Gretzky thrilled for Gagner

Wayne Gretzky was happy to see Sam Gagner tie one of his many Edmonton Oilers records.

The Great One watched Gagner's eight-point performance against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday and was thrilled to see the 22-year-old forward and Oilers fans enjoy a memorbable night.

"I was excited for him," Gretzky told Doug MacLean and Nick Kypreos on HOCKEY CENTRAL @ Noon on Thursday. "That's what the game is all about. It was wonderful for him obviously and great for the Oiler fans to see something so special. It was a great night for him. He made a couple really good shots and got a couple really great bounces off the boards... It was a really great night."

Gretzky said he's a fan of how Gagner plays the game and he was happy to see the Oilers forward garner some league-wide respect during what has been an up-and-down tenure for him in Edmonton.

"He always says the right things, never complains," Gretzky explained. "He is always positive, upbeat, and puts team ahead of himself. He's gone from the second to the fourth line. Always battles and gives 100 per cent effort…He slides out and blocks shots -- just a good team player. You always want to see good people have success."

Gretzky was most impressed that Gagner was able to accomplish the feat in this era of hockey, where the players are bigger and stronger and the goaltending is better across the National Hockey League.

"What he did last night was really special," Gretzky said. "Playing against good tough competition. Against one of the best teams in hockey -- not a 10-win team. He did it against a very good hockey club."

Gagner's breakout night brought back memories of Gretzky's eight-point performance against the Minnesota North Stars on Jan. 4, 1984. On that night, Gretzky said thoughts of breaking Darryl Sittler's record of 10 points was impossible to ignore.

"I had (eight points) after the second period," he said. "And I remember thinking I had a good shot at this. We were playing the night before in Calgary and it was a tough battle and went into overtime. Those days we got home around one o'clock. We had a six o'clock start for Hockey Night in Canada … After two periods, I had a chance at this (Darryl) Sittler record … I didn't get a sniff in the third (period) and there went my chances."

Following his record-tying night on Thursday, Gagner has nine goals and 30 points in 44 games this season for the Oilers.