The NHL Record for Most Goals in a Playoff Game - 1986-87 Edmonton Oilers Wayne Gretzky Jersey

On this date in 1987, the Los Angeles Kings took on the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of their first round playoff series.

The night before, the Kings had won Game 1, also in Edmonton's Northland Coliseum, by a convincing 5-2 score with Dave Taylor scoring a goal and an assist while Luc Robitaille had a pair of assists to lead Los Angeles.

The Kings started Roland Melanson again while the Oilers changed from Game 1 starter Grant Fuhr to Andy Moog.

Andy Moog got the start in goal for the Oilers

With Steve Duchesne sent off for hooking at 1:38, the Oilers capitalized when Jari Kurri converted a cross-ice pass from Wayne Gretzky with the second assist to Randy Gregg at 2:51 to give Edmonton the early lead. Gretzky's assist made him the NHL's all-time playoff scoring leader with 177 points, breaking the record held by Jean Beliveau.

Beliveau met Gretzky at a PeeWee tournament in 1974, 13 years

before Gretzky would break Beliveau's career playoff scoring record

Glenn Anderson then scored an absurd goal. Moving off the left side boards, he skated toward the slot. Once around a Kings defenseman, Melanson made a huge gamble and came way out of the net, all the way to the right faceoff circle before finally making a desperate lunge to poke check the puck away from Anderson, who patiently waited out Melanson until he had a clear angle at the vacated goal and flung a backhander into the unguarded net at 5:17 for an unassisted goal and a 2-0 Oilers lead.

Glenn Anderson against the Kings

The third Oilers goal was vintage Gretzky to Kurri, as Gretzky set up shop behind the Los Angeles net and passed out front to Kurri, who breaking in on the right side and fired one past Melanson for a 3-0 Edmonton lead after 6:26.

Jari Kurri

After Bernie Nicholls got the Kings on the board with an unassisted goal at 10:29, Randy Gregg golfed a shot from the point just 20 seconds later that eluded Melanson into the upper left corner for a frankly bad goal. Craig MacTavish and Kevin McClelland were credited with the assists.

Things went from bad to worse for Los Angeles when Tom Laidlaw was penalized and the Oilers scored the ugliest of goals when Gretzky shot the puck from the right side boards and Esa Tikkanen got his stick on the rebound. Tikkanen's shot bounced up off of Melanson just as Jay Wells checked Tikkanen from behind. As Tikkanen fell forward into Melanson, the puck his the Finn in the chest and bounced into the net, along with Tikkanen! Another Finn, Reijo Ruotsalainen was given the second assist on the power play goal at 14:09.

Esa Tikkanen

It was Amateur Hour again at 17:03 when Gregg dumped the puck into the Kings zone and Melanson came out to try to clear the puck. His attempt was blocked by Kent Nilsson, who passed the puck out of the corner to Anderson who then sent the puck across the slot to a wide open Mark Messier for an easy tap in without a Kings defender within 15 feet of him to make the score 6-0 after one period.

Darren Eliot replaced Melanson in goal for Los Angeles to start the second period. With Marty McSorley having been penalized for the Oilers at 2:52, MacTavish poked the puck past the Kings defenseman at the point, starting a breakout the other way. Messier joined him, and as MacTavish approached the Kings net, he simply fed the puck across to Messier for a virtual repeat of his first goal as he simply shot the puck into the open side of the net as he was left unguarded for a 7-1 Edmonton lead.

Mark Messier

Nicholls scored again for Los Angeles at 4:29 on the same power play, but less than two minutes later Nilsson poked the puck away from Bobby Carpenter near the Kings blueline, passed it left to Messier, who gave it back to Nilsson. He cut to his left in the slot and fired the puck by Eliot at 6:15 to restore the Oilers six goal advantage.

Just as Grant Ledyard's penalty was about to expire, Nilsson got the puck near his own goal and fed the puck up to Messier who was leaving the Oilers zone. He carried it into the Kings zone and fed it forward to Gretzky, who then dropped it back to Nilsson all alone trailing the play as the Kings were again all watching the puck. Nilsson completed the slick passing play by scoring his second goal of the period with one second left on the Edmonton man advantage to make the score 9-2.

The Kings scored their second goal of the period with 1:32 remaining with the goal going to Jim Fox from Wells and Carpenter.

The third period was no better for the beleaguered Kings, as Gregg tapped a puck at the point up to Kurri, who in turn sent it toward the net were Gretzky tipped it past Eliot for the 10th Oilers goal at 1:56.

