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This is the list of career achievements by Wayne Gretzky in the National Hockey League. Upon his retirement on April 18, 1999, Gretzky held or shared 61 National Hockey League records. These records include 40 regular season, 15 playoff, and 6 All-star records.

Gretzky set impressive records in both regular season and post-season play, holding the record for most career regular season goals (894), assists (1,963), points (2,857), and hat tricks (50). The next closest player in total points for the regular season is Mark Messier at 1,887. Gretzky's point total including regular season and playoffs stands at an imposing 3,239. Gretzky also had more career assists than any other player has ever gained total points.

His 47 playoff points in 1985 and 31 assists in 1988 are still records for a single post-season round, and he holds the record for career playoff goals (122), assists (260), points (382), hat tricks (10), and game winning goals (24).

Here is a complete list of his official records at the time of his retirement:

Regular season records (40)[]

  1. Most goals: 894 in 20 seasons
  2. Most goals, including playoffs: 1,016 in 1,487 regular season and 208 playoff games
  3. Most goals, one season: 92 in 1981–82, 80-game schedule
  4. Most goals, one season, including playoffs: 100 in 1983–84, 87 goals in 74 regular season games and 13 goals in 19 playoff games
  5. Most goals, 50 games from start of season: 61 in 1981–82 (October 7, 1981 to January 22, 1982, 80-game schedule) and 1983–84 (October 5, 1983 to January 25, 1984), 80-game schedule
  6. Most goals, one period: 4 (Tied with 10 other players) February 18, 1981
  7. Most assists: 1,963
  8. Most assists, including playoffs: 2,223
  9. Most assists, one season: 163 in 1985–86, 80-game schedule
  10. Most assists, one season, including playoffs: 174 in 1985–86, 163 assists in 80 regular season games and 11 assists in 10 playoff games
  11. Most assists, one game: 7 (tied with Billy "The Kid" Taylor) on three occasions—February 15, 1980; December 11, 1985; February 14, 1986
  12. Most assists, one road game: 7 (tied with Billy Taylor) December 11, 1985
  13. Most points: 2,857 in 1,487 games (894 goals, 1,963 assists)
  14. Most points, including playoffs: 3,239 in 1,487 regular season and 208 playoff games. (1016 goals, 2223 assists)
  15. Most points, one season: 215 in 1985–86, 80-game schedule (52 goals, 163 assists)
  16. Most points, one season, including playoffs: 255 08 points in 80 regular season games and 47 points in 18 playoff games
  17. Most overtime assists, career: 15
  18. Most goals by a centre, career: 894
  19. Most goals by a centre, one season: 92 in 1981–82, 80-game schedule
  20. Most assists by a centre, career: 1,963
  21. Most assists by a centre, one season: 163 in 1985–86, 80-game schedule
  22. Most points by a centre, career: 2,857
  23. Most points by a centre, one season: 215 in 1985–86, 80-game schedule
  24. Most assists in one game by a player in his first season: 7 on February 15, 1980
  25. Highest goals-per-game average, one season: 1.18 in 1983–84, 87 goals in 74 games
  26. Highest assists-per-game average, career (300 min.): 1.321 -- 1,963 assists in 1,487 games
  27. Highest assists-per-game average, one season: 2.04 in 1985–86, 163 assists in 80 games
  28. Highest points-per-game average, one season (among players with 50-or-more points): 2.77 in 1983–84, 205 points in 74 games
  29. Most 40-or-more goal seasons: 12 in 20 seasons
  30. Most consecutive 40-or-more goal seasons: 12 from 1979–80 to 1990–91
  31. Most 50-or-more goal seasons: 9 (tied with Mike Bossy)
  32. Most 60-or-more goal seasons: 5 (tied with Mike Bossy)
  33. Most consecutive 60-or-more goals seasons: 4 from 1981–82 to 1984–85
  34. Most 100-or-more point seasons: 15
  35. Most consecutive 100-or-more point seasons: 13 from 1979–80 to 1991–92
  36. Most three-or-more goal games, career: 50 -- 37 three-goal (hat trick) games; nine four-goal games; four five-goal games
  37. Most three goal games, one season: 10 (done twice) in 1981–82 and 1983–84
  38. Longest consecutive assist scoring streak: 23 games in 1990–91, 48 assists
  39. Longest consecutive point-scoring streak: 51 Games in 1983–84 (October 5, 1983 to January 28, 1984, 61 goals, 92 assists for 153 points)
  40. Longest consecutive point-scoring streak from start of season: 51 in 1983–84; 61 goals, 92 assists for 153 points (October 5, 1983 to January 28, 1984)

