On December 30th 1981, Wayne Gretzky scored 5 goals against the Philadelphia Flyers to give him 50 goals in 39 games, a record many say will never be beat.
Monroe B Yeah they are all about that range though 25 years of age is probably the most accurate, because that’s when the muscles are supposed to be at their strongest.
And he did that 4 times in his career (led the NHL in scoring with his assists alone). 3 of those 4 times he also somehow scored the most goals in the NHL. Absurd.
163 assists is just mind boggling Only two players in history ever had 2 ppg in a season. Lemieux and Gretzky. Gretzky friggen did it in assists ALONE. insane
My favorite Gretzky record is that he could've scored 0 goals in his entire career and still been the leading point scorer in NHL history. But he's the leading goal scorer in NHL history.
Imo the hardest record to beat is leading the league in assists 16 times. The game could change and increase scoring, but nobody’s going to lead in assists for 16 years.
Despised him (I’m an Islanders fan) until last year when I had a rare opportunity to spend a short time talking with him. I told him how the 1984 Stanley Cup still breaks my heart. He laughed and told me how nobody will ever duplicate what the Islanders did. I became an instant Gretzky fan. Super friendly guy.
@@TheMissile13 4 straight Cups (80-81-82-83), an unparalleled 19 consecutive playoff series victories. Like Gretzky has said, one of the teams the Oilers patterned themselves after
Seeing how entertained and overjoyed those fans were seeing the greatest at his greatest brought tears to my eyes. Sometimes, sports can truly create magic.
@@marchfirst381 you would have to take into account Alexander Ovechkin scored many goals playing overtime (game winning goals) where Wayne Gretzky never got that opportunity until later on in his career when the NHL decided to re-instate an overtime period if the game was tied after 60 minutes of play. Also I'm sure Ovechkin will do what Jaromir Jagr did for the last few years of his career and just milk the league for sitting around until a power play comes up.
I just looked it up, the cooperalls seemed to provide better protection, but when players went to the ice they slid too fast and had a hard time to stop sliding. I agree they looked like me going outside to get the morning paper.
@@BillMorganChannel I'm 34 but when I moved to the US and only had roller deck hockey options this is what everyone wore....I can confirm....they are awful.
I am still amazed, even after watching 100's of video and reading articles and books about the "Great One" and I am still always in awe. No better name than the "Great One"
Not to rain on anyone's parade, but the defense and goaltending here are disgraceful. These old films of play in the 80s shows just how much the game has improved. Pavel Datsuk would have scored 175 goals had he played against defensemen who were statues. And goalies who have little interest of actually stoping the puck.
Never has a single player exerted such dominance over an entire professional league in greater fashion then the only undisputed GOAT in all of professional sports.
The best all around slap shot in the history of the game. 3 laser beam clappers that you couldn't place more accurately in the top corner with your hand. His skill set was/has been so underrated. He was a fantastic skater; amazing on his edges and could pull away from anyone on a break. He was incredible at stealing the puck, amazing on faceoffs; what a tremendous talent.
It's a shame that younger fans didn't get to really see him. There's a belief that he was so good because everyone else was so bad and that's totally not the case. His highlights don't tell the whole story. His vision, his ability to put the puck exactly where he wanted it to go, etc, was insane. He knew where to be, or where to go better than anyone. He could out think the game better than anyone and that made it look easy, but it was all Gretzky. Lemieux was very similar too. Their vision and hockey sense was just insane.
This is the biggest misconception about Gretzky. I always laugh when I hear people say that he was such a great player despite being a bad skater with an average shot and that his vision is what carried him. Gretzky had an AMAZING shot and was a very good skater. Simply the greatest player the game will ever see, by an absolutely ridiculous margin
Ryan Davey His shot wasn't hard. But it was very accurate and he shot back against the grain (ie in the direction opposite he was moving), which made it very difficult on goaltenders.
@@MrRyanxdavey I never said he was a bad skater or had an average shot. Not sure if that was meant for me but I think so. No, he was a supremely talented player, but what sets guys like him and Lemieux way above the rest is their vision, their hockey sense, being able to see the game better and faster than anyone else. And he's certainly not the best the game has ever seen by a ridiculous margin, Lemieux is right up there with him. If not for injuries and illness Lemieux would be even closer, or ahead of the great one in that ranking. They both were head and shoulders above everyone else.
LA Kings fan here; We were a little skeptical if 99 could still be as great without Messier, Fuhr, Kurri etc,..We found out quick Wayne can play with anyone ,..
