Anyone who had the privilege of watching Wayne Gretzky during his 10 seasons with the Edmonton Oilers knows that the legendary centre possessed incredible timing.
Whether lighting the lamp before the goalie even saw the puck, making that perfect pass, or deking out a defenceman, Gretzky’s combination of vision and ability allowed him to do things on the ice impossible to mere mortals.
And he could make the calendar bend to his will, too.
Record Stood at 1,850
Thirty-five years ago, on Oct. 15, 1989, Gretzky became the NHL’s all-time leader when he recorded the 1,851st point of his career to surpass Gordie Howe.
There was no suspense about whether Gretzky would become the league’s greatest scorer. Once he had recorded his 1,000th career point before his 24th birthday, it was not a question of if, but rather when and where that moment would occur.
And it’s that last part that made Gretzky’s record-breaking night so special.
Trade Broke Edmonton’s Heart
Fourteen months earlier, on Aug. 9, 1988, Gretzky was dealt by the Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings. The shocking trade rocked the sports world and ripped the heart out of Edmonton, whose citizens thought of Ontario-born Gretzky as their own son and were apoplectic that the Oilers would trade the game’s greatest player in his prime.
Gretzky had first come to Edmonton as a 17-year-old in 1978, when the Oilers were still in the World Hockey Association (WHA) and came of age in the Alberta capital. He captained the Oilers to four Stanley Cup championships, in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988, while racking up a franchise-record 1,669 points in 696 NHL regular season games.
And then, just like that, he was gone.
But Edmonton never stopped loving Gretzky. And while he had quickly become a celebrity in his new Hollywood home, L.A.’s affection for Gretzky could never match that of the blue-collar hockey-mad Canadian city he had called home for a decade.
Closing in on the Record
In his first season with the Kings, 1988-89, Gretzky recorded 168 points, leaving him just 13 shy of Howe’s total of 1,850. At the rate Gretzky was scoring points, the record would likely fall sometime within his first 5-10 games of the following season.
Fans started doing the math as soon as the 1989-90 NHL schedule was announced: The Kings’ first four games were at home, in the Great Western Forum, and their fifth date was on the road against the Vancouver Canucks. Game No. 6 would be at Gretzky’s old stomping grounds, Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton.
Of course, everyone wanted to see the record broken in their town. But even fans in L.A. had to admit there would be no better, more appropriate place for it to happen than at Northlands Coliseum. Edmonton deserved this. And Gretzky surely knew it.
Going to Edmonton to Make History
Anticipation was at a fever pitch almost immediately once the puck dropped on the 1989-90 NHL season. Howe arrived in L.A. for the Kings’ third game, with plans to stick around the team, including going on the road, until Gretzky got point No. 1,851.
Over L.A.’s first four games, Gretzky totalled nine points. On Oct. 13 in Vancouver, he had two points through the first 59:58 of the game. Then he assisted on Steve Kasper’s game-winning goal against the Canucks with one second remaining in the third period, giving him 1,849 points.
Gretzky was bound for northern Alberta needing just one point to tie the record, and two to break it. The hockey world was electrified. It was really going to happen: Gretzky was going to make history in Edmonton.
The Moment Oilers Fans Won’t Forget
At that point, the Oilers had played in five Stanley Cup Finals and won the championship on home ice four times. But it’s arguable that nothing matched the atmosphere in Northlands Coliseum on Oct. 15, 1989.
A sellout crowd of 17,053 made their sentiments clear early. Gretzky needed all of two shifts to tie Mr. Hockey’s record, picking up point No. 1,850 with an assist on Bernie Nicholls’ goal 4:32 into the game, prompting a standing ovation.
But Gretzky was held off the scoresheet the rest of the first period, and all of the second period, too. He was still stuck on 1,850 points when Kevin Lowe scored late in the third to give the Oilers a 4-3 lead, and suddenly it looked like the record might not happen at Northlands.
Related: Oilers’ 5 Most Memorable Games From Northlands Coliseum
With 61 seconds remaining, Oilers winger Jari Kurri, Gretzky’s longtime linemate in Edmonton, iced the puck. As Gretzky got set to take the draw to the left of Edmonton goalie Bill Ranford, a nervous cacophony filled the arena.
Edmonton got possession off the faceoff, but Kings defenceman Steve Duchesne knocked down Lowe’s clearing attempt at the Oilers’ blue line and fired the puck towards the net where it bounced off L.A.’s Dave Taylor and right onto the stick of Gretzky, who backhanded it past Ranford at 19:07 of the third period. In an instant, history had been made.
A Celebration Like No Other
Gretzky leapt in jubilation and was mobbed by his teammates as the Coliseum erupted. After a lengthy ovation, the game was unprecedentedly halted for a 15-minute ceremony celebrating the record.
Gretzky received a silver tray from the NHL, a crystal hologram from the Kings, and a gold bracelet encrusted with 1.851 carats of diamonds from the Oilers. Howe gave a speech, followed by Gretzky, who had to wait for the fans to stop chanting his name before he could talk.
Now a complete afterthought, the game still had to be decided. After action finally resumed, the teams went to overtime, tied 4-4. The game-winning goal came at 3:24 of sudden death, scored by Gretzky, of course.
Record May Never Be Touched
Gretzky went on to play until 1999, amassing 2,857 career regular season NHL points. Two more players would eventually pass Howe: Mark Messier, who finished with 1,887 points, and Jaromir Jagr, who is second all-time with 1,921 points.
As of Oct. 14, 2024, the current active leader is Sidney Crosby with 1,599 points, which is more than 1,200 behind Gretzky. Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who turns 28 in January, has spent the last several seasons putting up generational numbers and he still hasn’t even hit 1,000 points yet.
Gretzky’s record has stood for 35 years now. And his reign atop the all-time points list might only just be getting started.