Playoff records (15)[]

  1. Most playoff goals, career: 122
  2. Most playoff assists, career: 260
  3. Most assists, one playoff year: 31 in 1988 (19 games)
  4. Most assists in one series (other than final): 14 (tied with Rick Middleton) in 1985 Conference Finals (six games vs. Chicago)
  5. Most assists in final series: 10 in 1988 (four games, plus suspended game vs. Boston)
  6. Most assists, one playoff game: 6 (tied with Mikko Leinonen) on April 9, 1987
  7. Most assists, one playoff period: 3 -- Three assists by one player in one period of a playoff game has been recorded on 70 occasions. Gretzky has had three assists in one period five times
  8. Most points, career: 382 -- 122 goals and 260 assists
  9. Most points, one playoff year: 47 in 1985 (17 goals and 30 assists in 18 games)
  10. Most points in final series: 13 in 1988 three goals and 10 assists (four games plus suspended game vs. Boston, three goals)
  11. Most points, one playoff period: 4 (tied with nine other players)
  12. Most short-handed goals, one playoff year: 3 (tied with five other players) 1983
  13. Most short-handed goals, one playoff game: 2 (tied with eight other players) April 6, 1983
  14. Most game winning goals in playoffs, career: 24 (tied with Brett Hull)
  15. Most three-or-more goals games (hat trick): 10 (eight three-goal games, two four-goal games)

All-Star records (6)[]

  1. Most All-Star game goals, career: 13 (in 18 games played)
  2. Most All-Star game goals, one game: 4 (tied with three players) 1983 Campbell Conference
  3. Most All-Star game goals, one period: 4 1983 Campbell Conference, third period
  4. Most All-Star game assists, career: 12 (tied with four players)
  5. Most All-Star game points, career: 25 (13 goals, 12 assists in 18 games)
  6. Most All-Star game points, one period: 4 (tied with Mike Gartner and Adam Oates) 1983 Campbell Conference, third period (four goals)

Records update[]

Since Wayne Gretzky’s retirement, two of his records have fallen and he has gained one record, leaving him with a new total of 60 official records.

  • Gretzky’s record of 15 regular season overtime assists has now been passed by three players. They are Nicklas Lidstrom (16), Adam Oates (17), and Mark Messier (18).
  • Joe Sakic (16), Mark Messier (14), and Ray Bourque (13) have passed Gretzky’s record (12) for most All-star game assists.
  • Wayne Gretzky finished his career with a 1.921 points per game average. Only Mario Lemieux, then retired, had a better points per game average at that time. Lemieux since came out of retirement in 2000 and played until the 2005–06 NHL season. Lemieux's points per game average has dropped to 1.883 before retiring once again midway through the 2005–06 season. This gives the record back to Gretzky.

Unofficial records[]

Along with his numerous official records, Wayne Gretzky also has many "unofficial" records. These other records are not recognised by the NHL Official Guide and Record Book.