The Oilers hit double digits on Gretzky's tip in

With Ledyard off again for the Kings, Gretzky and Kurri combined for a mirror image of Edmonton's third goal, with Gretzky set up behind the Kings net, he move to the right, drawing absolutely everyone with him and set the puck through the crease to Kurri waiting all alone on the far left, where he buried the puck into the open side before Eliot had any chance to react to complete a hat trick. Anderson was awarded the second assist on the goal at 7:30 on the power play.

Kurri completed his hat trick at 7:30 of the third

20 seconds later, a missed attempt at a breakout pass by the Kings teed up a one-timer for defenseman Charlie Huddy, who put everything he had into a blast on goal. While Eliot made the save, the big rebound went to Moe Lemay, who fought off a defender to direct the puck into the open goal behind Eliot, who had come out to cut down the angle on the shot by Huddy.

The Oilers 12th goal set a dubious new record for Most Goals Allowed in a Playoff Game beating the record of 11 held by both the Oilers and the 1944 Montreal Canadiens.

Wells for Los Angeles was then called for a penalty at 17:29, putting Edmonton back on the power play for the seventh time. After a faceoff win back to the left point, the Oilers deftly passed it back over to the right point, where it was sent up to Tikkanen halfway up the right boards. He then sent the puck down to Gretzky below the red line as they executed a give-and-go. Once Gretzky got the puck, he sent it back to Tikkanen, who had broken for the right side of the net. With all the attention focused on the puck, Tikkanen sent the pick across the slot to the left where once again, the wide open and alone Kurri buried his fourth goal of game and third on the power play to make the final score 13-3 for Edmonton.

It was the fifth power play goal for the Oilers in seven tries and set a record for Most Goals Scored in a Playoff Game at 13. Gretzky had 7 points on the night, including tying the record for Most Assists in a Playoff Game with 6. His 7 points tied his own record, which he had accomplished twice before. After his seven point night, Gretzky pushed the record for the Most Career Playoff Points to 177.

Kurri finished with 4 goals and 5 points while Messier had a pair of goals and a pair of assists for 4 points. Nilsson had 2 goals and an assist while Gregg and Anderson each had a goal and two assists for three points each. MacTavish and Tikkanen each had two points while four other Oilers had a point, making for a dozen players on the scoresheet in all.

Gretzky and Kurri combined for an absurd 5 goals and 12 points

Melanson gave up 6 goals on 10 first period shots while Eliot let in 7 on 29 shots. In all the Oilers put 45 shots on goal, scoring 13 times. Moog got the win for Edmonton, making 11 saves on 14 shots against.

The shellshocked Kings would not recover from the beating they took in Edmonton, losing the next two in Los Angeles 6-5 and 6-3 before they were eliminated in Game 5 back in Edmonton 5-4.

The Oilers would then sweep the Winnipeg Jets in four straight before advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals with a 4-1 series win over the Detroit Red Wings.

In the Finals, the Oilers won the first two at home 4-2 and 3-2 in overtime against the Philadelphia Flyers, who won Game 3 back at home 5-3. Edmonton put Philadelphia on the brink with a 4-1 win in Game 4, but the Flyers delayed the celebrations with a 4-3 Game 5 win in Edmonton and forced a Game 7 with a 3-2 win at home. The Oilers then captured the Stanley Cup with a 3-1 win in front of their home fans to win their third championship in four years.

The Oilers would go on to win the 1987 Stanley Cup

Today's featured jersey is a 1986-87 Edmonton Oilers Wayne Gretzky jersey as worn when the Oilers set the NHL record for Most Goals in a Playoff Game with 13 while Gretzky set the career playoff scoring record as his seven points that night vaulted him past Beliveau.

The Oilers swapped the colors of their logo from a hard to read blue on orange worn while in the WHA to blue on white for their entry into the NHL in 1979-80. This style was worn through the 1995-96 season when the team changed their colors.

The team reverted to their original look for the 2011-12 season and hope it will eventually see the same amount of success as the first time around.

Photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

In today's video section, highlights of every one of the 16 goals scored during the Oilers record setting 13-3 win on this date in 1987.

Rendez-vous '87 - 1987 NHL All-Star Wayne Gretzky Jersey

In 1987, the NHL deviated from it's usual All-Star Game format in the form of Rendez-vous '87, a series of two games during which a team of NHL All-Stars faced off against the Soviet National Team in Quebec City, Quebec at Le Colisee, home of the Quebec Nordiques.

