WAYNE GRETZKY

dec. 30, 1981 edmonton 7, philadelphia 5

SCORING 50 GOALS IN 39 games is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. So is scoring five goals in one game. Gretzky showed his flair for the dramatic by doing both in the same game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The 20-year-old superstar scored on a rebound for his first goal, a slapshot under the crossbar for his second, a breakaway for his third, undressed a defenseman for his fourth and added an empty-netter with three seconds on the clock for his fifth of the night and 50th of the season to establish an NHL record that surely will never be broken.