  • Youngest player to score 50 goals in a season (19 years, two months)
  • Most points by an NHL player in his first year: 137. He was not considered a rookie in his first year, so the rookie record belongs to Teemu Selanne with 132
  • Most assists by an NHL player in his first year: 86. The rookie record is held jointly by Peter Stastny and Joe Juneau with 70 assists. Note that the record book gives Gretzky the record for most assists and points in a game as a first year player, but not the season totals
  • Most 200-or-more point seasons: 4. Gretzky owns the official record for most 100 point seasons. He is the only player to reach 200 points in a season
  • Most consecutive 200 point seasons: 3
  • Most 70-or-more goal seasons: 4. The NHL has a record for most 60 goal seasons, but not 70. Eight players have achieved 70 goals, and Brett Hull did so three times.
  • Most consecutive 70 goal seasons: 4
  • Most 80-or-more goal seasons: 2
  • Most 90-or-more goal seasons: 1. Gretzky is the only player to achieve this
  • Fastest 50 goals from start of season: 50 goals in 39 games. 50 goals in 50 games is labelled as the most difficult one to break of all of Gretzky's records. The NHL has an official record for the most goals in 50 games, but not the fastest 50 goals
  • Fastest 100 points: 34 games in 1983–84
  • Most seasons averaging at least 1 point per game: 19
  • Most consecutive seasons averaging at least 1 point per game: 19
  • Most seasons averaging at least 2 points per game: 10
  • Most consecutive seasons averaging at least 2 points per game: 9
  • Most game winning goals in the playoffs: 24 (tied with Brett Hull)
  • Most 100-or-more assist seasons: 11
  • Most consecutive 100-or-more assist seasons: 11
  • Most NHL and WHA regular season assists: 2,027
  • Most NHL and WHA regular season points: 2,967
  • Most NHL and WHA regular season and playoff goals: 1,072 (one more than Gordie Howe)
  • Most NHL and WHA regular season and playoff assists: 2,297
  • Most NHL and WHA regular season and playoff points: 3,369
  • Most MVP awards (Hart Trophy): 9
  • Most scoring championships (Art Ross Trophy): 10
  • Largest margin of victory in the scoring race: 79 (in 1983–84)
  • Most seasons where he was his team's leading scorer: 19
  • Most official NHL records: 61 on retirement, 60 at present

The following are milestone records:

  • Fastest 400 Goals (436 games)
  • Fastest 500 Goals (575 games)
  • Fastest 600 Goals (718 games, one less than Mario Lemieux)
  • Fastest 700 Goals (886 games)
  • Fastest 800 Goals (1116 games)
  • Fastest 1000 Points (424 games)
  • Only Player To Reach 2000 Career Points
  • Only Player To Reach 3000 Career Points, Regular Season and Playoffs combined

Career statistics[]

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM +/- PP SH GW GP G A Pts PIM
1975–76 Toronto Nationals MetJHL 28 27 33 60 7
1976–77 Seneca Nationals MetJHL 32 36 36 72 35 23 40 35 75
1976–77 Peterborough Petes OHL 3 0 3 3 0
1977–78 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds OHL 64 70 112 182 14
1978–79 Indianapolis Racers WHA 8 3 3 6 0
1978–79 Edmonton Oilers WHA 72 43 61 104 19 13 10 10 20 2
1979–80 Edmonton Oilers NHL 79 51 86 137 21 +15 13 1 6 3 2 1 3 0
1980–81 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 55 109 164 28 +41 15 4 3 9 7 14 21 4
1981–82 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 92 120 212 26 +81 18 6 12 5 5 7 12 8
1982–83 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 71 125 196 59 +60 18 6 9 16 12 26 38 4
1983–84 Edmonton Oilers NHL 74 87 118 205 39 +76 20 12 11 19 13 22 35 12
1984–85 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 73 135 208 52 +98 8 11 7 18 17 30 47 4
1985–86 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 52 163 215 46 +71 11 3 6 10 8 11 19 2
1986–87 Edmonton Oilers NHL 79 62 121 183 28 +70 13 7 4 21 5 29 34 6
1987–88 Edmonton Oilers NHL 64 40 109 149 24 +39 9 5 3 19 12 31 43 16
1988–89 Los Angeles Kings NHL 78 54 114 168 26 +15 11 5 5 11 5 17 22 0
1989–90 Los Angeles Kings NHL 73 40 102 142 42 +8 10 4 4 7 3 7 10 0
1990–91 Los Angeles Kings NHL 78 41 122 163 16 +30 8 0 5 12 4 11 15 2
1991–92 Los Angeles Kings NHL 74 31 90 121 34 -12 12 2 2 6 2 5 7 2
1992–93 Los Angeles Kings NHL 45 16 49 65 6 +6 0 2 1 24 15 25 40 4
1993–94 Los Angeles Kings NHL 81 38 92 130 20 -25 14 4 0
1994–95 Los Angeles Kings NHL 48 11 37 48 6 -20 3 0 1
1995–96 Los Angeles Kings NHL 62 15 66 81 32 -7 5 0 2
1995–96 St. Louis Blues NHL 18 8 13 21 2 -6 1 1 1 13 2 14 16 0
1996–97 New York Rangers NHL 82 25 72 97 28 +12 6 0 2 15 10 10 20 2
1997–98 New York Rangers NHL 82 23 67 90 28 -11 6 0 4
1998–99 New York Rangers NHL 70 9 53 62 14 -23 3 0 3
20 years Totals NHL 1487 894 1963 2857 577 +518 204 73 91 208 122 260 382 66

