Esposito's total was regarded at the time as a record for the ages. Phil Esposito of the Boston Bruins set the NHL single-season mark by scoring 76 goals in 1970-71 before that, no one had reached 60. The only active player with 1,000 assists is 41-year-old Jaromir Jagr of the New Jersey Devils, who has 1,007. His assist total is 714 more than runner-up Ron Francis, and Gretzky has more assists than any player has points. Gretzky often seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, that's how good he was at finding teammates for what turned into easy goals. Hossa won't catch Gretzky, and Ovechkin would need a long run of big seasons just to get within shouting distance. The top goal-scorer among players 35 and younger is Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks with 434 for players 30 and younger, it's Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals he turns 28 next month and enters the season with 371 goals. This is another mark that figures to last for a long time. Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins led the League in 2011-12, the most recent 82-game season, with 109 points. Twenty seasons of averaging 140 points wouldn't be enough to catch Gretzky's career record. How safe is this record? Consider that the last player to have more than 140 points in one season was Mario Lemieux, who put up 160 for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96. In honor of the 25th anniversary of the trade that resonates throughout the NHL a quarter of a century later, here's a look at 25 of Gretzky's records that may never be broken: He left the NHL with more than 60 records.

In all, he played 11 seasons after the trade before retiring in 1998-99 following three seasons with the New York Rangers.

Gretzky made the Kings an attraction in star-driven Los Angeles, leading the Kings to their first Stanley Cup Final in 1993 and filling the Great Western Forum.

The deal stunned Edmonton and the rest of Canada, which was still recovering from The Great One's marriage to American actress Janet Jones less than a month earlier. Gretzky had already turned the NHL record book inside-out while helping the Oilers terrorize goaltenders like no team before. The Edmonton Oilers, winners of the Stanley Cup four times in five seasons and seemingly poised to dominate for years to come, traded Wayne Gretzky, the centerpiece of their dynasty and the greatest scorer in hockey, to the Los Angeles Kings for young players, draft picks and $15 million. Twenty-five years ago today, the League was rocked by a trade the likes of which it had never seen and may never see again. 9, 1988, was a day that changed the face of the NHL forever.

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