On This Date in Sports December 14, 1997: Gartner 700

In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com

Mike Gartner, finishing his career with the Phoenix Coyotes, becomes the fifth member of the NHL's 700-goal club. Gartner nets his 700th career goal midway through the first period against the Detroit Red Wings. He would add a second goal late in the third period. The second goal tied the game with just under five minutes left. The game would end with a 3-3 tie, as America West Arena in Phoenix. Mike Gartner would end his 20-year career with 708 career goals, currently ranking eighth all-time.

Mike Gartner was born on October 29, 1959, in Ottawa. Playing with the Niagra Falls Flyers of the QMJHL, Gartner was signed by the Cincinnati Stingers of the WHA. He scored 27 goals with 25 assists in the WHA before the league folded. In 1979, Mike Gartner was drafted fourth overall in the NHL by the Washington Capitals. Gartner scored 36 goals in his rookie season, becoming a fan-favorite in Washington. 

Over the next ten years, Mike Gartner, known for his thick mustache, and remarkable speed on the ice became one of the NHL's consistent scorers. He was known for his quick slapshot, as he scored 392 goals with the Capitals. Gartner's best season came in 1984/85 when he had 50 goals and 52 assists.  Mike Gartner would set an NHL record with 15 consecutive 30-goal seasons. 

At the end of the 1988/89 season, the Capitals traded Mike Gartner to the Minnesota North Stars with Larry Murphy in a trade for Dino Ciccarelli and Bob Rouse. Gartner was traded three times at the trade deadline in his NHL career. Mike Gartner spent one year in Minnesota before being traded to the New York Rangers at the deadline in 1990. With the Rangers, Gartner surpassed 500 goals and 500 assists while winning the All-Star Game MVP in 1993. 

Mike Gartner never played in a Stanley Cup Finals; he was on a Rangers team that won the President's Trophy in 1992 and was on the team that would win the Stanley Cup in 1994. However, Gartner was traded at the trade deadline for Glenn Anderson, as the Rangers looked for more grit and defense from Anderson. Gartner went to the Western Conference Finals with the Maple Leafs in 1994, but his team was eliminated by the Vancouver Canucks. 

Following the 1996 season, Mike Gartner was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes. The Coyotes had previously been the Winnipeg Jets. In their first season in Phoenix, Gartner became a fan favorite again, providing veteran guidance as he scored the first hat trick in Coyotes history. After the 1997/98 season, Mike Gartner retired, ranking fifth among all-time goal scorers with 708 goals. Since retiring, he has slipped to eighth in the NHL's all-time goal scorers.