 The Oilers were led by Wayne Gretzky , who remained with the Oilers when they joined the NHL in 1979 . At 5 feet 11 inches ( 1 @.@ 80 m ) and 170 pounds ( 77 kg ) , some observers doubted that Gretzky could match his offensive performance from his lone WHA season . " I heard a lot of talk then that I 'd never get 110 points like I did in the WHA , " said Gretzky . He proved his critics wrong , scoring 137 points in 1979 – 80 and winning the first of nine Hart Trophies ( including 8 consecutive awards from 1980 – 1988 ) as the NHL 's most valuable player . Over the next several seasons , Gretzky established new highs in goals scored in a season , with 92 in the 1981 – 82 season ; in assists , with 163 in the 1985 – 86 ; and in total points , with 215 in 1985 – 86 . He also scored 50 goals in 39 games , the fastest any player had reached the total in a single season . Gretzky scored his 1,000th NHL point in his 424th game , breaking Guy Lafleur 's old record of 720 games . 
