Wayne Gretzky is the most prolific playmaker in NHL history. In fact, he was so prolific in setting up his teammates for goals that he has more career assists than any other player has career points.
During the three seasons he played for the Rangers, Gretzky gave Blueshirts fans a glimpse into how brilliant of a passer he was. With 192 assists – including 128 primary assists – in his 234 games as a Ranger, No. 99 has the second-highest assists per game average in the 100-year history of the franchise (0.82), as well as the highest primary assists per game average (0.55).
On the night of December 21, 1996, in a game between the Rangers and Montreal Canadiens in Montreal, ‘The Great One’ showcased his unique ability and the mastery in which he was able to create offense from his “office” in the offensive zone.
Throughout Gretzky’s career, he would position himself behind the opposition’s net, giving himself more space from defenders. While he was not the first NHL player to do this, he perfected the ability to generate scoring chances and goals from there. Over time, that area of the ice was referred to as his “office” (fittingly, when Gretzky played his final NHL game on April 18, 1999, at MSG, the number 99 was painted on the ice behind both goal nets).
Throughout that game in Montreal, Gretzky had an answer for every type of defense that the Canadiens used to try and stop him from behind the net. Near the midway point of the second period, with the Rangers trailing 1-0, Gretzky gained control of the puck behind the Montreal net. As he went behind the net, Canadiens forward Mark Recchi stood at one side of the net and waited for Gretzky to make a play.
After a few seconds – and when Recchi quickly turned his head to see if someone was behind him – No. 99 made a quick backhand pass to Rangers defenseman Ulf Samuelsson, who was streaking towards the net from the blue line. Samuelsson took a quick one-time shot that beat Canadiens goaltender Jocelyn Thibault.
Before the second period was over, Gretzky had set up another goal from the same area. When he corralled the puck behind the Montreal net, Canadiens defenseman Patrice Brisebois skated towards him instead of backing off, as Recchi had done. Even though Brisebois tried to check Gretzky, No. 99 read the play and was able to slide the puck to Niklas Sundstrom, who was all alone in front of the net. Sundstrom fired a one-time shot that went in between the pads of Thibault – who was visibly frustrated after the puck went in the net – and the score was tied 2-2.
Neither team scored again for the remainder of regulation, and the contest went to overtime. In the first minute of the extra session – which, unlike today’s game, was played at 5-on-5 during the 1996-97 season – Gretzky once again maintained possession of the puck behind the Canadiens net. As he held onto the puck, the crowd in Montreal began to buzz with anticipation, waiting to see how the sequence would unfold after the two plays that Gretzky had made earlier in the game.
Gretzky held the puck behind the net, moving back-and-forth slightly as Brisebois stood in front of the Canadiens net waiting to see what Gretzky would do. While ‘The Great One’ waited for the play to develop, Luc Robitaille, his linemate, was battling in front of the net with Canadiens defenseman Murray Barron. Robitaille quickly motioned to Gretzky with his glove, signaling for No. 99 to wait and give him a few seconds to get open.
Robitaille circled back away from the net, breaking free of Baron’s check, and then skated back towards the goal. Seeing this, Gretzky quickly made a move to his left and passed the puck to Robitaille, who by this time was wide open in the slot. Robitaille took the pass and beat Thibault with a one-time shot to give the Rangers a 3-2 win.
“I never forgot that,” Robitaille said in an interview with TSN years after the game. “What player would actually have the presence (of mind) to see the other player (signaling) and saying, ‘Wait for me I’ll be right back’?”
Gretzky’s three assists in the win over the Canadiens gave him 51 points through the first 36 games of the 1996-97 season, moving him ahead of Penguins teammates Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr at the time for the league lead in scoring. He finished the season with 97 points, which was tied for the fourth-most in the NHL, and his 72 assists during the year were tied for the most in the league with Lemieux.
Rangers fans have had many thrills over 100 years of franchise history, and having the opportunity to watch the most prolific point producer in NHL history showcase his extraordinary talents while wearing their team’s sweater is among them.
And on a December night in Montreal, Wayne Gretzky demonstrated – for yet another time – why he is The Great One.
