Just because this annoyed me:
Wayne Gretzky persisted to score No. 77
"It was a thrill to get 92 goals, but in some ways, I thought I let myself down by not getting 100," Gretzky said two decades later when asked if he were disappointed he hadn't hit the century mark. "Maybe I should have pushed myself more."
This isn't the only time he's said this. I think he was on pace for 100 right up until the least few weeks of the season.
Thanks, I'd never seen the quote.
But as always sometimes recollections end up being revisionist in nature. At the time beating the Esposito record was the huge thing, what everybody talked about. But Gretz as I recall had exhausted himself getting to that point. It was a monumental task and I think Gretz took it on too hard and had little left. That was also the Oilers worst playoffs that season. Gretz after that Buffalo game continued he scored for a couple more and by my count had 82 goals in 66 GP. So close to pace for a 100 with 14 games remaining. However Gretz then went 6 games without scoring at all so that with that done there was no way of reaching 100. Gretzky actually scored 10 more in last 8GP but any possibility of 100 goals was not really feasible by that time. Gretz would have required 8 goals in last 2 GP to do it.
Gretz went on to be -4 in the deciding game of the opening round Kings series that year and was very bad in that one being responsible for a few of the give aways leading to goals against.
By my reckoning Gretz was exhausted by March 1 that season. He finally hit a wall. I think it was a learning experience for him that he wasn't as interested in repeating.
The whole seasonal saga was in response to writers and critiques saying he wasn't a premier goal scorer. Gretz always had enough chip on shoulder to make people eat comments like that. But it was the 82, 83 playoffs that turned Gretz into a more complete player. The Oilers into a more complete team.
The chasing specious totals, was, is, and will always be a meaningless stat. Team results of course matter more, or should.