In the afterglow of Darryl Sittler’s 10-point game, a local writer predicted the record would still be alive when humans reached Mars.
Nearing the 40th anniversary this Sunday, seven probes have reached The Red Planet, a movie about settlement there is up for an Oscar and Sittler’s record still stands. The celestial bodies never aligned as perfectly as for Sittler against Dave Reece and the Boston Bruins on Feb. 7, 1976.
Sittler’s six goals and four assists have survived the coming and going of Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, the arrival of 12 more teams since ‘76 and the accompanying sieve expansion goalies.