Rendez-vous '87 program cover

The event was just a part of the annual Quebec Winter Carnival, a multi-cultural event featuring entertainers and food from Canada, Russia and the United States.

The Soviet lineup was a strong one, and featured over a dozen players who would eventually compete in the NHL within the next six years. The changing face of the NHL was reflected by the increasing international presence on its roster, now sporting players from not only Canada and Sweden, as in the 1979 Challenge Cup, but with the addition of players from the United States and Finland as well.

Game 1 took place on February 11, 1987 and Jari Kurri got the NHL All-Stars off to a 1-0 lead 5:23 in to the game. The Soviets fell behind 2-0 when Glenn Anderson scored with three minutes remaining in the second period but managed to get on the board before the period ended when Alexei Kasatonov got one by Grant Fuhr with 1:18 remaining.

The third period was an exciting affair, as the Soviets tied the game 2:03 into the period. Canada retook the lead five minutes later with Kevin Dineen's goal only to have the Soviets tie the game once more one minute later thanks to Anatoli Semenov.

The game continued scoreless as time began to wind down before Dave Poulin got the game winning goal for the All-Stars with just a minute and fifteen seconds left when he beat goaltender Evgeny Belosheikin, who had the audacity to wear Tretiak's legendary #20!

After a day of rest, the teams returned to the ice on February 13, 1987 following much the same script, as the NHL again scored 3:32 into the game to lead 1-0 after the first period.

The Soviet Union got two goals early in period two when Valeri Kamensky and Vladimir Krutov scored a minute and a half apart for their first lead of the competition. Doug Wilson evened the scoring at 2-2 with his goal on the power play at 7:33 only to have Kamensky and Krutov each score their second goals of the game to put the Soviets ahead by two. Kamensky's second goal came with 19 seconds left in the second period, while Krutov's game winner came 9:19 into the third period.

Krutov's two goals were key to the Soviet in in Game 2

Andrei Khomutov increased the Soviet lead to 5-2 at 12:59, which proved to be an important goal in not only the game, but in the larger picture of the series as a whole, for when Ray Bourque scored at 19:23 of the third period, it was too little too late as the Soviets not only won the game 5-3, but earned bragging rights for the series by outscoring the NHL All-Stars by a combined 8-7 over the two games thanks to Khomutov's goal.

Following the game, team captains Wayne Gretzky and Viacheslav Fetisov traded jerseys in keeping with the tradition of European soccer players, leading to the most unusual sight of Gretzky wearing a Soviet National Team jersey emblazoned with CCCP across the front as well as a Cyrillic captain's "K".

"Comrade" Gretzky in his Soviet National Team jersey

Despite the loss in the series, the two games together allowed the Canadian members of the NHL All-Star Team a chance to compete together in advance of that fall's thrilling 1987 Canada Cup.

Today's featured jersey is a 1987 NHL All-Star Team Wayne Gretzky jersey as worn in the two game Rendez-vouz '87.

This jersey's unusual customization had sleeve numbers only on the left arm, as the Rendez-Vouz '87 patch was placed on the right sleeve in the location usually occupied by the numbers because of the stars occupying the usual location on the upper right chest for such a patch.

This style of jersey was worn only for the two games of the series in Quebec City and there was no dark "road" version ever produced for the team to wear, as was the norm with NHL All-Star jerseys since the introduction of the East vs. West format in 1969. That said, we have seen an orange version of this jersey, which we assume was a prototype.

Examples of this style jersey for collectors are rather scarce, as retail jersey sales were still in their infancy in 1987.

Bonus Jersey: Today's Bonus jersey is a 1987 Soviet National Team Sergei Priakin jersey as worn during Rendez-vous '87. These jerseys were some of the less visually successful of the Soviet Union's, as the dark red stripes against the red body of the jersey was too similar to create any worthwhile contrast.

Gone were the striking diamond pattern on the waist of the 1979 Challenge Cup jerseys, as well as the more pleasing font for the numbers. Things would improve in the years following, as the jerseys worn in international hockey would soon be made by the Finnish brand Tackla, giving the final jerseys of the Soviet era some much needed graphic design.

Sergei Priakin would become the answer to a trivia question in 1988 when he became the first Soviet player to be allowed to compete in the NHL, which he did with the Calgary Flames. He would also suffer the common plight of the Soviet players during this early era of playing in North America, as the spelling of their names on the backs of their jerseys often varied from appearance to appearance. As seen here, "PRYAKHIN" would latter play for the Flames wearing "PRIAKIN".

