Wayne Gretzky tied Gordie Howe's NHL record for career goals by scoring twice Sunday against the San Jose Sharks to stand at 801.
The 33-year-old Los Angeles Kings center tied the record when he beat Arturs Irbe with 49 seconds left in regulation, tying the score at 6 and sending the game into overtime. It was Gretzky's 36th goal of the season.The score came after the Kings pulled goaltender Kelly Hrudey for an extra skater after the Sharks took a 6-5 lead on Sergei Makarov's second goal of the game.
Alex Zhitnik was off to the left side of the net when he took a shot that glanced off Irbe. Gretzky, with position at the opposite side, corraled the rebound and drove the puck in to match Howe's record.
He got his first goal of the game at 6:16 of the first period, stealing the puck near the San Jose goal and beating Irbe from point-blank range.
Howe set the mark in 26 seasons in the NHL, most of them with the Detroit Red Wings. Gretzky, who broke Howe's point-scoring record of 1,850 on Oct. 15, 1989, tied the goal record in his 15th year in the league.
Gretzky now has 2,447 for his career. He is the only player in NHL history with more than 2,000 points.
The league's scoring champion nine times, Gretzky currently leads the points race with 119.
Gretzky, who holds 60 NHL records, has been the league's most valuable player on nine occasions.
Howe scored an additional 174 goals during his six years in the old World Hockey Association. Gretzky had 46 in the WHA before joining the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers.
Gretzky came into the season with 765 goals - 583 in nine NHL seasons in Edmonton where he helped the Oilers win four Stanley Cups.