Wayne Gretzky of the New York Rangers. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
What happened on April 18 in the history of the New York Rangers
On this date in 1999, the greatest to ever play the sport of ice hockey skated in his last game and he did it as a New York Ranger. It was Wayne Gretzky’s final game, a 2-1 overtime loss to Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden. He didn’t score a goal, but he did earn as assist, the 2,1857th point of his glorious career.
Gretzky, 38, had not made it official until two days earlier, not wanting to have a farewell tour across the NHL.