Today in History: Wayne Gretzky breaks NHL points record
Throughout the NHL's rich history, only one player has separated himself from the pack to emerge as the bar-none greatest player ever. Of course, we're speaking of The Great One: Wayne Gretzky.
On this day in 1989, as a member of the Los Angeles Kings playing against his former Edmonton Oilers, Gretzy broke Gordie Howe's points record of 1,850. Gretzky was just 28 when he broke the record and went on to play nine more seasons in the NHL.
Try to wrap your mind around this stat, bearing in mind that Howe's record stood at 1,850: Gretzky went on to score over 1,000 more points after breaking the record. By the time he hung up the skates for the final time, he amassed 2,857 total points. The second-most in NHL history? Mark Messier, who is almost 1,000 points shy of Gretzky at 1,887.
If you took away all of Gretzky's 894 career goals, his 1,963 assists alone would still be enough for the all-time points title.
Much like WIlt Chamberlain's records in the NBA, Gretzky's goal and assist records are simply mind-boggling -- but even more impressive than Chamberlain's, given that the 7-footer was hooping in a time where players simply couldn't combat his height and athleticism.
Click through the gallery above to see the best shots of Gretzky over the course of his playing career, and watch the video below to see the legend's thoughts on his grandson's hockey future.
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