Edmonton Oilers forward Sam Gagner surprised the hockey world — as well as himself — with an eight-point performance (four goals, four assists) in an 8-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
His performance tied a club record that he now shares with Wayne Gretzky (who did it twice) and Paul Coffey.
Gagner became only the second player in NHL history to record a point on every one of his team’s goals in a game where his team scored at least eight times. Mario Lemieux did it for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1988 in an 8-6 win over the New Jersey Devils.
In registering eight points in a game, the 22-year-old Gagner flirted with the all-time NHL record, but fell two points short. Regardless, it was one of the best individual performances in recent memory, not only in hockey, but sports in general.
Here are some more of the best single-game performances in sports history:
— On Feb. 7 1976, Darryl Sittler of the Toronto Maple Leafs set the NHL record for most points in a single game. Sittler recorded six goals and four assists for the first and only 10-point game the NHL has seen. His record-breaking performance against the Boston Bruins is something many believe will never be duplicated in the NHL, which makes what Gagner did all the more impressive.
— In 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a 169-147 win over the New York Knicks. Some believe this is the most impressive record in sports as no one has come close to breaking it. Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers made an effort in 2006 though in a game against the Toronto Raptors where he netted 81 points.
— As a rookie in 2007, Adrian Peterson rushed for an NFL-record 296 yards against the San Diego Chargers. The previous record holder was Jamal Lewis who had 295 yards in a game for the Baltimore Ravens in 2003.
— Matt Dunnigan had one of the greatest performances in Canadian Football League history in 1994 as he set a CFL and professional football record for passing yards in a game. Dunnigan threw for 713 yards at Winnipeg Stadium in a 50-35 win over the Edmonton Eskimos.
— In 1959, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Harvey Haddix was involved in an unparalleled pitcher’s duel with Lew Burdette of the Milwaukee Braves. Haddix retired all 27 Braves he faced through nine innings, but the game was tied 0-0. Haddix pitched an additional three perfect innings before he allowed the game-winning home run to Joe Adcock in the 13th inning. Haddix was perfect through 12 innings.
— Mark Whiten had the game of his life with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1993 as he tied two MLB records. Whiten hit four home runs and had 12 RBI, which are records that have held up to this day (Note: Several other players have hit four home runs in one game, including former Toronto Blue Jay Carlos Delgado).
— Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood share the MLB record for most strikeouts in a single game. Wood had 20 Ks in a game with the Cubs in 1998, while Clemens did it twice. The former Blue Jay had 20-K games with the Red Sox in 1986 and a decade later in 1996.
— In 1990, Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Derrick Thomas recorded seven sacks on Seattle Seahawks quarterback Dave Krieg to set an NFL record that no one has topped.
— Although this is more of a subjective record, snowboarding star Shaun White recorded the first-ever perfect score in the SuperPipe event at the 2012 Winter X-Games. The Olympic gold medalist has won that event five years in a row.