Gretzky Breaks Goal-Scoring Records

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Most Goals in the Regular Season

Phil Esposito lightly chuckled at his father. In 1975, the elder Esposito phoned his son and confided to Phil that he had just witnessed the most amazing player. A player, he prophesied, would one day break all of Phil’s records. His name was Wayne Gretzky; he was only 14 years old at the time and was already an astounding hockey player .

The single season record for most goals was held by Esposito when he scored 76 goals for the Boston Bruins in the 1970-71 season. His mark held for eleven years and then in 1982, Gretzky was on pace to break Esposito's record. Gretzky, already accomplishing the feat of 50 in 50 games, quietly thought that a hundred in a season was not out of question. Those who were witness, including his team-mates, coaches and fans, knew that Gretzky could do no wrong with the puck that year. The hockey world was thinking the same thing; Phil Esposito’s record was going to be broken.

On February 24, 1982, Gretzky—who was feeling tremendous pressure to surpass Esposito—was facing the Buffalo Sabers. In the stands sat Phil Esposito, who had joined a caravan to witness Gretzky score number 77, . The expectations, from print media, hockey pundits, and fans, for Gretzky to succeed were great, adding intense strain on the twenty-one year old. Buffalo it would seem would need to be the place where he would get his seventy-seventh.

With less than seven minutes left in the third frame, Gretzky still did not have his first goal of the evening. Then finding a loose puck inside the Saber’s line after Buffalo forward Steve Patrick misplayed it, he pushed the puck onto his stick. He took three strides, shook off a desperate check from Richie Dunn, and sent a shot towards net-minder Don Edwards. With 6:30 remaining on the score-clock Gretzky potted his 77th goal of the season.

For good measure Gretzky scored two more goals that game—a natural hat trick—adding his 78th and 79th of the season. He would later collect 92 goals that year, absolutely destroying the previous record of 77.

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