Sebastien Didnt matter. He would have done it today. U must be a kid. I got to watch him live He was amazing. Nothing like u have ever seen. Today’s game sucks anyways. No hitting no hate no nothing.
Sebastien Imagine if Gretzky was as big as today's players, or had their equipment, or training facilities and worked out all year long? What about the medical advancements in the last 40 years that helps players to recover from injuries faster? Why is ithat in all the imagined scenarios, Gretzky is always hurt by today's advancements but never benefits?
@@mikeg4678 not a snowballs chance in hell he does that in todays game . players are bigger , faster , smarter . goalies are 20x better than what this guy showed us lol he would be good but not producing numbers like this
Critics of gretzky should keep in mind that he was very determined, highly skilled, and his work ethic and love of the game were unparalleled. He was a student of the game. He loved the history of hockey. He played with some excellent hockey players. He was by far the most dominant force in the hockey world, and he always will be.
100 points in a game isn't untouchable. Kobe's gotten 81. If a guy got extremely hot and looked like he could reach it, and his team kept feeding him the ball the way they did for Chamberlain in his 100 point game, it could happen. It'll certainly happen long before anybody ever scores 50 in fewer than 39 games. This one here is truly untouchable
81 by kobe is 100x more impressive than a 100 point game where goaltending was allowed, and wilt stood taller than most everyone back then. i'm not taking anything away from wilt, hes a legend. but modern day 81 is light years more impressive.
cy young might have something to say about that. he holds records that just aren't even possible to match. 749 complete games. to put it in perspective, last year the most complete games pitched was 2 shared by a few people. pitchers play maybe 35 games max, they would need to throw a complete game every appearance for 22 seasons.
He’s so in the zone.. it’s amazing to watch.. he’s looking down at that pick.. telling it where to go in his mind..and the puck just listens to him and goes there.
@@kohl2339 2 consecutive 4 goal games...so that would be in a row if im not mistaken, and it was a total of four, 4 goal games (10/31/81, 11/25/81, 12/27/81, 12/30/81)
As a Wings fan, I always (back in the day) had bad feelings about the Oilers. But I had the privilege of watching Gretzky and Yzerman play - in person . Certainly the best ever. Gretzky, Lemieux and Yzerman were deadly in the slot and from any angle for that matter. Top class.
I remember watching that game over the Christmas holidays with my Dad's 7 brothers and 2 sisters all sitting around the living room. They went NUTS. I was only 11, but I knew something pretty special had happened. Glad I saw it, even on TV.
I realize that today’s goaltending is 10x better, but you have to admit - this was something to behold. It was almost meant to be. Inevitable really. Pure magic
todays goalies are 6-6 or more, with double the padding... all they do is drop to their knees and square the shooter, old time goalies were far far more athletic.
While you're correct, goalies are better now. There was still nobody even close to Gretzky back then. Scoring certainly wasn't easy or everyone would've put up numbers like him.
I was at the previous game where he got 4 against L.A.. I told someone that night that the way he's going, he get 50 the next game...not really thinking he would.
The guy was absolutely amazing. Those Edmonton Oilers teams just shattered goal scoring records as individuals and as a team and he was the leader. I'm happy as a Rangers fan he played his last game as a NY Ranger.
its always funny to look back with modern eyes, yes gretzky dominated compared to anyone else at his time but most of these goals look ridicilous, he just walks in and slap shots meanwhile these goalies are just standing around looking stupid almost like they are not even trying to stop the puck going in 🤣
Nowhere closed of Mario. Just look at the video and see how he NEVER get hit. Protected by the league and the refs. I bet Mario would have been English, his career would have been a lot more different, a lot easier.
There will never be anyone even close to Gretzky again. 215 points, one season he had 92 goals, that more than the total points that 'superstars' get nowdays.
@digital warfare Yeah we'll goalie pads were smaller in the 80s and actually Greztky played in the dead puck era in the late 90s and it was hard to score. Like to see Crosby or McDavid get as many assists in the last couple of years in there careers. Maybe they'll get more when Greztky played in the dead puck eras in the last 4 years of there careers.
Imagine being in the control room at the moment one of the most iconic and unbeatable NHL records is set, and thinking the best thing to do is spend 32 of the next 35 seconds switching between different views of the crowd.
Just brutal goaltending and defending in every capacity. I grew up in Gretzky's hometown and he's the GOAT but half of his goals just would never happen in the modern game.