Extra bonus Jersey: Today's extra bonus jersey is a 1987 NHL All-Star Team Wayne Gretzky jersey. This orange jersey was never worn by the NHL All-Stars during the two game Rendez-vous '87 event and we assume this was a prototype made in case the series format called for the need for the All-Stars to wear an away jersey or perhaps in anticipation of this style being worn again for the 1988 NHL All-Star Game, which did not happen, as the league reverted back to the template worn in 1987.

Whatever the reason for its existence, it is a sharp looking style but one that raises more questions than it answers.

Note a few inaccuracies in the customization of this particular jersey, such as the event patch placed on the right chest and the sleeve numbers on the right arm, as well as what appears to be a twill nameplate rather than one made out of the same material as the body of the jersey.

 

Today's video highlights begin with Poulin tipping in the game winning goal in Game 1 of Rendez-vous '87.

In Game 2 of Rendez-vous '87, Kamensky is a one man highlight reel, scoring two and assisting on Khomutov's goal for good measure.

1997-98 New York Rangers Wayne Gretzky Jersey

Instituted to promote the NHL's participation in the upcoming Olympics in Nagano, Japan, the first Olympics to be supported by a suspension of the NHL season to allow the best players an opportunity to represent their home country at the Games, the 1998 NHL All-Star Game was the first to use the World vs. North America format. The new format would last for five years, and during those various All-Star games, each player would wear the flag of their home country on their respective All-Star jerseys.

Dominik Hasek (World) and Wayne Gretzky (North America)
in their 1998 NHL All-Star Game jerseys, complete with a
flag patch for each player's home country

On this date in 1998, for the first year under the new format and for the one and only time, each player would also wear the flag of their native country on their NHL club team jersey during the weekend's 1998 Super Skills Competition. For some players, this would be the only patch they would ever wear on a particular style of NHL jersey, and for knowledgeable collectors, it's a chance to create a interesting jersey with a unique story behind it.

Wayne Gretzky wearing a Canadian flag on his New York Rangers

jersey - the only patch he would ever wear on a Rangers jersey

For the 1998 Super Skills Competition, the North American players would wear their dark road jerseys while the World Team would dress in their home whites.

The array of flags in use was quite impressive, with North America being represented by the both Canada and the United States, while the World Team sported the flags of the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Russia, Slovakia and Sweden.

Among the most decorated jerseys from that event were from the host Vancouver Canucks. While most of the flags were located in the traditional patch location of the upper right chest, the Canucks were already wearing the 1998 NHL All-Star Game patch in that location as hosts of the event, and chose to locate the flag patches for Canadian Mark Messier (dark jersey) and Russian Pavel Bure (light jersey) to the top of the right shoulder. This pair of jerseys also illustrates how the new format would sometimes pit teammates against each other for the first time in an NHL All-Star Game, a new quirk of the World vs. North America format not seen before.

A similar situation occurred with the Detroit Red Wings, as they were already wearing the "Believe" patch for injured teammate Valdimir Konstantinov and team masseuse Sergei Mnatsakanov. They took a different route than Vancouver and put their flag patches in the standard location for Brendan Shanahan (dark jersey) and Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov and Nicklas Lidstrom (light jerseys) with the Believe patch just below.

Winners at the event were Teemu Selanne - Puck Control Relay, Scott Niedermayer - Fastest Skater (13.56 second lap around the rink), Ray Bourque, Peter Forsberg and Shanahan - Accuracy Shooting, Al MacInnis - Hardest Shot (100.4 mph) and Dominik Hasek - Goaltenders Competition.

Today's featured jersey is a 1997-98 New York Rangers Wayne Gretzky jersey with the Canadian Flag patch on the upper right chest as worn only during the 1998 Super Skills Competition during the NHL All-Star Game weekend.

This is special since it is the one and only additional patch Gretzky would ever wear on any Rangers jersey during his three seasons in New York.

It's actually a little surprising that the flag patch was located on the right chest, as the Rangers have had a history of relocating various other patches to both the right and left shoulders due to the diagonal cresting on the front of their jerseys interfering with the standard patch placement commonly used by other clubs.

Of note, defenseman Brian Leetch was also a part of the North American team and would have worn an American flag on his Rangers jersey for the Super Skills Competition.

