Playing on the team’s top line with Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall, 22-year-old forward Sam Gagner made the most of his opportunity, as he recorded  points on each of his team’s eight goals during their 8-4 victory.  Four of those points came via goals (with three of them coming in the third period), while his other four points were assists.  It was the first time an NHL player has recorded eight points in a single game since Mario Lemieux did it on December 31, 1988, and it earns Gagner the “Stat Line of the Night” for Thursday, February 1, 2012.

Here is a look at Gagner receiving the first, second and third star of the game.

Yesterday we provided you all with footage of the incident that took place during the pregame warm-up prior to Tuesday night’s game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Columbus Blue Jackets, which resulted in a nasty cut above the eye of Oilers forward Taylor Hall.

Today, several media outlets have released photographs of the black eye and 30 stitches that can now be found on the face of Hall.

While those zippers do appear to be awfully painful, most of us, including Hall himself, can’t help but be thankful that the skate blade of Corey Potter didn’t catch him a few inches lower.

Hall is listed as doubtful for tonight’s game against the St. Louis Blues, but he is expected to return to the line-up soon, once the swelling has gone down and he can fit his head into a helmet comfortably.

Hat Tip – [Edmonton Journal]

While skating around in his team’s zone, Hall slipped on a puck and slid into the boards, taking out a couple of his teammates on the way.  One of those teammates was No. 44 Corey Porter, whose skate appears to slice the face of Hall as he attempts to leap over him.  Hall required 30 stitches above his eye and was kept out of the game.  He is questionable for tomorrow’s contest against St. Louis.

While everyone is thankful that things didn’t turn out worse for the Oilers’ 20-year-old superstar, the incident does have some asking whether helmets should be mandatory at all times when players are on the ice, including during pre-game warm-ups.  Hall wasn’t wearing his helmet at the time.  Had he been, this scary episode probably could have been avoided.

Check it out.

Wayne Gretzky entered game #39 with 45 goals and needed to score five to get to 50 before the new year.  With already four goals to his name, Gretzky buried an empty netter for his fifth goal of the game to reach 50 in the Oilers 7-5 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.  Gretzky went on to break Phil Esposito’s record of 76 goals in a season when he recorded his 77th in February.  “The Great One” finished the year with 92 goals, a record which still stands today.

Scoring in the National Hockey League is way down when compared to the numbers being put up in the 1980’s.  With that being said, Gretzky’s record of 50 goals in 39 games figures to be safe for a very long time.

Here are Gretzky’s five goals against the Flyers.

Notable Birthdays

Tiger Woods, PGA – Born December 30th 1975 (age 36) in Cypress, California

Kenyon Martin, NBA – Born December 30th 1977 (age 34) in Saginaw, Michigan

LeBron James, NBA – Born December 30th 1984 (age 27) in Akron, Ohio

Brain Burke

Back in the summer of 2007, the Ducks had just won the franchise’s first Stanley Cup, and forward Dustin Penner was a big part of that, recording 29 goals in the regular season.  That seemed to impress Edmonton Oilers General Manager Kevin Lowe, who signed the restricted free-agent to a five-year, $21.25 million offer sheet.  With the Ducks unable to match the offer due to salary cap issues, the Oilers came away with Penner, but not without having to endure a barrage of criticism.

Most of that criticism came from Burke, who accused Lowe and the Oilers of grossly overpaying for Penner’s services and inflating the market.  Tension between the two GM’s became so high at one point, that they nearly engaged in a barnyard brawl, literally!

Burke described the incident during a recent interview with The Score’s Sophia Jurksztowicz:

My wife overheard me talking to Glen Sather.  It got to a point where Kevin challenged me to a fight on a radio interview.  So I’m like, “well that’s not really how you challenge a guy to a fight.  If you want to challenge a guy to a fight, you pick a place and a time and you show up.”

So I called Glen Sather and I said, “Look, this guy went on the radio and challenged me to a fight.”  I said, “I’m going to be at Lake Placid at the US Junior camp.”  I gave him three dates.  I told him I’d rent a barn and I’d pick the address and time and I’d fight Kevin Lowe…

It got to the point where (NHL Commissioner) Gary Bettman called me and said, “I heard you guys are thinking about having a fight, and if you do I am going to suspend you both indefinitely.”  That’s how crazy it got.

As you probably guessed, the fight never took place.

Burke has since mended his relationship with Lowe.  He largely attributes that to his son, Brendan, who he says has influenced him to take some of his edge off.  Brendan died in a car accident in February 2010 at the age of 21.

Here is Burke discussing his unusual feud with Kevin Lowe.

Hat Tip – [The Score]

Staubitz and Hordichuk were itching to get at one another, and they didn’t have to wait long, as they found themselves on the ice together less than three minutes after the opening faceoff.  Both combatants knew at that moment it was time to let their fists do the talking, and that is exactly what they did, earning themselves a spot on the “Frozen Fisticuffs fight of the Night” for Wednesday, November 30, 2011.

Sam Gagner

Check it out.

The Oilers scored six goals against the Preds’ goaltenders, and it was one of their young guns, Jordan Eberle, who factored in on three of them, scoring two goals (including the game-winner) and adding one assist during an impressive three-point night.  His offensive production would help lead the Oilers to the 6-2 victory.

With three points on the night, Eberle now has 21 on the season, That is good enough to move him into the league’s top 20, and it earns him the “Stat Line of the Night” for Tuesday, November 22, 2011.

“Listen.  This is going to be really quick.  I’m not taking any questions.  We sucked from head to toe and we need to move by it.  So I’m not going to dissect it with you guys.  I know you have to do your job, but I’m not answering any questions.”

Not only was it short and sweet, but it seems as though Tortorella got the message across to his team, as they came back with a solid effort last night in Winnipeg and ended their Western road trip on a high note with a 2-1 victory.

Here is a look at yet another epic John Tortorella post-game interview that will surely be added to his large collection of sound bytes.

At the time of the trade, Gretzky was clearly the best hockey player on the planet.  He was coming off his eighth straight season of winning the Hart Memorial Trophy as the leagues Most Valuable Player, as well as seven straight Art Ross trophies as the league’s top scorer.  More important than his individual accomplishments was the success of his team, as he led the Oilers to four Stanley Cups in a five year span from 1984-1988.

The trade of Gretzky was often compared to the trade of Babe Ruth, as both owners had to “sell” their best player due to other failed business ventures.  To this day, many people in Edmonton still cringe when they hear the name Peter Pocklington.

Here is a clip of Gretzky’s press conference when the trade was announced.

Notable Birthdays

Brett Hull, NHL – Born August 9th 1964 (age 47) in Belleville, Ontario

Deion Sanders, NFL – Born August 9th 1967 (age 44) in Fort Myers, Florida

Rod Brind’Amour, NHL – Born August 9th 1970 (age 41) in Ottawa, Ontario