Patrick Kane's Spectacular Streak Still A Long Way From Wayne Gretzky's
By Chris Emma--
(CBS) Look up just about any NHL record, and there's a common theme at the top of the list.
"The Great One."
Wayne Gretzky's nickname wasn't just given. It was most certainly earned. There may never be another hockey player as incredibly dominant as Gretzky. His 20-year NHL career features many -- most, frankly -- scoring records that will be hard to top. Gretzky's the NHL's leader in career points, goals and assists. He's scored the most goals and assists in a single season and put up astonishing numbers that won't be beat.
So, as Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane's impressive points streak reached 24 games on Thursday night in a 5-1 loss to the Predators, he can begin looking up at the all-time record. It's only fair, especially given his new status as the Blackhawks' points-streak record-holder. As Kane looks up the leaderboard, he would see Gretzky's name all over the place
In the 1983-'84 season, Gretzky scored points in 51 straight games. For all Kane has done to reach 24 games -- including desperation attempts by the Blackhawks working against an empty net -- he isn't even halfway to Gretzky's mark.
"He can get there, absolutely," Gretzky told Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. "What does it take to get there? It's a combination of things. First of all, you have to be good and you have to get a little bit lucky. I was a little bit lucky during the streak, whether it was a (secondary) assist late in the game or an empty-net point. You have to stay healthy and you have to be surrounded by really good teammates. He has all the intangibles he needs."
Gretzky's name is all over the list for longest points streaks. He has four of the top streaks, including his top mark of 51 games plus streaks of 39, 30 and 28 games.
Penguins star Sidney Crosby has the longest streak of the last five years, a 25-game mark that was set in the 2010-'11 season. Kane can tie that number Friday when the Blackhawks host the Winnipeg Jets.
Looking purely at this season, Kane's streak has been spectacular. His 44 points leads the NHL, and he's done it with 18 goals and 26 assists. The 27-year-old Kane is putting together the best season of his great Blackhawks career.
Yet, when put in historical perspective, Kane's streak is surely great, but he has a lot of work to reach The Great One.
Chris Emma covers the Chicago sports scene and more for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 and like his Facebook page.