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NHL history: Remembering the last game of Wayne Gretzky’s career

By Dave Stevenson

Wayne Gretzky, New York Rangers (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Wayne Gretzky, New York Rangers (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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On April 18, 1999, Wayne Gretzky played in the final game of his NHL career. Let’s look back at one of the most magical nights in NHL history.

The NHL has seen a ton of incredible players. Perhaps no player in NHL history is more famous than Wayne Gretzky. Known as “The Great One”, he started his career with the Edmonton Oilers. Like many stars back in the 1990’s, his last days were spent with the New York Rangers. On April 18, 1999, Gretzky played in the final game of his career at Madison Square Garden.

In his final game, he picked up an assist in an overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. His last career assist came on a first period power-play goal scored by fellow Hall of Famers Brian Leetch.

Gretzky left everything on the ice, playing over 22 minutes in his last career game.

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Before the game, both the Canadian and United States national anthems were played with a special tribute to Gretzky. Both songs featured slight lyrical changes to honor The Great One.

Later, in Hockey Night in Canada: My Greatest Day, Gretzky called his final game at Madison Square Garden his greatest moment.

Even in his last season, he was impressively productive. He put up 62 points (nine goals and 53 assists) in 73 games. Remarkably, 62 points was the lowest point total he had in his career in a season when he played at least 49 games.

Gretzky is known by many as the greatest hockey player of all-time. It’s hard to argue when you look at the stats. When Gretzky retired, he held virtually every offensive record. To this day, he still holds most of them. Some of his records will likely never be broken.

Gretzky’s Records (Regular Season)

  • 894 goals
  • 1,963 assists
  • 2,857 points
  • 617 even strength goals
  • 73 shorthanded goals
  • 50 hat tricks
  • 1.32 assists per game
  • 1.92 points per game

Gretzky’s Records (Postseason)

  • 122 goals (first)
  • 260 assists (first)
  • 382 points (first)
  • 75 even strength goals (first)
  • 10 hat tricks (first)
  • 1.25 assists per game (first)
  • 1.837 points per game (first)

Why Gretzky’s The Great One

Gretzky’s stats are incredible. Just think, he could have never scored a single goal in the NHL, and he’d still have the career points record. However, a lot of Gretzky’s greatness was because his mind was always thinking 10 steps ahead of his opponents. If you watch him play, he was clearly inspired by the infamous Soviet hockey team, as he skated and passed everywhere with a very specific purpose in mind.

However, I’d argue his stats aren’t why he’s the greatest (though they certainly help). Gretzky influenced the NHL more than any player in history. First of all, he was hockey’s first real star. Gordie Howe didn’t play in the league’s golden era. Bobby Orr couldn’t stay healthy long enough to play in it. But Gretzky did.

In fact, being traded to the Los Angeles Kings was one of the best moves in NHL history. For the first time, the league’s most marketable star was playing in the most significant market in North America. Gretzky’s highlights were commonplace on Sportscenter. No player before him made hockey as mainstream as The Great One did.

Gretzky also forced the NHL to adjust to him. The 1980’s were the golden era of scoring, and Gretzky was a huge reason why. His Oilers were like the Harlem Globetrotters on ice, putting up points at an unthinkable rate and making their opponents look like fools. Even after Gretzky went to the Kings, he continued producing at an astounding rate.

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Personally, I’d say Mario Lemieux is the most talented player of all-time. With a fully healthy career, he might have challenged some of Gretzky’s records. Lemieux was Gretzky with more size, more speed, and more grit to his game. However, I still think Gretzky is the greatest player of all-time because of his incredible influence on the game.

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