Final standings The Great One retires Wayne Gretzky's last NHL game in Canada was on April 15, 1999, in a 2–2 tie with the
Ottawa Senators. His 1,487th and final game was a 2–1 overtime loss to the
Pittsburgh Penguins which had
Jaromir Jagr, a future Ranger captain, scoring the game-winning goal on April 18, 1999, at
Madison Square Garden. The
national anthems in that game were adjusted to accommodate Gretzky's departure. In place of "
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee,"
Bryan Adams sang "We're going to miss you Wayne Gretzky." John Amirante changed lyrics in "
The Star-Spangled Banner" from "the land of the free" to "the land of Wayne Gretzky." He scored his final point in this game, assisting on the lone New York goal scored by team captain
Brian Leetch. Gretzky was named as the first, second and third star of both games; only
Maurice Richard had such an honour previously, for his performance in a 1944 playoff game. At the time of his retirement, Gretzky was the second-to-last former
WHA player still active in professional hockey,
Mark Messier being the last. Messier, himself a former Ranger who would return to spend his final four playing years there, along with other representatives of the great
Edmonton Oilers dynasty of the 1980s, attended the game. Gretzky's final game was considered a "national retirement party" in Canada, He recounted: ==Schedule and results==