It's been over 20 years since Wayne Gretzky last played in the NHL, but The Great One is still breaking records.

A 1979 Gretzky O-Pee-Chee Gem Mint rookie card sold for $1.29 million on Thursday, according to Heritage Auctions.

There are only two specific 1979 Gretzky O-Pee-Chee cards to receive a Professional Sports Authenticator 10 gem mint status, making it extremely rare.

It's the first hockey card to surpass the $1-million mark. It's also the sixth-most expensive sports card ever sold, trailing a 2009 Mike Trout ($3.9M), a 1909 Honus Wagner ($3.3M), a 1952 Mickey Mantle ($2.9M), a 2013-14 Giannis Antetokounmpo ($1.9M), and a 2003-04 LeBron James ($1.8M), according to a list made in November by Groove Wallet.

Gretzky is the NHL's all-time leader in goals, assists, and points. Even if you took away his 894 career goals, his 1,963 assists would still be the most points ever. He won 10 Art Ross Trophies, nine Hart Trophies, and four Stanley Cups.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In the lead-up to the 2021 World Junior Championship, we're taking a look back at each of the 18 Canadian teams to capture the gold medal, culminating Dec. 25 with the start of the latest edition of the tournament.

The 1990 world junior championship returned to Helsinki, where Canada captured gold the last time Finland hosted the event in 1985.

With only two returning players, the Canadian squad was a group of fresh faces looking to make their marks on the international stage.

The roster

*Denotes returning player
All ages are as of the start of the tournament

The tournament

Every world junior tournament before 1996 featured only a round robin, and it took Canada all seven games in Helsinki to finally clinch the gold medal on the final day of play.

The Canadians started strong, knocking off the U.S., Poland, Norway, and the Soviet Union while tying Finland. But after a tough 5-4 loss to Sweden in its penultimate contest, Canada no longer controlled its own fate and needed some help to claim top spot on the podium.

With one game remaining, the Canadians needed two things to happen to claim gold: They had to handle their own business against Jaromir Jagr and Czechoslovakia, and Sweden needed to tie or beat a juggernaut Soviet Union side headlined by Pavel Bure and Vyacheslav Kozlov.

In a thrilling final day of competition, Canada narrowly edged Czechoslovakia 2-1 while Sweden tied the Soviet Union 5-5. The Canadians and Soviets both finished with 5-1-1 records, but Canada won gold thanks to its earlier victory over the Soviet Union.

The stars

Chyzowski was easily Canada's top forward. The 6-foot-1 winger led the team in both goals (nine) and points (13) en route to a spot on the tournament All-Star team. Needham finished second among the Canadians with seven points, while a 16-year-old Lindros chipped in four goals.

Brisebois was the team's backbone on the blue line, playing tough minutes while also contributing four points. The third time proved to be the charm for the rearguard after some tough luck in previous years; despite being just the second player in Canadian world junior history to be invited to selection camp as a 16-year-old in 1988, Brisebois failed to make the team, and a knee injury sidelined him for the 1989 tournament.

Fiset was sensational in goal and was a major reason the Canadians managed to secure a close victory over Czechoslovakia. The native of Montreal was named the best goaltender of the tournament after finishing with a 5-1-1 record and a 2.57 goals-against average.

The key moment

Ironically, the key moment in Canada's gold-medal run came in a game the team wasn't even involved in. As mentioned above, the Canadians got the help they needed when Sweden tied the Soviet Union, but the fashion in which their fate was decided was as dramatic as it gets.

The Soviets led 5-3 in the third period against Sweden and appeared to be cruising toward their second straight gold medal. With Canada up 2-1 against Czechoslovakia, it got the miracle it needed.

The Tre Kronor potted two late goals, and Mats Sundin's tying marker - which technically served as Canada's golden goal - came with just one second left in the game. The Canadian players got word of Sweden's miraculous comeback and held on to secure a win over Czechoslovakia and the gold medal.

The fallout

The tournament returned to Canada the following year as the nation claimed its second consecutive gold medal and first on home soil. Seven players - Draper, Craig, Lindros, Manderville, Rice, Brisebois, and Kidd - returned to help the team repeat.

Though Chyzowski was selected second overall by the New York Islanders in 1989 and dominated at the world juniors, his NHL career didn't amount to much. He played just 126 games before finishing his playing days in Europe.

