Just read about Gretzky's first THREE seasons via Wikipedia and again you'll see why the comparison is foolish. I'm not even talking about championships here; even with a single Stanley Cup, Gretzky is still the best ever without any question. And those mentioning Jeter with Brady, come on, Jeter is nowhere near the superstar Brady is, unless you are just counting popularity and fame.
In his first NHL season, 1979–80, Gretzky was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the League's Most Valuable Player (the first of eight in a row) and tied for the scoring lead with Marcel Dionne with 137 points.[50][51] Although Gretzky played 79 games to Dionne's 80, Dionne was awarded the Art Ross Trophy since he scored more goals (53 vs. 51).[52] The season still stands as the highest point total by a first year player in NHL history. Gretzky became the youngest player to score 50 goals but was not eligible for the Calder Memorial Trophy, given to the top NHL rookie, because of his previous year of WHA experience.[53] The Calder was awarded to Boston Bruins defenceman Ray Bourque.[54]
In his second season, Gretzky won the Art Ross (the first of seven consecutive) with a then-record 164 points, breaking both Bobby Orr's record for assists in a season (102) and Phil Esposito's record for points in a season (152).[32] He won his second straight Hart Trophy.[50] In the first game of the 1981 playoffs versus the Montreal Canadiens, Gretzky had five assists. This was a single game playoff record.[55]
During the 1981–82 season, he surpassed a record that had stood for 35 years: 50 goals in 50 games. Set by Maurice "Rocket" Richard during the 1944–45 NHL season and tied by Mike Bossy during the 1980–81 NHL season, Gretzky accomplished the feat in only 39 games. His 50th goal of the season came on December 30, 1981 in the final seconds of a 7–5 win against the Philadelphia Flyers and was his fifth of the game.[56] Later that season, Gretzky broke Esposito's record for most goals in a season (76) on February 24, 1982, scoring three goals to help beat the Buffalo Sabres 6–3.[57] He ended the 1981–82 season with records of 92 goals, 120 assists, and 212 points in 80 games, becoming the only player in NHL history to break the two hundred-point mark.[58] That year, Gretzky became the first hockey player and first Canadian to be named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.[59] He was also named 1982 "Sportsman of the Year" by Sports Illustrated.[60] The Canadian Press also named Gretzky Newsmaker of the Year in 1982.
The following seasons saw Gretzky break his own assists record three more times (125 in 1982–83, 135 in 1984–85, and 163 in 1985–86); he also bettered that mark (120 assists) in 1986–87 with 121 and 1990–91 with 122, and his point record one more time (215, in 1985–86).[61][62] By the time he finished playing in Edmonton, he held or shared 49 NHL records, which in itself was a record.