@@eagle8burgerVA What? No, just no, Gretzky was not a big man at all, in fact he's smaller than McDavid. Gretzky would not be a top goal scorer in the modern NHL, he's too small. Still likely the overall best player but the advantage composite sticks give players is nothing compared to astronomical growth in technique and equipment for defender and in particular goalies of the modern era.
@@theroseexperience he himself admitted he was very lucky to be playing in that era, explaining that goalies were not expected to be athletes and defense wasn’t really a skill at that time; that it quickly caught up to offense later. Then. the gap opened up more when the NHL eliminated the hoping, clutching, grabbing and high-sticking that was allowed as long as a player didn’t fall because of it. That was the era when Crosby and Ovechkin made their debut. And now, you see how good defensive skills and a hot goalie have caught up again, with the Panthers making it to the finals.
But then you have to ask yourself, why didn't everyone throw up numbers like Gretzky? Scoring still wasn't easy. Look at all the players that were lucky to score only 10 goals a season, if even that.
@@TooBokoo Quite a few did put up astronomical numbers. Nowhere am I saying Gretzky was some bum, he was the best of his era but as a goal scorer he'd nowhere near what he was. Guy's who could hardly skate were putting up 30 goals in this era, the goaltender numbers speak for themselves.
Most prolific scorer in the history of sports…all sports, period. What a rare opportunity for those fans to witness history. You can see they know it too by the looks on their faces in the crowd shots after each goal. I was only 6 years old then and didn’t have an awareness of Gretzky yet, but I surely did a few years later, and he became my all-time favorite player. Best game I saw him play live was in Spring of 93 when he’d just returned from injury. I always tried to get tix when Oilers and then Kings came to town, with that usually being the one game per year we could afford. Although we didn’t know it at the time, it would be Gretzky’s last game in Minnesota, and the last North Stars game I’d ever attend. Kings beat the North Stars that night and Gretzky had 1 goal and 4 assists. I’m so glad I have that memory…just magical.
I remember seeing the highlights of that game! It was his breakout game after the “return from injury slump” when he returned from the back surgery. I can’t remember any of the points he scored now, but I remember he had a goal a 4 assists for 5 points. Do any of the plays stick out in your mind?
I missed this but remember 163 assists....I'd flip to the sport pages everyday and see Gretzky 5 assists 7 assists 8 assists I was pissed off hardly any goals but still managed 52
Yup, the only player ever to have a 52 goal season almost as an afterthought. Goes out and does the unthinkable: Scores more points in a season than anyone in history at the time (other than himself), but....that's just his assists.....and throws in 52 goals as an afterthought. Absurd.
People that say the goalies were trash, he scored 50 before anyone else had 30. He was on another level. No one today runs away with the goal title like that.
@@theroseexperience I agree, the defense and goaltending wasn't even close to what it is now. But Gretzky wasn't just breaking records, he was SHATTERING them..............how come other players in the early-80s era weren't doing that? They weren't even close............... As mentioned, Gretzky had four seasons where he would've led the NHL in scoring on assists alone. No one in the current era has dominated their peers like that.
Anyone hating on this clearly does not understand how special this was. Only two players had ever even done 50 in 50. Gretz did it in 39. It is probably the most untouchable NHL record...or maybe it's his 163 assists in one season...or maybe it's his three consecutive 200+ point seasons...a feat nobody else accomplished even once. Goalies smaller pads and less skilled? Yep. Higher scoring game? Sure. Doesn't matter. Nobody else has ever even approached his numbers. The NHL retired his number for a reason. He is the greatest hockey player that has ever lived. There is literally no argument that can be made against it.
Look, health matters when it comes to all-time great status. But health is the only reason Lemieux does not have multiple 200 point seasons. Heck, Lemieux came out of a four-year retirement, at 35, in the height of the Dead Puck Era, and scored 35 goals in 43 games. Gretzky is still better, IMO, but some of his scoring records would have been broken by now had his contemporaries been able to stay healthy. It's one of the reasons we may see Ovechkin break the all-time goals record.
As a hockey fan 1st and foremost, why can't we just enjoy these special once in a lifetime hockey players. Why do we have to argue about who was better or who could have been better. I'm blessed to have watched; Gretzky, Lemieux, Messier and now Crosby and McDavid. I wish I could have watched Howe and Orr. Watching video is one thing, but nothing compares to being in the moment and living in that error. My favorite error was the Gretzky/Lemieux Error - What a time to play and watch hockey. Back then I was even excited to watch the All-Star game every year.
