Wayne Gretzky says he did six pushups the year he scored an NHL record 92 goals

Athletes of yore are not the powerhouses players are now, which is why Wayne Gretzky’s workout revelation from early in his career is an eyebrow raiser.

Gretzky says he only did six pushups during the 1981-82 season when he scored an NHL record 92 goals.

Gretzky, whose NHL.com bio lists his playing weight at 185 pounds, made the comments as a panelist during TNT’s Stanley Cup Final coverage in June.

Paul Bissonnette: The only ice you guys were touching in the summer was the bottom of the cooler

Wayne Gretzky: No, no, no. We were practicing two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. The union today wouldn’t let them do that.

Henrik Lundqvist: That’s why you went from six pushups to seven, right?

Wayne Gretzky: I honestly did six pushups and scored 92 goals. I did 150 pushups and I scored nine goals. I used to say that every year, ‘Why are we doing this?’ I used to ask them, you know, we got to ride the bike so much. I said you think Greg LeMond skates to get ready for the Tour de France? We bike ride to get ready.

Gretzky’s 92 goals came during his age 21 season while he lit the lamp only nine times as a 38-year-old in 1998-99.

When his career first started, Gretzky played at a level higher than all the NHL greats at that time and revolutionized the sport with his speed, vision, and creativity, overmatching goaltenders at that time with his skill. The Great One would go on to become the all time leader in goals (894), assists (1,963), and points (2,857) by the time his 20-year career ended in 1999.

As Gretzky aged, hockey and the habits of athletes in general changed as more and more money poured into sports. The NHL became more of a power game. Goaltenders became bigger, better, and more athletic as their gear took up more and more of the net. Scoring goals became more difficult to come by.

That’s what makes Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of Gretzky’s goals record so impressive. Ovechkin, who is listed at six-foot-three and 238 pounds, is big and strong, and the ultimate power forward. He has found a way to consistently be amongst the league-leaders in goals and durable throughout his career as the sport has become more and more demanding.

If Ovechkin is ever able to surpass 894, he will have done so because, like Gretzky, he was a level above.

And also because he probably did a lot more than six pushups.

Screenshot: TNT