There are some records in professional sports that are destined to be broken and there are some that seem capable of standing for an eternity.  Wayne Gretzky possesses one of the seemingly timeless records, scoring more points than any NHL player in history.

On this day, October 15th, in 1989, Gretzky became the NHL’s All-Time leading scorer, beating Gordie Howe’s record of 1,850 points.  Gretzky’s attempt at the record was set in dramatic fashion against his former team, the Edmonton Oilers. With the Oilers up 4-3 with little more than a minute remaining, Gretzky launched a backhanded shot past goalie Bill Ranford.

Although the Oilers fought hard to prevent Gretzky from taking the record on their home ice, the hockey great received a warm congratulations from his former team and was presented with a gold bracelet for his accomplishment. At the end of his 20 year career, Gretzky, nicknamed, “The Great One,” amassed a whopping 2,857 points.