Awards[]

Gretzky statue cropped

Gretzky's statue at Rexall Place, Edmonton

He won nine Hart Trophies, the NHL's most valuable player award, and eight of these were awarded in consecutive years from 1980–87. Gretzky holds the record for most MVP awards of any player in North American professional sports.

^- Awarded the defunct Emery Edge Trophy

Honors[]

  • 8-Time All-NHL First Team (1981–87, 1991)
  • 7-Time All-NHL Second Team (1980, 1988–90, 1994, 1997, 1998)
  • In 1998, he was ranked number 1 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players
  • Hockey Hall Of Fame 1999 Inductee
  • Officer of the Order of Canada[1]
  • First international recipient of the Horatio Alger Award[2]
  • Received star on Canada's Walk of Fame[3]
  • AP-Athlete Of The Decade, 1980's
  • Ranked #1 Canadian Athlete of the Century
  • Sports Illustrated's Hockey Player of the Century
  • Ranked #5 in both ESPN SportsCentury's and the Associated Press's Top 100 Athletes of the 20th Century (Behind Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Jim Brown (ESPN) and Jim Thorpe (AP))
  • In 2007, he was ranked number 1 in The Hockey News' book The Top 60 Since 1967
  • IIHF Centennial All-Star Team
  • Jersey number 99 retired league-wide by NHL

See also[]

References[]

  • Diamond, Dan, ed. (1998), Total hockey : the official encyclopedia of the National Hockey League, New York, New York: Total Sports, ISBN 0836271149
  • Dryden, Steve, ed. (1998), The Top 100: NHL players of all time, Toronto, Ontario: McClelland & Stewart Inc., ISBN 0771041756
  • Dryden, Steve, ed. (1999), Total Gretzky: the magic, the legend, the numbers, Toronto, Ontario: McClelland & Stewart Inc., ISBN 0771041772
  • Surgent, Scott (2004), The Complete Historical and Statistical Reference to the World Hockey Association: 1972-1979, Xaler Press, ISBN 0964477440
  • Willes, Ed (2004), The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association, Toronto, Ontario: McClelland and Stewart, ISBN 0771089473
  1. gg.ca, Gretzky's profile on the Order of Canada site, accessed January 26, 2007
  2. horatioalger.com, Horatio Alger Association press release announcing Gretzky's award, accessed January 26, 2007
  3. canadaswalkoffame.com, Gretzky's profile on Canada's Walk of Fame website, accessed January 26, 2007

External links[]


This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at List of career achievements by Wayne Gretzky. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA).


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