Wayne Gretzky is the best player to ever step onto the ice. He’s scored more goals than anyone, more assists too, and of course, no one is even close in his all-time standing in points.
Gretzky could do it all, and he had a remarkable ability to always step up for his team and play his best when it was most needed. Gretzky has probably scored more crucial goals than anyone else, and that is one of the reasons he was so dominant.
Gretzky won four Stanley Cups, and with how many points he scored during his incredible career, it should be bare impossible to pick out the best NHL game he ever played. But according to The Great One himself, one stands out.
In the Clarence Campbell Conference Final on May 29, 1993, a Game 7 was deciding who would face the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Final. The LA Kings, with Wayne Gretzky as the obvious star player, played the Maple Leafs on the road, and Toronto was going crazy.
”The best NHL game I played in my mind I think was Game 7 in Toronto,” Gretzky said.
Gretzky remembers it like it was yesterday, especially what happened before the puck drop and how he shocked a security guy with one of the best one-liners we’ve ever heard.
”It was really interesting because we had a security guy who was on our floor that was taking care of our team at the hotel.
”I remember leaving for the arena, and as I was going down the elevator, I made a comment to the gentleman. I said, ’You know, it’s pretty crazy out there right now.’ The whole Leafs nation was going nuts and they were excited one game away from the Stanley Cup Final. The security guy said, ’No, Mr. Gretzky. It’s not a big thing because my job really starts after the game.’ And I’m standing there and thinking, ’Wow, he thinks they’re going to win? That people are going to get crazy?’ And as we get off the elevator, I stop the elevator and I said to him, ’You know that job you got at 10.30 tonight? Don’t worry one bit about it. Because my job starts at 7.30 tonight.’”
And Gretzky was right. He scored on a shorthanded goal in the first period to make it 1-0. Before the first intermission, he assisted to 2-0. Toronto came back to 2-2 before Gretzky scored the 3-2 goal. In the fourth period, Gretzky scored again, and he had three goals and one assist in the 5-4 win.
”After the game, the security guy came running to the locker room, like, ’Oh my God, did I cost us the win?’ And I just said, ’No, no.’ I was just excited and ready to play,” Gretzky said.
”The Toronto Maple Leafs were a good team. Pat was a great coach, Gilmour was playing as good as you can play. It was a hard game. It’s just one of those days where I had a good game, and it’s something that I will always remember.”
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