On April 2nd, 1980, a fresh-faced Wayne Gretzky became the first teenager to reach the 50-goal plateau in a single NHL season.
On this day in 1980, Wayne Gretzky became the first teenager to score 50 goals in an NHL season #Hockey365 #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/FltdcmYTca
— Mike Commito (@mikecommito) April 2, 2020
In his first NHL season after the merger with the WHA, Wayne Gretzky wasted no time in putting the league on notice with a skill level that hadn’t been seen before, and it was on this day that he set an NHL record for being the first teenager to score 50 goals. In a game against the Minnesota North Stars, Gretzky scored the lone goal (assisted by Colin Campbell and Dave Hunter) in a 1-1 tie that saw the Oilers earn a much-needed point on their way to their first NHL playoff appearance.
At only 19 years of age, Gretzky started what would turn into a run of eight consecutive seasons with 50 goals or more, which, in itself, is also an NHL record that is unlikely to be touched any time soon. The Great One? The NHL didn’t even know what was coming for them because he was only just getting started.
GRETZKY’S 1979-80 SEASON
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PGP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1979-80 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 79 | 51 | 86 | 137 | 21 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
WHA Totals | 80 | 46 | 64 | 110 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 2 | |||
NHL Totals | 1487 | 894 | 1963 | 2857 | 577 | 208 | 122 | 260 | 382 | 66 |
As always, big props go out to Mike Commito on Twitter for the inspiration, and if you don’t follow him yourself, then you’re seriously missing out on some fascinating stuff.