Bonus jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a 1997-98 Buffalo Sabres Dominik Hasek jersey as worn during the 1998 Super Skills Competition when Hasek won the Goaltenders Competition with the additon of the Czech Flag for that event only. No other Sabres were a part of the 1998 NHL All-Star Weekend, making Hasek the only one to wear a flag on a Sabres jersey, either dark or white.

Unlike Gretzky in New York, Hasek wore six patches during his nine seasons with the Sabres, but only two full season patches with this particular style Sabres jersey, which was introduced for the 1996-97 season, those being the SHK III patch for Sabres owner Seymour Knox, and the NHL 2000 patch, worn by all NHL players in celebration of the Millenium. Additionally, Buffalo did wear the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals patch during their series against the Dallas Stars.

We have replicated a number of the jerseys from that event for our own collection, and here are the rosters for you to choose from if you would like to add a flag to a jersey you already own or create a new, unique project for your own collection.

At the time of this writing, the flag patches appear difficult to obtain on ebay, as it is now 15 years after the final World vs. North America game. For accuracy, you need the style with the quarter inch wide white border around the flag as shown above. A search for "NHL flag patch" is a good place to start.

Today's video section is the player introductions for 1998 NHL All-Star Game. Unfortunately, we were unable to find any footage of the Super Skills Competition at this time.

1983-84 Edmonton Oilers Wayne Gretzky Jersey

The Edmonton Oilers began their 1983-84 season on October the 5th by hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs. At the 14:25 mark of the second period Wayne Gretzky fed Glenn Anderson, who converted the pass on the power play to tie the game at 2-2 for Gretzky's first point of the season. He would later score his first goal of the season with a shorthanded tally at 2:33 of the third period to give the Oilers a 4-2 lead on their way to an eventual 5-4 win.

In the second period of the Oilers next game at Winnipeg, Gretzky had an assist at the 53 second mark and then scored two goals, the first one shorthanded, as part of the Oilers 8-6 win.

Gretzky had three more points in the Oilers 4-3 overtime win against the Minnesota North Stars on October 9th, scoring a goal with one second left in the first period and then assisting on a pair of Jari Kurri goals, the second being the overtime game winner.

The Detroit Red Wings were the next to visit the Northlands Coliseum and Gretzky burned them for five points, the opening goal at 10:06 of the first period followed by a pair of assists to give the Oilers a 3-0 lead after one. He extended the lead to 4-0 with a goal from Anderson and Mark Messier just 27 seconds into the second period. Detroit rallied for 3 goals later in the second period to draw to within 1, but the Oilers pulled away with 4 third period goals, with Gretzky getting an assist on last one to make the final 8-3 for Edmonton.

On October 15th, Edmonton traveled to Calgary to take on the Flames. The Oilers prevailed with Gretzky assisting Kurri on the first goal and scoring his 7th of the season 1:06 into the third period, which proved to be the game winner as the Oilers won 4-3.
The Flames and Oilers then reconvened the next night in Edmonton for the second half of their home and home series. The Oilers had an easier time of it at home, winning 5-1 with Gretzky registering 2 assists and the final goal of the game for a 3 point night.

On the 19th, the Oilers and Vancouver Canucks teamed up for a high scoring track meet in Vancouver. Vancouver led 6-3 after two periods, but that was soon to change. The Oilers and Canucks traded goals in the first two minutes for a 7-4 lead for the Canucks, but then Edmonton reeled off six consecutive goals in 13:04, which began with a goal by Gretzky from Messier and Paul Coffey. Gretzky also scored the final goal into an empty net for his 10th goal and 20th point of the season after just seven games as the Oilers won 10-7 after trailing by 4 with five minutes left in the second period.

Gretzky then scored a goal on the road against the Los Angeles Kings followed by 3 assists back home against the Canucks in a 5-5 tie. He added a goal in an 8-3 loss in Toronto followed by an assist in a 3-1 win in Montreal against the Canadiens. Their road trip concluded with a 5-4 win in Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers with Gretzky contributing one goal to close out the first month of the season with 13 goals and 14 assist for 2 points.

November began with an 11-3 pounding of the Washington Capitals back in Edmonton. Gretzky oopened the scoring with a goal at 8:31 of the first period and finished the night with 2 goals and 3 assists. Next to visit was the Pittsburgh Penguins, who the Oilers dispatched 7-3 with Gretzky contributing 3 assists.

