Jan. 28: Gretzky's point streak ends at 51 games

THIS DATE IN HISTORY: Jan. 28
1984:
Wayne Gretzky
's 51-game point streak, the longest in NHL history, ends when the Los Angeles Kings keep him off the scoresheet and
defeat the Edmonton Oilers
4-2 at Northlands Coliseum.

The Kings enter the game having allowed an NHL-worst 244 goals in 51 games and are last in the Smythe Division at 14-27 with 10 ties. But goalie
Markus Mattsson
, playing in his second game after being recalled from the minors eight days earlier, is perfect through two periods before allowing two third-period goals on which Gretzky is not involved. He plays almost all of the final five minutes in an attempt to keep the streak alive, but the oilers don't score again against Mattsson.
Gretzky finishes the streak with 153 points (61 goals, 92 assists) in 51 games. Counting the final nine games of the previous season, he's had points in 60 consecutive regular-season games since March 11, 1983.
MORE MOMENTS
1918:
Joe Malone
extends his goal-scoring streak to 11 games (beginning with the NHL's inaugural game on Dec. 19, 1917) when he scores for the Montreal Canadiens in a
5-1 loss at Toronto
. It's the 25th goal of the season for Malone, who goes on to lead the new NHL with 44.
1937:The career of Canadiens star
Howie Morenz
comes to an abrupt end when he breaks four bones in his left leg and ankle as the result of a collision in a
6-5 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks
at the Forum. Morenz, who rejoins the Canadiens for the 1936-37 season two years after being traded to Chicago, is tripped and goes into the corner, where his skate gets lodged in the boards. Chicago Blackhawks defenseman
Earl Seibert
accidentally falls over him, causing the injury. Morenz appears to be recovering, though he's told he'll never play hockey again. He dies of heart failure on March 8, 1937.

1943:
Max Bentley
sets a
Blackhawks record with seven points
(four goals, three assists) in a 10-1 victory against the New York Rangers at Chicago Stadium. All four of Bentley's goals come in the third period, with his brother
Doug
assisting on each one.
1968:
Terry Sawchuk
makes 27 saves for his 101st NHL shutout in the
Kings' 2-0 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers
at the Spectrum. It's Sawchuk's first shutout with the Kings, and it extends his NHL record of having at least one shutout to 19 consecutive seasons.

1986:
Denis Potvin
of the New York Islanders sets the NHL career record for goals by a defenseman when he
scores his 271st in a 9-2 win
against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Potvin surpasses the mark set by
Bobby Orr
.

1989:The NHL sets a single-day attendance record when 164,223 fans attend the 10 games on the schedule. Eight games are sellouts and 20,002 fans come to the Saddledome to see the Calgary Flames defeat the Blackhawks. Three games end in ties and five others are decided by one goal, including two in overtime. Among the one-goal games is the
Oilers' 7-6 victory against the Kings
at the Forum in Inglewood, California, a game where Los Angeles forward
Bernie Nicholls
scores his 49th and 50th goals in the Kings' 50th game.
1990:
Mario Lemieux
scores a third-period goal in the Pittsburgh Penguins' 7-2 loss at the Buffalo Sabres to give him 100 points for the sixth straight season. Lemieux also ties the NHL's second-longest consecutive-game point streak at 39.
1992:
Brett Hull
of the St. Louis Blues becomes the second player in NHL history to have back-to-back seasons of 50 goals in 50 games or fewer when he
scores against the Kings in a 3-3 tie
at the Forum. The only other player to do so is Gretzky in 1983-84 and 1984-85.
2018:Vancouver Canucks rookie Brock Boeser is named the most valuable player after the Pacific Division wins the NHL All-Star Game with a
5-2 victory against the Atlantic Division
in the final of the 3-on-3 tournament at Amalie Arena in Tampa. Boeser gets the award after scoring the game-winning goal in the Pacific Division's 5-2 victory in the semifinal against the Central Division and having a goal and an assist in the final.