Today in Hockey History: St. Louis Blues Acquire Wayne Gretzky

Hockey is back! Normally we’d be closing in on the NHL trade deadline for the final push of the season. However, we’re in a different world. Last Word on Hockey is still going to look back at each date’s historical significance to the game. We’ll remember the moments that shaped the sport of hockey that happened on this day. Here’s our look at this date in hockey history for February 27th, featuring Wayne Gretzky.

Today in Hockey History

Wayne Gretzky Traded to St. Louis

1996: The Blues acquire the Great One for forwards Craig Johnson, Patrice Tardif, Roman Vopat. St.Louis also sends a first-round pick in the 1997 NHL Draft and a fifth-round pick in the 1997 NHL Draft.

The Blues go 6-10 with five ties after acquiring Gretzky, are eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoff. Gretzky joins the New York Rangers in the off-season and none of the players the Kings get make an impact.

Other Notable Events

1918: The Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens play the first neutral-site game in Quebec City. Frank Neighbor scores twice to give Ottawa a 3-1 victory.

1977: Chicago Blackhawks forward Stan Mikita scores his 500th career goal in a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Mikita becomes the eighth player to reach the milestone.

1980: The Winnipeg Jets trade Bobby Hull to the Hartford Whalers for future considerations. He gets two goals and five assists before retiring at the end of the season.

1982: Denis Savard becomes the second player in Blackhawks’ history to get 100 points in a season. He joins Bobby Hull with an assist in a 5-3 win over Los Angeles. Savard finishes with 119 points to earn the most points in team history.

1989: Rangers forward Guy Lafleur gets his 17th and final career hat trick in a 6-4 home win over the Kings. It’s his only hat trick with the Blueshirts.

1992: Peter Forsberg helps Sweden win its first Olympic men’s hockey gold medal in Lillehammer, Norway. He beats Corey Hirsch in the seventh round of the shootout to give the Swedes a 3-2 win over Canada.

2000: New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur becomes the first goalie to win 35 games in four straight seasons. He also gets his 40th career shutout in 3-0 win over Montreal.

2002: Pittsburgh Penguins great Mario Lemieux gets his 1,600th point in a 5-4 loss to Los Angeles. He nets two assists to become the seventh player in league history to reach the mark.

2003: Detroit Red Wings forward Brett Hull gets to 1,300 points in a 7-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hull gets two goals and an assist to surpass the mark.