Still, more than a handful of players from this Canadian squad did ultimately carve out successful careers in the NHL, including Barnes, Brisebois, Draper, Ricci, Pellerin, and Lindros - who was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The man who put together the championship team at the last best-on-best men's international hockey tournament will likely be entrusted to do it again.

"(St. Louis Blues general manager) Doug Armstrong will be asked to come back and be GM of Canada's national team for the Olympics," TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on the latest edition of "Insider Trading."

The NHL's participation in the 2022 Beijing Olympics is still not a certainty, as the league and the IOC still need to hammer out an agreement.

Armstrong assembled the Canadian team that won gold at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto. The longtime executive was also part of the Canadian management groups that built championship clubs at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics as well as the World Championships in 2007 and 2016.

The executive constructed the St. Louis squad that won the Stanley Cup in 2019, becoming the first individual in management to join the Double Triple Gold Club by winning two titles in the NHL, a pair at the Olympics, and two more at the worlds.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The border between Canada and the United States remains closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but that won't stop NHL teams in one nation from making deals with clubs in the other.

There will be no rules preventing intercountry trades, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on the latest edition of "Insider Trading."

However, players traded from Canada to the U.S. or vice versa will still be subject to quarantine protocols in the relevant provinces or states, LeBrun added.

The border has been closed to all non-essential travel since the COVID-19 outbreak in March.

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford recently expressed concern that he wouldn't be able to make as many swaps as he usually does due to the travel restrictions.

The NHL is reportedly targeting a Jan. 13 start date for the 2020-21 season. Both the league and the NHLPA prefer a 56-game schedule.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL is exploring the idea of selling ads on players' helmets in an effort to create additional revenue, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

The possibility was brought up during Wednesday's Board of Governors call, but there won't be any formal comment until team presidents are informed Monday, Friedman adds.

Commissioner Gary Bettman has said numerous times before that ads do not belong on NHL jerseys. However, the league is looking to recoup some of the money lost from the shortened 2019-20 season.

Helmet ads are one of several issues the NHL is tackling leading up to its hopeful Jan. 13 start date. Other areas of interest include playoff formats, divisional realignment, and COVID-19 protocols.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin has made good use of his team's extended layoff and is feeling better physically than he has before.

"I'm definitely a lot stronger. ... Even William (Nylander) can't even handle me on the ice right now," Sandin said, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

The 20-year-old returned to Sweden when Toronto was eliminated from the 2019-20 postseason and has been training with teammate and friend Nylander, which Sandin said recently resulted in many broken sticks on the forward's end.

Sandin said that being able to practice against a more experienced NHL player has helped him measure his progression.

"He's obviously a great player, so going against him, I can play in a little bit of a different way," Sandin said. "Before I definitely was just more trying to have my stick and trying to be more in a good position. Now I can pair that up ... with pushing other players from the puck a bit more and winning those battles.

"That's why I feel like this (prolonged break) has helped me a lot on the ice."

Sandin appeared in 26 games with the Maple Leafs this past season, and he also spent 21 games with the AHL's Toronto Marlies.

Though a spot on the Maple Leafs' roster isn't a lock due to their sudden logjam on the blue line, Sandin hopes to do whatever he can to help the team succeed.

"Play all the games I can and make a bigger impact on the team this year - try to help the team win more games," Sandin said of his goals for the upcoming season. "I feel prepared and I can't wait to get camp started."

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley poured cold water on a recent report indicating the club is looking to trade forward Max Pacioretty.

"We're not shopping Patches," Foley told KLAS TV. "We do have cap issues, and so some of those things have to be resolved as we go forward, we started getting into the season. But he definitely is not being shopped."

The Golden Knights' cap issues are front and center as the NHL inches closer to a potential return in mid-January. TSN's Frank Seravalli reported Tuesday that Pacioretty is on the block. Forward Jonathan Marchessault and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury were identified as other potential trade pieces by The Athletic's Jesse Granger on Wednesday.

Vegas is about $1 million over the $81.5 million salary cap, according to Cap Friendly. The Golden Knights' busy offseason saw them land prized free agent Alex Pietrangelo while also awarding goaltender Robin Lehner with a long-term extension.

Pacioretty counts for $7 million against the cap every year until 2023. He was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in 2018 and led the Golden Knights with 32 goals this past season.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.