Athlete Number 99 - Wayne Gretzky

Is there really any argument here for the best professional athlete to wear jersey number 99? Yes, you might say, Mark Gastineau should be considered. No, I might say, there is no argument. Okay, we all knew who the pick for best 99 would be. It is indeed, "The Great One," Wayne Gretzky.

Not only is Wayne Gretzky the greatest pro athlete to wear jersey number 99, he is also the greatest to ever lace up a pair of skates on NHL ice. When Gretzky finally decided to hang 'em up, he was the owner or tied for sixty-one National Hockey League records. Amazing. We won't list them all here, but some of the most impressive records are:

• Most NHL regular season points, 2,857 in 1,487 games (894 goals, 1,963 assists)
• Most NHL goals, including playoffs, 1,016 in 1,487 regular season and 208 playoff games
• Most assists, including playoffs, 2,223
• Most goals, one period, 4, tied with 10 other players
• Most 100 or more point seasons, 15
• Longest consecutive point-scoring streak, 51 games
• Most career game winning goals in playoffs, 24
• Most points, one season, 215
• Most points, including playoffs, 3,239

Gretzky, of course, played for four NHL teams: Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers. He had is most prolific years offensively, while with the Oilers. He teamed up with Mark Messier, Jari Kurri and Grant Fuhr to create an NHL dynasty in the early 1980s. Gretzky was part of a team that won four NHL Stanley Cups in a five year span.

Did you know......that in 1999 Gretzky had the three-year waiting period for entrance into the NHL Hall of Fame, waived by the Selection Committee, due to Gretzky's "outstanding pre-eminence and skill?"

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Best Number 99 in Other Pro Sports
NFL Number 99


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