Wayne Gretzky Did It
Did what you ask? Why put 100 points up as an 18-year old, of course.
You’ll see much of this regarding the Isles-Pens game from last night:
Crosby became the youngest player in NHL history to score 100 points in a season, setting up three goals Monday night in a 6-1 Pittsburgh victory over the New York Islanders that may prevent the Penguins from finishing as the league’s worst team for the second season in a row.
Crosby has this new record because Gretzky did it in the WHA. Gretzky, about five months younger at the time he scored point #100, ended the season third in scroring race in the final season of the WHA.
The WHA was not the NHL, but there was still plenty of talent to go around.
I read mostly blog entries regarding this, and was surprised not to see Gretzky mentioned more (especially from up north where he is royalty). So I threw this phrase into Google News: sidney crosby 100 youngest gretzky. After getting this AP article I was even more confused by this blurb:
Crosby’s season might be more comparable to Gretzky’s first when, in the year in which The Great One turned 18, he scored 104 points for the WHA’s Jets in 1978-79. The Jets moved into the NHL a season later.
What? The Jets? You don’t say. So I sorted the results by date and found an updated version:
Crosby’s season might be more comparable to Wayne Gretzky’s first when, in the year in which The Great One turned 18, he scored 104 points for the WHA’s Edmonton Oilers in 1978-79. The Oilers moved into the NHL a season later.
Ok, good try, the team is right this time… well, one of them.
Gretzky played for the Indianapolis Racers in 78-79 as well. He had 6 points in 8 games. That brought his 78-79 season total to 110.
Again, not an NHL record, but it certainly needs to be mentioned (correctly).
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