@@dirtybirdambrose You realize Ovekchin would pretty much need 5 more 50 goal seasons. It would be an amazing feat, and if he stays relatively healthy, he'll crack the top 3 ever, no doubt, but I think Gretzky's record is pretty safe.
@@kranmaster He needs 250 goals, yes. But he doesn't need 50 goals over 5 years. Gretzky retired after his age 38 season, but there's no reason Ovechkin has to do that. We're seeing players play beyond that much more regularly. Jagr scored 120 goals after his age 38 season. Selanne scored 105 goals. Recchi scored 69. Heck, *Matt Cullen* has scored 45! Marleau and Thornton are still going at 39, and who knows how long they'll play? The point is, Ovechkin could get his 250 any number of ways, and I would not count him out.
Because that's just how the NHL was back then, helmets weren't required and quite a few at that point were still used to only playing without the helmet
@@JukedGamer In 1979 the NHL made helmets mandatory for entering players, but current players could continue to play without them. The last helmetless player was Craig MacTavish, who debuted in 1979 and was allowed to play without a helmet until he retired in 1997.
@@AndrewSmith-vr8kd I'm a goalie. )) And i often play in retro equipment. ) There is not much difference. The difference is in the modern goalies skills. It's much more harder to score goals now.
The commentator was prophetic when he said, "I don't think anyone will beat that ... not even Gretzky". It's almost 37 years later and at this point it's pretty certain that it will never be done again unless they make the goalies go back to wearing pads that were designed only to protect the goalie instead of today's pads that are strategically designed to help the goalie stop the puck (pad design, gloves, etc. Even then no player will statistically dominate as much as Gretzky (50 goals before anyone else has 30!). This record will live longer than any of us will. Even Gretzky in the next 7 years in his prime couldn't duplicate that magical 39 games. The crowd reacted to every goal like they just knew at the time how historic this was. Great video.
Today he wouldnt of scored half as much. Goalies are way better and there equipment is bigger. Still remember when P Roy 1st started to use big pads.the nhl went nuts. Mind you he got caught for having to big of pads but still changed the game.
@@NAMULTISS todays players would get half what they get now if they were in that era with that equipment and those rules with hooking holding and no space lol... it's all relevant to the time
@@MrJoepeps not true at all. They would need to get used to the equipment for sure, but once they're used to it, they would dominate. I forgot who, but i read that back then, players would eat steak and fries as food before PLAYOFF games. Just the sheer athleticism and training that players have now would completely dominate the game. On top of that, the on ice training players receive now is much harder than back then. Sidney Crosby today would dominate the game close to the degree of Gretzky if you take into account his unparalleled skating skills and sheer weight that he has on him. On top of all of this, look at the awful defense (not even going to mention the horrible goaltending) on that second goal. They keep backing up and basically gave Gretzky the goal. Defense back then was not what it is today, considering that defenseman today on average weigh more than 210 pounds too.
The craziest thing about Gretzky was that he was considered a better passer than a goal scorer. That's how Great he was. Scary when you think about it.
He made a deliberate effort to shoot more that season. He said that in the previous year he was so well known for making the pass that teams were starting to play the pass more and he realized that the shot was getting too hard to pass up so he vowed at the start of the season to shoot more than the previous year and this was the result. On top of the 92 goals, though, he still passed the puck enough to get 120 assists!
Deon Persaud Gretzky was so far ahead of everyone else in those days that when we had hockey pools you had to take either Gretzky goals or Gretzky assists. It would have been too much of an advantage to have his total points on one fantasy team.
@@justafanintexas7913 Really? I thought it was behind the net, always some dumbass who doesn't know what he is talking about. 61 official records when he retired, I think he still owns 60. Another 27 unofficial records. Get a clue. The best ever by a long shot.
For everyone saying the goalies are horrible, Look up the GAA and save % from the modern era and you will fine they are pretty similar, I looked it up and was some what shocked myself. Hell, pens lost 10-1 and 7-1 this year already and they won the cup the past 2 years. 6/4 LA and CBJ last night. Second point. With the advent of faster, better, equipment like sticks, Goalies would have to adapt. Curved blades on the stick, goalies started to wear masks. Modern sticks flex and put off so much more power, modern goalies had to adapt to a changing game. Pre 1960 hockey was north and south, after the 1970's into the 80's Hockey started going east and west thanks to Anatoli Tarasov. To say the goalies were horrible, they were the best at what they did.
His second 3rd and 4th goal were all top corner, one bar in, bar down, on a stand up goalie who by their very nature cut down 98%+ of the net. 2 Feet above the crease,....