The fans in Winnipeg were treated to a display of Gretzy's dominance on November 6th when after being held scoreless in the first period, he scored 2 goals and an assist in the second period and then completed his first hat trick of the season at 12:39 of the third. After registering assists on the next 2 Oilers goals, he scored his 4th goal and 7th point of the night with just 7 seconds remaining in Edmonton's 8-5 win. The 7 points put him over the 40 mark with 42 in his only 15th game of the season.

Next to face the Oilers juggernaut was the Quebec Nordiques, who went down 7-4 as Gretzky had a second period assist on a goal by Kurri and then scored his 20th goal of the season in his 16th game.

The following night in Washtington D. C., Gretzky scored a goal in the first period, was held off the scoresheet in the second and then assisted on another Kurri goal to open the third period. After 2 Captials goals to make the score 4-4, the Oilers put their foot to the floor and reeled off 3 goals over the game's final seven minutes with Gretzky getting the first assist on all three for a 7-4 win and a 5 point night for Gretzky.

Edmonton's road trip then moved to Detroit as Gretzky had 2 goals and 2 assists in the first period and fnished the scoring with his 24th goal of the season to complete his second hat trick of the season and register his second consecutive 5 point game in a 7-3 win, the Oilers eighth consecutive victory, the first of three times that season they would win eight in a row.

The Oilers five game road trip came to a conclusion in Chicago against the Black Hawks. Their winning streak also came to a conclusion with a 5-3 loss, but Gretzky once more assisted on a goal by Kurri.

Back at home, the Oilers blanked the Buffalo Sabres 7-0 as Gretzky was credited with 3 assists, 2 on goals by Kurri. The New Jersey Devils were the next to try their luck at the Northlands Coliseum. After deceiving themselves by scoring the first 2 goals of the game, Gretzky got the Edmonton Express rolling with his 25th goal of the season at 5:43 of the first period. His assist on a goal by Kurri at 15:18 gave Edmonton a lead they would never relinquish. Gretzky added a goal and two assists in the second period and followed that with 2 assists and completed the scoring with a shorthanded goal, this third of the game and third hat trick of the year at 18:05 for a final score of 13-4.

Gretzky's 8 points were a career high and a feat he would repeat only on more time during his stellar career. His 8 points would also put him over the 60 mark, with now 66, in just his 21st game of the season.

Another high scoring game against the Jets was up next, as Gretzky scored once in a 7-6 Oilers come from behind win with two goals in the last 13 minutes.

In a 7-3 win over the Kings in Los Angeles, Gretzky waited until the mid point of the third period to assist on the Oilers final two goals. At Minnesota, Gretzky scored a goal at 11:55 of the first period in a 2-2 tie, which raised Edmonton's record to 19-3-2.

While the Blues handed the Oilers their second loss of the month 8-6, Gretzky assisted on 5 of the Oilers 6 goals. Edmonton then closed out November with a 3-3 tie at home to the Philadelphia Flyers, with Gretzky registering a goal and an assist. The goal was his 17th of the month and 30th of the season. The assist was his 33rd of November, giving him 50 points for November and 77 overall in just 26 games played through the first two months of the season.

December began with the Oilers defeating the Kings 7-3 at home with Gretzky earning 3 assists for his 80th point of the season in 27 games. Gretzky had a first period assist in a 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders at home on December 4th and their four game home stand concluded with a stunning 5-4 Oilers win after falling behind 4-0 before the game was even half over. Messier scored from Gretzky to start the comeback at 15:21 of the second before 4 third period goals, one of which was assisted by Gretzky, to give Edmonton the comeback win, highlighted by the winning goal just 26 seconds after the tying goal.

Three days later the two teams met again in Vancouver, with the Canucks turning the tables with a 3-2 win, with Gretzky assisting on the second Oilers goal. From there, it was a cross-continent trip to Long Island to take on the defending Stanley Cup champion Islanders, who roared out to a 5-1 lead after the first period, but Gretzky still managed 2 points from an assist and a goal in the third period, his first goal in five games and the 300th of his career. Additionally, his assist extended his consecutive game point scoring streak to 31, breaking his own previous record of 30.

The Oilers then invaded Madision Square Garden the next night to face the Rangers. Gretzky opened the scoring with a goal just 8 seconds into the game. After adding an assist in the second period, he completed his fourth hat trick of the season with 2 third period goals followed by another assist as Edmonton won 9-4 thanks to Gretzky's 5 point night, which included his 800th career point.

