Regular-season careers from the StatVault encyclopedia — the same tables as each player's profile.
| Wayne Gretzky | Stat | Phil Esposito |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Seasons | 18 |
| 450.6 | Career VAL | 244.2 |
| 37.4 (1982) | Peak-season VAL | 28.6 (1971) |
| Inducted 1999 | Hall of Fame | Inducted 1984 |
| 28 | Black ink (league-leading seasons) | 14 |
| 44 | Gray ink (top-10 finishes) | 28 |
VAL is Value Above League — regular-season production measured against the league at the same position group (NHL VAL board). Black and gray ink count seasons from 1960 on.
| Wayne Gretzky | Stat | Phil Esposito |
|---|---|---|
| Career | ||
| 1,487 | Games | 1,282 |
| Skating | ||
| 894 | Goals | 717 |
| 1,963 | Assists | 873 |
| 2,857 | Points | 1,590 |
| +520 | Plus/minus | +252 |
| 204 | Power-play goals | 246 |
| 91 | ||
| Game-winning goals |
|---|
| 118 |
| 5,088 | Shots on goal | 5,166 |
|---|
| 17.6% | Shooting % | 13.9% |
|---|
| 577 | Penalty minutes | 910 |
|---|
| Age | Wayne Gretzky | Phil Esposito |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | 21.5 | — |
| 20 | 26.3 | — |
| 21 | 37.4 | 0 |
| 22 | 31.4 | 5.4 |
| 23 | 36.5 | 7.6 |
| 24 | 36.6 | 6.9 |
| 25 | 34.5 | 12.6 |
| 26 | 31.7 | 22.3 |
| 27 | 22.8 | 16.4 |
| 28 | 25.2 | 28.6 |
| 29 | 21.3 | 25.3 |
| 30 | 24.1 | 22.1 |
| 31 | 14.8 | 26.5 |
| 32 | 10.3 | 20.5 |
| 33 | 19.1 | 9.7 |
| 34 | 5.1 | 9.4 |
| 35 | 14.5 | 10.3 |
| 36 | 16.5 | 11.1 |
| 37 | 13.7 | 9.5 |
| 38 | 7.3 | 0 |