Gretzky Says His Target Is 1,000 Goals, Not 802

Questions, questions and more questions. Wayne Gretzky’s mother, Phyllis, says that her son will pass Gordie Howe and become the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer with his 802nd tonight against Vancouver at the Forum, but even Gretzky’s abilities don’t extend to prognostication.

Gretzky, in his 15th NHL season, has set 60 league records, so he has some ideas about the whys, the whats, the wherefores and, well, the Howes of this latest quest. The immense pressure seemed to lift from his shoulders on Sunday at San Jose when he scored twice to join Howe at 801. Now, one does not seem to be the loneliest number for Gretzky.

“I want it to happen tomorrow night, believe me,” Gretzky said on Tuesday at a Forum news conference to announce a three-year endorsement deal.

“I broke the one, the points record, in Edmonton. This one, I want to do here. It would be nice to have it happen here at home.”

It all started for Gretzky against the Canucks. He scored his first NHL goal against Vancouver goaltender Glen Hanlon on Oct. 14, 1979, at 18:51 of the third period. Hanlon now is the Canucks’ goaltending coach.

“It was a backhander,” Gretzky said. “I came out of the corner and threw it over the top of Glen Hanlon. There’s something special about any first goal you score in the NHL. You spend your whole life dreaming about it.”

He said he was visualizing Sunday in San Jose about how he might score the record goal.

“For some strange reason, it was a backhand,” Gretzky said. “Now, it’ll probably be a tip-in or knock off my leg and go in. That’s all right. In 20 years, they’re all end-to-end rushes.

“I just visualized 801 being a big goal, and it was. I want 802 to be a big goal. The last thing you want to see is a 5-1 game and you score to make it 5-2 with a minute left. I don’t see that in the cards.”

Provided Gretzky doesn’t score into an empty net, there will be a goaltender going into the record book with him. The Canucks have not announced a starting goalie but it is expected to be Kirk McLean. Gretzky has scored 12 goals against McLean and two against the Canucks’ backup, Kay Whitmore.

San Jose’s Arturs Irbe declined to speak to reporters after giving up 800 and 801, but King Coach Barry Melrose said Irbe will be long forgotten after Gretzky scores his next goal. “Arturs is safe,” Melrose said, smiling. “That’s our society. You don’t want to be the guy who gives up 802. You’re immortalized. Everyone knows who was pitching to Hank Aaron. You become part of the trivia.”

The Kings’ Kelly Hrudey was in goal when the St. Louis Blues’ Brett Hull scored his 50th goal in 50 games on Jan. 28, 1992.

“Usually it’s a good thing,” Hrudey said. “You’re usually pretty motivated not to let the goal in.”

All of the Kings, of course, want to be part of hockey history. On Sunday, Warren Rychel suffered a broken nose in a first-period fight and sat out the rest of the game. “Yeah, my kids will say, ‘What did you do when Wayne Gretzky tied the record?’ ” Rychel said. “Well, I had my nose and face in a bucket of ice for an hour and a half.”

It could all have been over if King defenseman Marty McSorley had passed to Gretzky instead of scoring into an empty net at Hartford on March 2. Naturally, that has come up a few times. McSorley was practicing shooting into an empty net on Tuesday when he spotted Gretzky and said:

“You would have been pushed over the edge if I had given it to you.”

But any anxious edge has passed for Gretzky, who says he is happy to be at 801. He has been telling his teammates to shoot if they get a two-on-one with him late in the game.

“There was something going around that after 802, I was going to quit,” Gretzky said. “I see 900 goals. I see 1,000. I tell you, I’ll try my best.”