Brett Hull, Bobby Jones, Miki Ando AP (3) Related Links PHOTO GALLERY: Hardest things to do in sports REACT: Weigh in with your toughest things

Score 80 goals in an NHL season

Last to do it: Brett Hull (86), St. Louis Blues, 1990-91
Why it's so hard: "The goalies are way better - that's the biggest reason why it doesn't happen anymore," says Steve Yzerman, the legendary former captain and current vice president of the Detroit Red Wings, who scored his career-high 65 in 1988-89, the same season that Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins lit the lamp 85 times. (Wayne Gretzky -- 87, 92 -- is the only other member of the 80-plus club.) "You don't get as many easy ones like you used to coming down the wing, slap shots going right through the goalie's legs. But yeah, I do [think we'll see it happen again.] It may not be next year, but if you look at forwards' ice time now, these guys are playing 24, 25 minutes (per game) because teams simply aren't going to have the depth (due to the salary cap). For a while, these guys were at 17 to 20. What did Alex Ovechkin score this year [66 goals]? With a couple more years under [Capitals teammate] Mike Green's belt, Nicklas Backstrom's belt, Alexander Semin's, I think [Ovechkin] might get there. I don't know about 80, but you'll get into the 70s again for sure in the next three or four years. Those [Washington] guys are going to be tremendous."
-- as told to Michael Farber

SI VAULT: Shooting Star (03.18.91)

Win golf's Grand Slam in a calendar year

Last to do it: Bobby Jones, 1930
Why it's so hard: "Four different golf courses, four different playing conditions spread out over five months," says Nick Price, winner of three major championships (two PGAs, one British Open). "The thing about golf is, you can get into a good run for six or seven weeks. But to extend that for five months, there have been very few golfers who have the ability to tweak their games before the majors. Jack Nicklaus was probably the best before Tiger Woods came along, although that's still debatable. You've got cruel windy conditions and fast greens at the Masters, then heavy rough and hard greens at the U.S. Open. The British Open is all about bouncing the ball onto the greens and using some creativity. Then you go to the PGA in August and it's hot and the greens are a little softer. All four are very different. The hardest thing is to keep that momentum going from April through August. Even when I played well for a period of four and a half years, I was still streaky within that time. I'd play well for two months, go off a little, then pick it back up again. Tiger is one of the three guys who ever played the game who could probably win the Grand Slam. He had all four trophies at one time, but I don't think any other human being will ever do that. There was so much pressure on him this year because everyone was talking about the Slam. You could see there was tension in him during that first round at the Masters. For anybody else to do it, they'd have to beat Tiger four times and that's another big challenge."
-- as told to Gary Van Sickle

SI VAULT: The Silver Anniversary (09.12.55)

Land a quadruple jump (women)

Last to do it: Miki Ando (2002 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final)
Why it's so hard: "Miki Ando (the 2007 world champion) is the only one who has it in her arsenal and has actually done it in front of a panel of judges," says NBC figure skating commentator Scott Hamilton, the 1984 Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champ. "I think a lot of it is the physical changes when a woman's body matures. The way she would be able to rotate a jump changes. For a quad, it's so tough to spin one of those jumps and stay in the air long enough to complete the rotations. You see what a 14- or 15-year-old girl can do with jumps, but when they get to 17, 18 or 19, their bodies and centers of balance change enough where it's tougher to pull out of those rotations. When you look at the women's sport, how many triple-axels have been landed in competition? You have Kimmie Meissner, Tonya Harding, and Midori Ito. There are not a lot of people completing the triple-axel. They do the other triples consistently, but the triple-axel is really the next milestone. The quad is really rare and probably a long way off. I went four years without losing a competition. I won an Olympic gold medal and world championships and never even attempted a quad (laughs). Hey, I'm not crazy. I knew which way I wanted my feet to point when I was 50 years old."
-- as told to Richard Deitsch

SI VAULT: Flash of the Future (01.24.05)

A quadruple-double in an NBA game

Last to do it: David Robinson (34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 blocks) for San Antonio vs. Detroit on Feb. 17, 1994
Why it's so hard: "Quadruple-double?" asks Lakers forward Luke Walton, who averaged 7.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists this season. "What's the fourth one? Blocks? Steals? Yeah, that's hard right there. It's really hard to get a triple-double. You have to be a player who plays the majority of minutes and you have to be versatile because there are a lot of shooters in this league. You have to pass, shoot and rebound, and to get to the quadruple-double you've also got to be a shot-blocker or get a lot of steals. It's hard because you can kind of control points and rebounds, but to get 10 or more assists in a game is hard, and 10 or more blocks or steals is something else. Wow, that's rare."
-- as told to Arash Markazi

SI VAULT: Spur of the Moment (03.07.94)

Win eight world bull riding championships

Last to do it: Don Gay, (1974-77,79-81, 84)
Why it's so hard: "I think just staying on a bull for eight seconds is the hardest thing in my sport," says two-time champion Justin McBride, 28, the holder of the Pro Bull Riders' elite circuit records for career wins (30), events won in a single season (eight) and career earnings ($4.9 million). "You've got to do your basic things right every time to have any chance. It's like hitting a tee shot or taking a three-step drop as a quarterback, but you're not competing against other humans, you're competing against a 2,000-pound animal, and that makes it tough mentally as well as physically. Winning three [PBR] championships like Adriano Moraes has pretty much been the milestone. It's attainable, and four is a possibility, but you've got to get the first one at a young age. You're not going to do it if you win your first when you're 30. We've got some young guys like Guilherme Marchi (25) -- he's going to be the champion this year -- who have a shot to win four. Donnie Gay won eight (Pro Rodeo Cowboy Association world titles before PBR was founded in 1992) and I don't think you'll see anyone do that again. It's not physically possible with the bulls we have today. We'll be lucky to see guys have eight- or nine-year careers because our season is such a grind (34 events). You're getting on 100 bulls a year, week in and week out. The toughest bulls there are, and injuries are such a part of the sport. I've ridden with a rod in my hand. I broke both bones in my leg and had 11 screws put in and rode three weeks later. I put my shoulder surgery off until after the World Finals last year and was riding with it taped. I don't plan on riding more than another five years."
-- as told to John Rolfe

SI VAULT: No Guts, No Glory (09.06.82)

Honorable Mention

Start 275 consecutive games in the NFL (Brett Favre); Throw a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games (John Unitas); Win horse racing's Triple Crown as a jockey (Steve Cauthen); Win both ends of Double Duty (Indy 500/NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on the same day -- yet to be done); Win seven consecutive Tours de France (Lance Armstrong, 1999-2005); Win dogsled racing's Iditarod and Yukon Quest back-to-back two years in a row (Lance Mackey); Watch ESPN's Around The Horn.