, including three different instances when he had 7 assists in a game and 10 playoff games where he had a hat trick. But he said his performance in Game 7 against the Maple Leafs was the best game he played in his career.
Against Montreal in the finals, the beating the Kings took against Toronto might have cost them. After winning the first game, Los Angeles, lost the next three, all in overtime, before dropping the series in five game. It was the last time Gretzky would play in the Stanley Cup finals.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
May 19, 1984: The king is dead; long live the king
EDMONTON - The 1983 Stanley Cup finals were a lesson in humility for the Edmonton Oilers. After scoring goals at a breathtaking clip in a regular season which saw them tie for the best record in the NHL, the Oilers advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time that spring. Their opponents were the aging three-time defending champion New York Islanders.
In that series, the old guard taught the new kids on the block what it took to be a champion. Agressively checking the much faster Oilers, the Islanders stuck to a game plan of forcing Edmonton to take long shots, allowing goalie Billy Smith to carry them. The result was a stunning four-game sweep that made the Islanders just the second franchise in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup four straight years.
The next year saw a rematch, with the Oilers - now a year older and more experienced - trying to knock off the Islanders - also a year older, but on the wrong end of the career spectrum. In the regular season, the Oilers and Islanders finished 1-2 in the league in scoring, but Edmonton scored a stunning 83 more goals than the Islanders, finishing a full goal a game ahead of the second-place team. There was some surprise, then, when the Oilers eked out a 1-0 win in Game 1 behind the stellar play of goalie Grant Fuhr.
The Game 2 loss didn't temper the hopes of the Oilers. The NHL had switched the format of the finals for this season, meaning that Edmonton would have three straight home games. If they could hold serve at home, they wouldn't have to go back to Long Island.
With Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, among others, in the primes of their careers, the rest of the series turned into a laugher. A pair of 7-2 wins put the Oilers on the cusp of the championship. Game 5 was May 19, and the Oilers started to make that one look easy, too, taking a 4-0 lead after two periods. But the Islanders showed they wouldn't go easily, scoring two quick goals to cut the lead in half. The Oilers dug in from there, getting an empty-net goal to seal their first Stanley Cup.
Game 5 marked a transition for the NHL. The Islanders, representing the tough-as-nails style of hockey, were done, while the high-flying Oilers became the dominant team. With a lineup full of Hall of Famers, Edmonton would win the Cup five times in seven years, in the process becoming, to date, the last true NHL dynasty.
HONORABLE MENTION
May 19, 1973: BALTIMORE - The move was so sudden, so breathtaking in its swiftness, that there was hardly any time to comprehend it. As the six horses crossed the finish line for the first time, Kentucky Derby winner Secretariat was in last. Twenty seconds later, he was in first. He had passed five horses on the far outside while navigating one of the toughest, tightest turns in horse racing. When he nosed in front at the top of the backstretch, the race was already over. Nobody was catching him.
Secretariat's pass seems even more impressive in this isolation shot of Secretariat. Note that during his move from last to first, his jockey was actually trying to hold him back.
In that series, the old guard taught the new kids on the block what it took to be a champion. Agressively checking the much faster Oilers, the Islanders stuck to a game plan of forcing Edmonton to take long shots, allowing goalie Billy Smith to carry them. The result was a stunning four-game sweep that made the Islanders just the second franchise in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup four straight years.
The next year saw a rematch, with the Oilers - now a year older and more experienced - trying to knock off the Islanders - also a year older, but on the wrong end of the career spectrum. In the regular season, the Oilers and Islanders finished 1-2 in the league in scoring, but Edmonton scored a stunning 83 more goals than the Islanders, finishing a full goal a game ahead of the second-place team. There was some surprise, then, when the Oilers eked out a 1-0 win in Game 1 behind the stellar play of goalie Grant Fuhr.
The Game 2 loss didn't temper the hopes of the Oilers. The NHL had switched the format of the finals for this season, meaning that Edmonton would have three straight home games. If they could hold serve at home, they wouldn't have to go back to Long Island.
With Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, among others, in the primes of their careers, the rest of the series turned into a laugher. A pair of 7-2 wins put the Oilers on the cusp of the championship. Game 5 was May 19, and the Oilers started to make that one look easy, too, taking a 4-0 lead after two periods. But the Islanders showed they wouldn't go easily, scoring two quick goals to cut the lead in half. The Oilers dug in from there, getting an empty-net goal to seal their first Stanley Cup.
Game 5 marked a transition for the NHL. The Islanders, representing the tough-as-nails style of hockey, were done, while the high-flying Oilers became the dominant team. With a lineup full of Hall of Famers, Edmonton would win the Cup five times in seven years, in the process becoming, to date, the last true NHL dynasty.
HONORABLE MENTION
May 19, 1973: BALTIMORE - The move was so sudden, so breathtaking in its swiftness, that there was hardly any time to comprehend it. As the six horses crossed the finish line for the first time, Kentucky Derby winner Secretariat was in last. Twenty seconds later, he was in first. He had passed five horses on the far outside while navigating one of the toughest, tightest turns in horse racing. When he nosed in front at the top of the backstretch, the race was already over. Nobody was catching him.
Secretariat's pass seems even more impressive in this isolation shot of Secretariat. Note that during his move from last to first, his jockey was actually trying to hold him back.
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