NHL Records - The topic is quite popular and traveled. It does not matter whether it is an individual or team achievement, often they do not linger for a long time. But, besides everything, there are results that forever go down in history and remain in the memory of millions of fans. It cannot do without those individuals who somehow try by all means to inscribe themselves in history. Someone succeeds, others do not. This article highlights the most striking and memorable world history achievements of hockey players of the National Hockey League.
Wayne Gretzky - NHL legend
It is unlikely that anyone would argue that if we talk about champions, then first of all it is worth mentioning the name of Wayne the Great Gretzky, who was forever imprinted in the history of the NHL. Individual records - Wayne's hobby, it is in this category that he still owns or shares with any other players no less than 61 NHL records! Among them - 40 achievements in the regular season, 15 - in the playoffs and 6 records in matches of NHL stars. Not bad, is it?
The most memorable of his career were records in the regular season: 92 goals, 163 assists and 215 points. Among the achievements were also the best goals in the playoffs, and the total number of goals scored in the opponent’s goal for the entire career in the playoffs was 122. In addition, in 1983 in the NHL all-star game it was Gretzky who achieved an incredible result in 4 goals in one period. Wayne Gretzky is rightfully considered the absolute record holder in terms of the total number of records for his entire professional career.
Marc Messier can also
Another hockey player who, perhaps, did not show such NHL records as Gretzky, but nevertheless achieved good results, is Mark Messier. One of Mark’s most impressive numbers was the total number of matches he spent in his entire career, 1992.
Messier tried very hard to show the best results, and that is why, following Wayne, he ranked in the ranking of the playoff points for his career. In addition, Mark became the owner of six Stanley Cups, 5 of which were obtained when playing for the Edmonton Oilers star team.
Gordon Gordy Howe - NHL Longevity
Unfortunately, on June 10, 2016, at the age of 88, Gordon Howe, one of those hockey players who were devoted to their work, passed away. That is why he has every right to be placed in the ranking of the best hockey players of the National Hockey League.
Starting his hockey career in 1946 at the age of 18, he was right-forward for the Red Wings club, Gordy spent a total of 1,767 matches in the NHL regular season. On his account were the best goals, and the best assists, and the largest number of matches in the role of the right striker in the NHL regular season. In total, Howe devoted his career to 35 years, becoming a member of the largest number of NHL seasons, namely 26.
Coward does not play hockey
Born in 1929 in Canada, Taras Savchuk (later the name was officially changed to English-speaking Terrence) and could not imagine that once his name would be in the history of the NHL. And all because the Canadian of Ukrainian descent became one of the best goalkeepers who achieved great success and set several records in the National Hockey League, one of which has not been beaten so far. The thing is that Terry, as his teammates affectionately called him, had fantastic speed and incredible reaction. The goalkeeper, for whom hockey was the meaning of life, for a long time even after his death was the owner of an absolute record in the number of games dry. In total, he spent 103 matches without losing a single goal into his own net. Only in 2009, Martin Broder was able to get around the legendary Savchuk.
Can't the striker? Goalkeeper will score!
If someone thinks that the goal of a goalkeeper in hockey is limited only by the defense of the goal, then he is very mistaken. Take Martin Broder, who from 1992 to 2014 played at the gate for the New Jersey Devils team. It was there that he showed himself as the best goalkeeper. Hockey for Martin is not only a hobby, but also the meaning of his whole life. That is why at the moment he has more than 20 different NHL records. But the most memorable of them - as many as 3 goals in a goalkeeper career!
If you consider that to score the puck is the matter of the attackers, or, in the extreme case, the defenders, then Martin Broder completely broke this stereotype. Although, it can be noted that he was not the first to start this goalkeeper race. Ronald Hextall is who is truly a pioneer. It was Ron who threw the puck into the opponent’s empty net in the 1979/80 NHL season. In addition, Ronald became the first goalkeeper in the history of the NHL to throw the puck on target in the Stanley Cup match. An impressive result!
“They take water to the offended”
NHL team records are a topic that also deserves considerable attention. And the first achievement is worth mentioning the incredible 35 matches played by the Philadelphia Flyers without losing in regular time in the 1979/80 NHL season.
The Flyers started the season not just disgustingly, they lost the first two matches with a score of 2: 5 and 2: 9 respectively. It was after the second defeat that the orange-black vanity was deeply hurt. “Armed” with a good spirit, the team went on the ice and began to smash the enemy. The result was not long in coming - 25 victories and 10 confident draws for the season totaled 35 matches, which were played without defeat this season. The absolute record of the NHL!
Several records in one match
A few years before Gordon Howe joined the Detroit Red Wings, the latter had a truly fantastic match against the New York Rangers. It happened in January 1943. The Rangers arrived in Detroit, suspecting nothing, and the game began quietly. True, by the end of the first period 2 goals were already in the goal of the “blue shirts”. But the score 2: 0 is not a sentence, and so the “Wings” decided not to stop, so that by the end of the second third of the match the awesome 5-0 already sparkled on the scoreboard. But, probably, “awesome 5: 0” is a hasty conclusion. And all because at the end of the third half after the hat-trick of Sid Howie the score was ... 15: 0! There was a sixteenth puck, but the judge considered that she crossed the goal line a second after the final whistle.
It was 15 goals scored for a match that beat all existing NHL records and made Red Wings winners of the nominations for more goals scored in one match, as well as 15 goals scored in a row (no matter within one game or several) without a single conceded goal into their gates.
NHL match duration record
It would seem that in 60 minutes of normal time, you can solve all things, score a couple of goals and calmly set off. If it doesn’t work, then there is always an overtime and a series of shootouts in an emergency. But it was not always so. Until some time, the rules of the game did not imply a series of shootouts, and in the playoffs the players had to fight until the end. This is exactly what happened in the most legendary 1936 Stanley Cup semifinal match. For six overtime, the Detroit and Montreal teams “fought”. For all this time, none of the goalkeepers made a mistake, and the score on the scoreboard was 0: 0. Only at around 116 minutes and 30 seconds, when even the most persistent spectators watched the second dream, and the hockey players did not have the strength to cross the side to change the composition, the desperate Moder Mad Bruneto took advantage of the mistake of the goalkeeper of the opponents and brought the victory to Detroit.
You can talk about records and achievements in various sports endlessly, but no one dares to argue that the very victories in hockey are achieved with blood and sweat. After all, this sport is one of the toughest and toughest, requiring special preparation and a lot of effort. National Hockey League has always been famous for beautiful moments and bright records.