Back in Edmonton on December 17th, the Oilers hosted the Nordiques. Gretzky assisted on both of the Oilers first period goals and then two of the three second period goals. Edmonton kept on coming, scoring three goals in the third period, with Gretzky getting his fifth assist on the 7th Oilers goal and then scoring the 8th an final goal in a 8-1 win for a 6 point game.

Then on this date in 1983, the Oilers traveled to Winnipeg to face the Jets. Gretzky assisted on Messier's power play goal at 7:43 of the first period. He then scored his 36th goal of the season at 10:21 from Coffey on a power play. Edmonton made it 3-0 at 11:01 and the Jets scored their first goal at 17:40, also on a power play. With the Oilers down a man with Coffey in the penalty box, Ken Linseman scored from Messier and Gretzky shorthanded at 18:33.

The assist was Gretzky's 64th of the season to go with his 36 goals, giving him 100 points for the season in his 34th game, setting an NHL record for the fastest 100 points in league history. Gretzky then scored his 37th goal unassisted at 4:12 of the second period for a 4 point game.

The win against the Rangers started a 13 game unbeaten streak for the Oilers, with only a tie on December 23rd versus Calgary being the only slight blemish on a 12-0-1 run which concluded with an eight game winning streak equaling their best of the season.

Gretzky would also keep his scoring streak alive, and would eventually reach 51 consecutive games, scoring 61 goals and 92 assists for 153 points during the streak, which included a second 8 point night on January 4, 1984 when he scored 4 goals and 4 assists. 

On January 7th, Gretzky would score his 50th goal of the season in his 42nd game, doing it in style with a hat trick. It would be the second of three times Gretzky would score 50 goals in 50 games or less. Eventually, he was held off the scoreboard by goaltender Markus Mattson and the Kings on January 28, 1984.

A five game losing streak in early February, with both Gretzky and Kurri out with injuries, was answered with another eight game winning streak once the injured duo returned. Edmonton would go on to finish first in the Smythe Division with a 57-18-5 record for 119 points, good for the President's Trophy as the team with the most regular season points, 15 ahead of the Islanders and Boston Bruins. The 57 wins and 119 points were both new club records.

Gretzky would finish with 87 goals and 118 assists for 205 points to win his fourth consecutive Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer. It was his second 200 point season to date. He would eventually win the Art Ross Trophy seven consecutive times and ten overall. He woud score ten hat tricks that season, including four times scoring 4 goals in a game. He would also set a new league record with 12 shorthanded goals in a single season.

Gretzky would also win his fifth straight Hart Trophy as the league MVP and Lester B. Pearson Award as Outstanding Player.

In the playoffs, the Oilers swept the Jets in three games, outlasted the Flames in seven, swept the North Stars in four and then defeated the Islanders in five games, ending the New York dynasty at four Stanley Cups and beginning one of their own. Gretzky led the league in playoff scoring with 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 points, seven better than Kurri for the Oilers.

Today's featured jersey is a 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers Wayne Gretzky jersey. The Oilers would go on to win the Stanley Cup at the conclusion of the season, and interestingly, each of the four times the Oilers would win the cup with Gretzky as captain, it would be at home in their white jerseys

When Edmonton first entered the NHL in 1979 following the demise of the WHA, they changed the colors of crest of their jerseys but, aside from minor detail changes to fonts for names and numbers and some tweaking of shades of color, they kept the same style for 17 seasons through the 1995-96 season.

Photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

Bonus jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a 1984 NHL All-Star Game Wayne Gretzky jersey worn the season of his 51 game scoring streak when he set the record for the Fastest 100 Points. 

This style was worn by the NHL All-Stars for three years starting in 1984. Gretzky would wear it in both 1984 and 1986 when the Campbell Conference was considered the road team and wore the dark version. He wore the white home version in 1985.

During the 1984 game, Gretzky scored a goal in a 7-6 loss by the Campbell Conference.

Today's video section begins with highlights of Gretzky's 8 point night against the Devils.

Next, Gretzky breaks his own 30 game scoring streak record when he scores in his 31st consecutive game on December 13, 1983.

Finally, Gretzky's streak hits 51 straight games on January 27, 1984.

1978-79 Edmonton Oilers Wayne Gretzky Jersey

Having only played eight games for the Indianapolis Racers, on this date in 1978, Wayne Gretzky was sold to the Edmonton Oilers.

