It dawned on me not all that long ago that this season marks the 30th anniversary of Wayne Gretzky's first 200 point season. 92 goals, 120 assists for 212 total points; astounding! Granted, this was the go-go '80s in the NHL where a goalie was considered good if he kept his goals against average in the high 3s. But still, 200 points! It defied all logic that this scrawny kid would be assaulting the record book with such a vengeance.
Even more astounding is that Gretzky turned 200 points three more times. For my money, I think his performance in 1985-1986 is his most impressive. In that season, Gretzky needed only his assist total to beat Mario Lemieux for the scoring title. Think about it: Gretzky could have ignored the net completely and he still would have beat Lemieux by 22 points (163 to 141). As it turned out, Gretzky did manage to take a few shots; enough for 52 goals. His grand total for the year would be a whopping 215 points.
Gretzky's records all seem safe, at least for the foreseeable future. The only guys to get close to Gretzky's marks are long retired now. Brett Hull made a run at The Wayner's goals standard, notching as many as 86 back in 1990-1991. Super Mario came within a whisker of his his own 200 point magnum opus in 1988-1989 when he tallied 85 goals, 114 assists, and 199 points (I secretly wish that the stats people will pull a Hack Wilson maneuver and find a previously un-credited assist for Lemieux). Perhaps if Lemieux's health would have held up, he would have had the records, but 'twas not to be.
Maybe one day another freak of nature will come along to pummel Gretzky's numbers. Methinks, however, that #99's records are going to entrench themselves. Like DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak, William's .406 single season batting average, Cobb's .366 career batting average, or Chamberlain's 100 point game (or his 20,000 career "wins"- wink, wink), Gretzky's records are going to be with us for a very long time.
