Gretzky missed much of the 1992-93 regular season due to a back ailment, and his 65-point total interrupted a record 13-year stretch of scoring at least 100 points per season. The Great One turned 40 a few months into the season and was already one of the oldest players in the league.
Gretzky returned for the 1993 playoffs but struggled with an ankle injury that required surgery after the season was over. He finished his career with more than 1000 points in only 379 games, a rate of about two points per game.
During his time with Los Angeles, Gretzky had three knee surgeries. The first two were successful, but the third took place in 2001. At the time of its announcement, it was believed that this final surgery ended his career.
However, four years later Gretzky announced that he was again playing in the NHL. Since then, he has been an integral part of the "Legends Game" that takes place each year on Canada Day (basketball played since 1996).
Gretzky has also appeared in several advertisements during his retirement from hockey. Most notably, he is a global ambassador for P&G's Skoal brand of tobacco products.
In 2004, Gretzky was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).
A season with 215 points. If 1981-82 and 1983-84 weren't Gretzky's finest seasons, 1985-86 could have been. By scoring or assisting on 215 of Edmonton's 426 goals, the Great One eclipsed his personal record of 212 points in 1981-82. He also surpassed that mark again the following season when he had 219 points.
Wayne Gretzky is one of only nine players to score at least 100 points in each of their first three seasons. The others are Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Pavel Bure, Alexander Mogilny, Joe Thornton, Steven Stamkos and Patrick Kane.
Gretzky broke away from a crowd of hockey fans outside Edmonton's Rexall Place stadium after defeating the New York Islanders 4-3 in overtime of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final. He was holding up his hands with fingers spread wide apart, indicating that he had scored more than two goals in a game for the first time in his career.
Gretzky went on to win his second consecutive Art Ross Trophy as the league's top scorer with 110 points. He also won his second straight King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his contributions to cancer research. Gretzky ended up winning three awards in 1986. He was also named MVP of the NHL playoffs that year as he led the Oilers to their first ever Stanley Cup title.
Gretzky set regular-season and post-season milestones, including the most career regular-season goals (894), assists (1,963), points (2,857), and hat-tricks (50). He also holds the record for most game-winning goals with 92. In addition, he is third all-time in power-play goals (222) and fifth in overall goals (914).
Wayne Gretzky's career marks include: regular season games played - 2117; minutes played - 48840; goals scored - 994; and total points - 2826. His average of 1.944 goals per game is second only to Mario Lemieux's 2.034 goals per game.
Wayne Gretzky's postseason records include: goals - 66; assists - 117; points - 183; and winning percentage.667. His 0.922 goal ratio is first among all playoff players who have played at least five seasons. His 3.333 average per game is first among all playoff scorers who have played at least five seasons.
Gretzky has been ranked No. 1 by The Hockey News on their list of the greatest hockey players of all time. He currently sits third behind Gordie Howe and Alex Ovechkin on the NHL's all-time scoring list.
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