Gretzky's Racers career lasted a mere eight games

At the time, the NHL had rules in place not allowing players under the age of 20 to be signed and the WHA, in an attempt to beat the NHL to some of the best upcoming young talent, started signing underage players, most of whom were 19 years old.

With the Racers losing $40,000 per game, owner Nelson Skalbania, having pulled a coup by being the one to land the then 17-year-old Gretzky, knew the Racers demise was a foregone conclusion. Skalbania's hope was to keep the Racers around long enough for a merger with the NHL to happen, knowing the Racers would not be a part of it, with the goal of being compensated financially for folding his team.

Other than the team itself, Skalbania's other main asset was Gretzky, and selling him would be the quickest way to raise some much needed cash.

Skalbania's options for moving Gretzky were the Edmonton Oilers or the Winnipeg Jets. In the end, Gretzky, goaltender Eddie Mio and forward Peter Driscoll were put on a chartered Lear jet, not knowing where they would land or which team they would join!

To add to the absurdity of the situation, Skalbania had not arranged payment for the flight. Mio produced a credit card that had only a $500 limit, which the pilot accepted and took off, heading for Minneapolis.

While the trio was up in the air, both literally and figuratively(!), Skalbania worked out a "deal" with his former partner Oilers owner Peter Pocklington, said to be a backgammon game with Gretzky as the prize should Pockington win. And win he did, and the plane was directed to land in Edmonton, changing the future of hockey. The deal that sent Gretzky, Mio and Driscoll to the Oilers was announced at $850,000, but Pocklington reportedly only paid $700,000, 

Pocklington and Skalbania

Once on the ground in Edmonton, the pilot decided to hold out for full payment of the $7,900 until Pockington was able to be contacted and assured everyone that the Oilers would be taking care of the bill, much to the relief of Mio, who had his credit card receipt torn up.

"I should have kept [the receipt]," said Mio. "That would have made a great souvenir."

Mio would play three seasons with the Oilers, two in the NHL

The Racers would not survive long enough for Skalbania to be bought out as he had hoped, folding just 17 games later on December 15, 1978, three and a half months short of his goal of making to the end of the season. The Oilers and Jets, along with the New England (Hartford) Whalers and Quebec Nordiques would join the NHL at the start of the next season. Of note, the two WHA teams not invited to join the NHL, the Cincinnati Stingers and Birmingham Bulls, each received $1.5 million as compensation.

Driscoll made stops in Vancouver, Calgary,
Indianapolis and Edmonton in the WHA

After having the move out of Indianapolis completed, Gretzky would settle in with the Oilers and on his 18th birthday in January 26th of that season, he would sign a 10 year contract with Pocklington. He would finish third in WHA scoring with 46 goals and 64 assists for 110 points behind only Real Cloutier and Robbie Ftorek and be named the recipient of the forgotten Lou Kaplan Trophy as the WHA Rookie of the Year.

On his 18th birthday in January of 1979, Gretzky signed

a 10 year contract with Pocklington for $3 million

Today's featured jersey is a 1978-79 Edmonton Oilers Wayne Gretzky jersey. During the frachise's first season of play in the WHA as the Alberta Oilers, all the player's jerseys initially had "ALBERTA" on the back instead of the individual player names. Before the 1972-73 season was complete, the team changed to using the players names on their home white and road orange jerseys, which are now being worn by the club as a throwback alternate style.

After two seasons the orange jerseys were replaced by their now customary blue jerseys, only now with ill-advised and hard to read cresting with blue letters on an orange background on their home white jerseys and low contrast orange letters on a white background on their road blue jerseys as seen in today's featured jersey worn during Gretzky's rookie season in the WHA following his departure from Indianapolis. While the Oilers made the logo harder to read, the did reverse the colors of the numbers on their white jerseys from orange outlined in blue to blue outlined in orange.

The Oilers jerseys would remain unchanged from 1974-75 for the rest of their time in the WHA, but when the Oilers joined the NHL in 1979-80, they changed the colors of their crest for the better, to the original blue letters on a white background with an orange oil drop as used during their first two seasons in the WHA that they never should have gotten away from in the first place.

photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

Today's featured jersey is a 1978-79 Edmonton Oilers Eddie Mio jersey. This is the road blue version of today's featured jersey from the man whose credit card may have changed hockey history!

photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

 

Our first video today is about Gretzky's time in the WHA, including his time with Indianapolis.

Here is a behind the scene's look at Gretzky from a documentary from the 1980's called "The Boys on the Bus" that is a change of pace from the usual game highlights.