Wayne Gretzky does Wayne Gretzky things on this day in hockey history

Wayne Gretzky achieved a significant milestone on this day 24 years ago.

There is a reason Wayne Gretzky is referred to as The Great One, and he put special meaning into that nickname on December 1, 1996.

We have now entered the month of December and, in lieu of actual hockey news and still waiting on a concrete start date for the 2020-21 season, we thought it would be a good idea to take a trip down memory lane.

More from Puck Prose

• Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
• This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
• 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
• 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
• This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings

And what better way to start than with The Great One, who certainly started December off the right way more than two decades ago.

Finishing out his stellar and historic career with the New York Rangers, Gretzky was in the midst of what proved to be a 97 point season (25 G, 72 A), leading the entire NHL in assists.

With the Montreal Canadiens in town on Dec. 1, 1996, Gretzky put on a real show on the brightest stage at Madison Square Garden.

In what was a 6-2 win for the Rangers over an Original Six rival, Gretzky recorded a goal and an assist in what was his first year in The Big Apple.

Now, given Gretzky’s exploits and his sheer brilliance throughout his career, you may think to yourself that just two points in a single game is hardly anything to write home about for arguably the best to have ever played this great game.

However, the goal and the assist against Montreal was significant for The Gretzky One because it gave him an unprecedented 3,000 points on his career, including both the regular season and the Playoffs.

Not only was it history in the making for Gretzky, but it was also uncharted territory for the NHL with The Great One becoming the first player in the history of the league to record 3,000 points.

It was a remarkable milestone at the time and it is one that takes on even more meaning in the present day given that it is a record that still stands out on its own.

Gretzky finished his glorious Hall of Fame career with a grand total of 3,239 points in both the regular season and the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a total that won’t ever be touched in my opinion.

I mean, when you consider that another former Ranger and Edmonton Oilers great in Mark Messier is second on the list with 2,182, a full 1,057 points behind The Great One, then it just further illustrates why Gretzky belongs in his own pantheon of great players.

And, while Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin has an outside chance of surpassing Gretzky’s all-time goals record of 894, there isn’t anyone that is coming close to Gretzky’s 1,963 assists.

No one at all. Period.

So, those inside MSG 24 years ago today can lay claim to being present when Gretzky created true history and wrote another outstanding chapter in what was a truly remarkable career.

Notable Mentions

Let’s quickly look at two other important moments that took place on this day in history…

Dec. 1, 1924 – This is arguably the most important of the bunch because this was the date the NHL made its debut in North America with the Boston Bruins beating the Montreal Maroons 2-1 at Boston Arena.

Yes, the Montreal Maroons were once a thing.

Smokey Harris and Carson Cooper scored for Boston in what was a historic win, while Chuck Dinsmore lit the lamp for Montreal.

The Boston Bruins would go on to finish a dreadful 6-24-0 in their inaugural year, which is rough to say the least, but they would go on to win the Stanley Cup in 1929, so silver linings and all that.

Dec. 1, 2019 – Let’s finish with a recent one. Mikko Koivu, now with the Columbus Blue Jackets, wrote his name in the history books for the Minnesota Wild.

In a 3-2 shootout win against the Dallas Stars at Xcel Energy Center, Koivu became the first player in Wild history to play in 1,000 games, a remarkable milestone he capped of by recording his 700th assist and then scoring the winning goal in the shootout.

What a night for the veteran, who will now look to prove that he still has plenty left in the tank with the Blue Jackets in 2020-21.