Wayne Gretzky: The NHL’s All-Time Leading Scorer

Wayne Gretzky is the NHL’s all-time leading scorer. He is widely considered the greatest hockey player of all time.

Wayne Gretzky’s Early Life and Career

Wayne Gretzky was born on January 26, 1961, in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. He began skating at age two and playing hockey at age three. By the time he was eight years old, he was already considered a prodigy. Gretzky began his junior hockey career with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) at age 14. He scored a remarkable 378 goals and 139 assists in just one season with the Greyhounds.

Wayne Gretzky’s family and early life

Wayne Gretzky was born on January 26, 1961 in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. He was named after his father Walter, who was a former hockey player. Gretzky has four older sisters: Kim, Wendy, Glenda, and Michele. His great-grandfather Anton Gretzky emigrated from Ukraine.

Gretzky began skating at age two on an outdoor rink his father made for him in the backyard of their home in Brantford. When he was five years old, he scored his first goal against five year old Craig Campbell. From then on, Gretzky began to excel at the sport and developed a passion for it.

Gretzky played minor league hockey for the Brantford Nadrofsky Steelers of theOntario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA). When he was ten years old, he scored378 goals and 139 assists in just sixty-nine games with the team. The following season, he scored an astounding 1,050 goals and 212 assists in only eighty-two games.

Wayne Gretzky’s junior hockey career

Wayne Gretzky played junior hockey for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 1977 to 1978. He scored 52 goals and 116 points in 64 games, leading the Greyhounds to the Memorial Cup championship. In his second season with the team, Gretzky set league records for goals (87), assists (118), and points (205). He was named the Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year and was awarded the CHL Player of the Year Award.

Gretzky began his professional career with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1978. He played only eight games for the team before it folded mid-season. He was then sold to the Edmonton Oilers, another WHA team, for $442,000.

Wayne Gretzky’s professional hockey career

Gretzky began his professional hockey career with the World Hockey Association’s Indianapolis Racers, signing with the team on a part-time basis while he was still playing junior hockey. He played just eight games for the Racers before being sold to the Edmonton Oilers. It was with the Oilers that Gretzky truly began to shine, quickly becoming one of the team’s most popular players. In his first season with the Oilers, Gretzky scored 50 goals and 114 points, leading the team to the playoffs. He would go on to even greater success in subsequent seasons, setting numerous scoring records and helping the Oilers win four Stanley Cup championships.

Wayne Gretzky’s Records

Wayne Gretzky holds or shares 61 NHL records. These records include the most goals, assists and points in a season, as well as the most goals, assists and points in a career. He also holds the record for the most goals in a Stanley Cup Playoff game, and the most hat tricks in a season. Gretzky’s records will likely never be broken.

Wayne Gretzky’s regular season records

Gretzky holds or shares 61 National Hockey League (NHL) records: 40 regular season records, 15 playoff records, and 6 All-Star records. Gretzky’srene was such that by the time he retired, he held or shared 99 records altogether. In 2000, The Hockey News named him the greatest player of all time, and he received the same honor from ESPN in 2004.

Including his time in the World Hockey Association (WHA), Gretzky has a total of 102 goals, 163 assists and 265 points in 213 playoff games, adding another 41 game-winning goals. He is the only player to score more than 200 points in a single season – doing it four times – and he did it in just 74 , 79 , 80 and 83 games respectively. In 1983–84 , Gretzky scored 205 points (87 goals and 118 assists), leading his Edmonton Oilers to their first Stanley Cup championship.

Wayne Gretzky’s playoff records

In the playoffs, Gretzky scored 209 goals and 583 points in just St. Louis Blues 198 games. His playoff records for goals and points are both unlikely to be broken anytime soon.

Gretzky’s playoff records include:
-Most goals in a season: 47 (1985–86)
-Most goals in a career: 122 (198 St. Louis Blues 4–99)
-Most assists in a season: 59 (1988–89)
-Most assists in a career: 260 (198 St. Louis Blues 4–99)
-Most points in a season: 102 (1985–86)
-Most points in a career: 383 (198 St. Louis Blues 4–99)

Wayne Gretzky’s Stanley Cup records

Gretzky helped popularize the Stanley Cup, and is one of the most well-known players in the history of the sport. He played a total of 20 seasons in the NHL, winning four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers. He also holds numerous individual records, including:

-Most goals in a single season: 92 (1981–82)
-Most assists in a single season: 163 (1985–86)
-Most points in a single season: 215 (1985–86)
-Most goals in a career: 894
-Most assists in a career: 1,963
-Most points in a career: 2,857

Wayne Gretzky’s Legacy

Wayne Gretzky is widely regarded as the greatest hockey player of all time. He played 20 seasons in the NHL and is the league’s all-time leading scorer. Gretzky is also the only player in NHL history to have more than 200 points in a season. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999.

Wayne Gretzky’s impact on the NHL

By the time Wayne Gretzky retired in 1999, he had completely redefined the game of hockey. He was the NHL’s all-time leading scorer, with 2,857 career points, and his records for goals (894) and assists (1,963) are unlikely to ever be broken. He won four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, and his trade to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988 helped bring hockey to the American Sun Belt. Gretzky’s skill, charisma and marketing savvy made him the most famous hockey player in the world, and his influence can still be felt in the game today.

Wayne Gretzky’s impact on hockey

Born in Brantford, Ontario, Wayne Gretzky played his first NHL game with the Edmonton Oilers in October 1979. He was just 17 years old. By the end of his rookie season, he had set a new record for most goals by a first-year player. He would go on to break or tie 61 other NHL records over the course of his career.

Gretzky’s biggest impact on the game was his involvement in popularizing hockey in non-traditional markets in the United States. When Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988, it was seen as a move that would help grow the game of hockey on a national level in the United States. And it worked. The Kings were one of the most popular teams in the league during Gretzky’s time there, and hockey’s popularity increased tremendously during that time period.

Gretzky retired from the NHL in 1999 as the league’s all-time leading scorer. He is widely considered to be the greatest player in NHL history and his impact on growing hockey’s popularity is immeasurable.