Throughout his Hall of Fame career, Wayne Gretzky won four Stanley Cups. He won Stanley Cups in 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1988. His outstanding play in both the regular season and playoffs helped the Oilers become a dynasty in the 1980s.
As a Canadian hockey fan growing up, it was impossible not to know who Wayne Gretzky was. He was a national treasure and surely one of the greatest Canadian athletes of all time, and holds dozens of NHL records, many of which may never be broken.
But how many Stanley Cups did the Great One take home during his illustrious career? Read on to take a closer look at each one of Gretzky’s Stanley Cup wins, and what it took each team to get there.
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Key Takeaways
- During his NHL career, Wayne Gretzky would hoist the Stanley Cup on four separate occasions. He would win it in 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1988.
- The Oilers were a true dynasty throughout the 1980s, and Gretzky was one of the biggest reasons why the team was able to find as much success as they did.
- No one has scored more points in the playoffs than Wayne Gretzky and he is second all-time in terms of Stanley Cup Finals scoring, despite playing in only around half the Finals games as those around him in the rankings.
1984 Stanley Cup
The first of Gretzky’s four Stanley cups came in 1984. His team had an amazing regular season and finished with a 57-18-5 record, which was good for first in their conference. Gretzky had one of his best seasons, scoring 87 goals and getting 118 assists, for 205 total points.
His 87 goals is the second-highest single season total in NHL history, only behind his own 92-goal season from a few years prior.
During the playoffs, the Oilers would beat the Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, and Minnesota North Stars to reach the Stanley Cup. In the finals, the team beat the Islanders in five games to capture their first Stanley Cup.
In 19 games in the playoffs, Gretzky would score 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 points. The fact that the Oilers won the Stanley Cup in only their fifth season as an NHL team also deserves to be mentioned.
1985 Stanley Cup
His next Stanley Cup would come the next season. The team would have a slightly worse regular season with a record of 49-20-11, but still came into the playoffs as the first seed in their conference.
Greztky had another outstanding regular season with 73 goals and 135 assists, for 208 points in total. The Oilers playoff run this year included beating the Los Angeles Kings, Winnipeg Jets, and Chicago Blackhawks to advance to the Stanley Cup finals.
In the finals, they would go on to beat the Philadelphia Flyers in five games, and Gretzy was largely responsible for this result as he had the best playoffs ever in terms of scoring. Despite only playing 18 games, Gretzky has 17 goals and 30 assists for 47 points in total.
1987 Stanley Cup
Gretzky’s next Stanley Cup win would come in 1987 when the Oilers got into the playoffs as the number one seed again, thanks to a 50-24-6 record. Gretzky once again led the team in scoring with 62 goals and 121 assists for 183 total points.
To make the finals, the Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Kings, Winnipeg Jets, and Detroit Red Wings. The team would only lose two games in the first few rounds of the playoffs, to breeze through for a chance to play for a Stanley Cup once again.
Just like their last Stanley Cup win, the team would defeat the Philadelphia Flyers to win it all, but this year would be much closer as the series lasted the entire seven games. Gretzky would only score 5 goals in the playoffs, but get 29 assists to bring his point total to 34 for the playoffs.
1988 Stanley Cup
Wayne Gretzky’s final Stanley Cup would come the next year in 1988. While they reached the playoffs with ease, this was the first time in the 1980s that the Oilers didn’t win their division, as they only had a regular season record of 44-25-11.
Gretzky led the team in points, but only scored 40 goals and got 109 assists, as he sat out 16 games with an injury. Despite their regular season that was subpar, the team would easily get past the Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, and Detroit Red Wings to reach the final.
During the Stanley Cup Finals, the Oilers would go on to sweep the Boston Bruins in four games to capture Gretzky’s 4th and last championship. In the playoffs, Gretzky would score 12 goals and get 31 assists for an impressive 43 points in only 19 games played.
In addition to ending his career with four Stanley Cups, Wayne Gretzky would also end up with the most playoff points of all time with 382 points in only 208 games played. Even though he only played in 31 Stanley Cup Finals games, he is second all time in scoring in the finals.
FAQs
Here are a few commonly asked questions about this topic, as well as their answers.
Which NHL player has won the most Stanley Cups?
While four Stanley Cup wins is impressive, it is not the most a player has ever won. The most Stanley Cups ever won by a player is 11 by Henri Richard. He won all of his Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens from the mid 1950s to the early 1970s.
Did Gretzky ever miss the playoffs?
Yes, Wayne Greztky did miss the playoffs on a few occasions in his NHL career. However, he didn’t miss the playoffs for the first time until well over a decade in his career, and he only missed the playoffs four seasons throughout his 20-season career.
Final Thoughts
The 1980s were certainly a decade for Wayne Gretzky to remember as it was when he won all four of his Stanley Cups. He was a major reason for his teams’ success, and no one has played better in the playoffs than the Great One.
Is there anything else I should have mentioned about Gretzky’s four Stanley Cups? If so, don’t hesitate to let me know in a comment!
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