They are not even close to similar... www.quanthockey.com/nhl/seasons/1980s-nhl-goalies-stats.html vs www.quanthockey.com/nhl/seasons/2010s-nhl-goalies-stats.html 1980s league leader was Roy with a 2.82 GAA, the only GAA under 3.00. Ritcher had a SV% of .904, the only SV% over .900. Today, top 50 goalies are all sub 2.70 GAA and above SV% of .913. The 1980s had 9 of the top 17 goal scoring years of all time.
Just look at the footage.The phsyical and technical evolution of goaltending since this era is far and wide the biggest difference for today. Many of these shots wouldn't even be considered a scoring chance today. Still an incredible feat, but let's not pretend even Gretzky could replicate it today.
Equipment was much smaller, much heavier, and less protective back then, but judging goalies from clips of the greatest scorer ever isn't fair... they weren't that bad- Gretzky made everyone look ridiculous.
MJG 25 No, most of them were awful! Hockey was much more open back then and not nearly as athletic and technical as it is today. Gretzky would have sucked today! He was the best of his era (along with Lemieux), sure, but that's it!
Absolutely wild all these years later here we are in 2023 and no one has touched this. No one has even come close. I love Connor McDavid he’s such a great talent and we are blessed to have him but what Wayne Gretzky did with the sport is absolutely unheard of. Just completely re-wrote the record book and so many records still standing. What a legend.
Pete Peters, the Flyers goalie, won the Vezina trophy in 1982-83 when he played with Boston. He was a good goalie and his save percentage for the decade he played in was better than average.
Gretzky and Lemieux got all the accolades in that era, but for a three year period in the early 1990s there wasn't a goal scorer in the game better than Brett Hull.
AncientPredator 76 They were called Cooperalls( because Cooper made them) and I don't think the trend of long pants lasted more than 2 seasons. I still have a pair from when I was 10.
Bucky O'Beaver The reason they and the Whalers(who also wore them) stopped wearing them was because the league wanted total uniformity. It is said the long pants are more comfortable.
@@Rockhound6165 Thanks for the info, I didn't know that it was the league that put a stop to it. I just guessed that they didn't catch on but my team used them or a couple seasons when I was a kid and we thought they were great.
The crazy thing is he scored 50 goals in less than 50 games two more times after this. No one else had ever done it even once at this point (in less than 50 games) in the entire history of the NHL. Then he goes out and does it 3 times in 4 years, haha. Just think about that for a second. And not only does he do it 3 times, he absolutely destroys the record (twice), beating the previous record (of 50 goals in 50 games) by 11 games and then 8 games two years later to prove it wasn't a fluke. Totally nuts.
#GOAT Athlete. Definitely most dominant athlete in his sport. I don't wanna hear Michael Jordan ( who I watched regularly when I resided in Chicago ), Tiger Woods, Tom #MarciaMarciaMarcia Brady, etc. NO ONE athletically matches up with #TheGreatOne
Agreed, but if Lamar Jackson's numbers don't prove to be a one season fluke, I think Gretzky might have a challenger for title of most dominant athlete of modern times. LJ is able to be the entire offense for a team much like 99 was able to be.
@@SlavaSesh That is a stretch & wishful thinking. Too many factors involved down the road. He could be in incredible shape but he'll need a healthy offensive line for a decade straight to keep him healthy. Too much dependence on his line to succeed.
@@SLAYERSWINE1 dependence on his line? what are you smoking? dude can be the only person on his team to ever touch the ball in a game and still win. He doesn't need time and space either, as he can just run as soon as he has the ball. Literally all the dude needs is a center to hand the ball to him.
It’s amazing that despite not being the strongest, the fastest, the most agile or the best shot.. that his vision of the game alone brought him to greatness
@@zacharylortie2786 There's go guarantee he will pass Wayne in all time goals. Ovi does have a great shot and if he does pass Wayne in goals I'm less games I'd say he had a better shot. It's just common sense. Wayne scored many goals from bad angles slap shots with the goalie out, saying "not the best shot," is comical like I said.
All of you guys complaining about the goalies back then, and how he was protected; not one of you all ever played in the NHL. I would guess that the majority of you never played hockey at all. If you are one of the all-time greatest players, you could play in any era; and dominate. His records stand for themselves, GOAT.
im a goalie and i say the problem lies in the standup style of the day put any modern day butterfly goalie in net and theres no way gretsky would score that easily He showed how the standup style could be exploited which is one of the reasons that the butterfly style is so widly used today
