The Northlands Coliseum, home of the Edmonton Oilers for generations, will forever be the home of Wayne Gretzky. There, he led the Oilers to four Stanley Cups. While it was rebranded over the years, the site itself never changed. It was the home of Gretzky, setting countless records.
But there was one record that Gretzky broke at Northlands Coliseum that stands out as an ironic twist of fate.
On October 15, 1989, Wayne Gretzky broke Gordie Howe’s all-time scoring record with his 1,851st point. But Gretzky didn’t break the mark as a member of the Edmonton Oilers. He did it as a member of the Los Angeles Kings.
Gretzky had been traded the season before to California. And he didn’t slow down his prodigious scoring pace. Gretzky could have broken the record late in the 1988-89 season. But he just ran out of time.
So, the record would have to wait until the following season. So, early into the 1989-90 season, Wayne Gretzky, the Great One, became the Greatest of them All. As the countdown to the record marched on, fate would have it that the record would be broken in Edmonton. It didn’t happen in the game before, and it didn’t happen in the game after.
It had to be in Edmonton.
Of course, Gretzky couldn’t control destiny no matter how much he wanted to. Circumstances played out, and the Great One broke the mark in his former hometown.
Here’s a look at the memorable moment:
Gretzky’s performance capped off a remarkable Kings’ comeback that sort of added salt to the wound. Gretzky went down in history in one of the most ironic manners.
Northlands Coliseum will always live in hearts of a generation
As an '80s kid, Northlands Coliseum, or whatever you might want to call it, will forever live in my mind. It was the place where many of the most memorable moments of 1980s hockey took place.
It was the site of Stanley Cup victories and bitter defeats. It was the place where Gretzky made history. It was also the place that elevated Edmonton to the center of the hockey universe.
Its closing brought an end to a chapter in hockey history. Like all great stadiums and venues, it had to come to an end one day. Northlands Coliseum followed the path of other arenas with the Boston Garden, Chicago Stadium, Maple Leafs Gardens, and Nassau Coliseum.
These places marked a generation of hockey fans. Unfortunately, newer fans did not get a chance to experience what it was like to see a tremendous generation of stars play during a relatively obscure time for the NHL.
If Gretzky had had the exposure that Connor McDavid has today, there’s no telling how much more thrilling his record chase would have been.
But it happened. And, I was one of the fortunate fans who had a chance to live it. Now, the memory of the chase endures as a warm memory of another time, a time in which hockey somehow seemed different.