Wayne Gretzky’s 51-game point streak is among the most untouchable records in sports, so it was probably easy for The Great One to say he’s rooting for Patrick Kane to keep his streak alive.
“If Patrick can keep this going, good for him. It’s great for hockey,” Gretzky said, via NHL.com. “And if he gets to 50, 51, I’ll be the first guy to go to the game.”
Kane’s streak reached a Blackhawks-record 23 games during Tuesday’s 4-1 win over Nashville. He’ll go for 24 tonight when Chicago again takes on the Predators.
In each of the Blackhawks’ past two games, Kane has registered his first point with less than two minutes remaining. He also has two overtime points during the streak.
Gretzky had three streaks of at least 30 games, but the 51-game record came during his time in Edmonton during the 1983-1984 season.
Considering it’s been more than 20 seasons since any player reached 30 games, it’s unlikely Kane’s streak nears 50 – especially because Gretzky said keeping a streak alive is harder now than it used to be.
“What he’s going through is maybe a little more challenging than what I had to go through,” Gretzky said, via NHL.com. “The goaltenders in general are better today, the defense is better today, the players are bigger and stronger, so what he’s doing he should be proud of.”
Kane’s point Tuesday night was the 600th of his career. He leads the NHL in both points (43) and assists (26) this season.
