Contemporary Authors

• 99: Stories of the Game G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 2016

1. 99 : stories of the game LCCN 2016036048 Type of material Book Personal name Gretzky, Wayne, 1961- author. Main title 99 : stories of the game / Wayne Gretzky, with Kirstie McLellan Day. Edition First U.S. edition. Published/Produced New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2016 Description xv, 400 pages ; 24 cm ISBN 9780399575471 (print) CALL NUMBER GV848.5.G73 G74 2016 CABIN BRANCH Copy 1 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms - STORED OFFSITE From Sketchwriter: Additional BIO/CRIT References from LOC, selected from more than 30 titles: LOC: Seletion from about 30 titles Gretzky, Wayne, 1961- Gretzky : an autobiography / Wayne Gretzky with Rick Reilly. New York, NY : HarperCollins, c1990. Burchard, S. H. Wayne Gretzky / S.H. Burchard. San Diego : Harcourt Brace Jovanivich, c1982. Kramer, Sydelle. Great Gretzky / by S.A. Kramer ; illustrated by Ken Call with photographs. New York : Grosset & Dunlap, c2000. Total Gretzky : the magic, the legend, the numbers / foreword by Peter Gzowski ; tribute by Roy MacGregor ; edited by Steve Dryden. Toronto, Ont. : McClelland & Stewart, c1999. Wayne Gretzky : the great goodbye / edited by Scott Morrison. Toronto : Key Porter Books, 1999. Podnieks, Andrew. Great one : the life and times of Wayne Gretzky / Andrew Podnieks. Toronto, Ont. : Doubleday Canada, c1999. GV848.5.G73 P63 1999 Scheff, Matt. Wayne Gretzky / by Matt Scheff. Collingwood, Ontario : Press Box Books, 2016.

• Wayne Gretzky Home Page - http://www.gretzky.com/bio.php

  THE LEGEND OF 99

  Born in Brantford, Ontario in 1961, Wayne Gretzky learned to skate on a rink his father Walter built in the family’s backyard. Practicing for hours on end, it was here that a young Gretzky developed the skating, shooting and stickhandling techniques that appeared instinctive to so many over the course of his career.

  It's not God-given, it's Wally-given.
  Wayne Gretzky, on the role hard work played in his success
  At six years old, an already-impressive Gretzky joined a league filled with players four years his senior. He scored only one goal in his first season, but improved dramatically over the course of his minor league career and finished it off with an incredible 378-goal season.

  Gretzky continued to impress as a teenager, finishing second in scoring during his only full season in the OHA, then first in the 1978 World Junior Championships. It was during that 1977-1978 OHA season that Gretzky started wearing his now-iconic ‘99’, after his usual Gordie Howe-inspired ‘9’ was taken by another player.

  Image of Wayne as a young child in backyard rink.
  Next came the pros. Rather than wait three seasons in the OHA before he became NHL-eligible, a seventeen-year-old Gretzky signed with the Indianapolis Racers of the WHA in the fall of 1978. His stint with the team was short-lived, however, as the franchise folded only 25 games into the season and Gretzky’s contract was sold to the Edmonton Oilers.

  The move would prove to be fortuitous, to say the least. Under coach Glen Sather, Gretzky and his Edmonton teammates (including NHL legends Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, and Grant Fuhr) would go on to break virtually every scoring record imaginable, win four Stanley Cups, score 400 goals per season as a matter of routine, and set a precedent for NHL dominance the likes of which will probably never be seen again.

  He was, I think, the first Canadian forward to play a true team game.
  Ken Dryden, on Gretzky
  Gretzky’s personal accomplishments during the period include seven straight scoring titles, nine Hart Trophies, four 200-point seasons, NHL single-season records for goals, points, and assists, plus countless other records and trophies.

  The era would come to an end in the summer of 1988, however, as Oilers owner Peter Pocklington traded Gretzky along with teammates Mike Krushelnyski and Marty McSorely to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for players Jimmy Carson and Martin Gelinas, first-round draft picks in 1989, 1991, and 1993, plus $15 million. Although many fans felt betrayed, the Gretzky-less Oilers would go on to win the Cup one more time in 1990.

  It didn’t take long for Gretzky and new wife Janet Jones to become accustomed to life in Los Angeles. Gretzky settled in with his new team quickly, and brought about a period of success never before seen in a southern US hockey market. This culminated in Gretzky’s last Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 1993, in which the outmatched Kings fell to the Montreal Canadiens in five games.

  Image of Wayne in action as the captain for the L.A. Kings.
  Despite Gretzky’s failure to bring a Cup to Los Angeles, he would go on to win four more Hart and Art Ross trophies during the period, and also surpass Gordie Howe’s all-time point and goal-scoring records.

  Following a short stint with the St. Louis Blues, the remainder of Gretzky’s NHL career was spent with the New York Rangers. Although he continued to lead the team in scoring, as well as maintain an impressive point-per-game pace, a lack of superstar teammates prevented Gretzky’s Rangers from reaching the level of success to which he’d become accustomed.

  That’s all hockey is: open ice. That’s my whole strategy: find open ice.
  Wayne Gretzky
  Following his retirement in 1999, Gretzky became the ninth and final player to be immediately ushered into the Hall of Fame, and the first in history to have his jersey number retired league-wide.

  This period may have marked the end of The Great One’s playing career, but it did not slow his involvement with the game he helped to redefine. Career highlights since retirement include positions as minority owner and Head Coach of the Phoenix Coyotes, Executive Director of 2002’s Gold Medal-winning Canadian Men’s Olympic Hockey team, owner of the popular Toronto bar and restaurant Wayne Gretzky’s, winemaker with the celebrated Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery, and philanthropist with his own Wayne Gretzky Foundation and countless other charitable endeavours.

  Image of Wayne with children on homemade rink.
  Despite all of these accomplishments, however, Gretzky’s proudest role is as a father and a husband. He and his wife Janet have five children: daughters Paulina and Emma and sons Ty, Trevor and Tristan.

  For a detailed year-by-year account of Wayne Gretzky’s life and career, including details from many of the tournaments and events not included in this biography, please refer to the complete career timeline.

• Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gretzky

  Wayne Gretzky
  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  "Gretzky" redirects here. For other people with the same name and other uses, see Gretzky (disambiguation).
  Wayne Gretzky
  CC
  Hockey Hall of Fame, 1999
  Wayne Gretzky 2006-02-18 Turin 001.jpg
  Wayne Gretzky, 2006
  Born January 26, 1961 (age 56)
  Brantford, Ontario, Canada
  Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
  Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
  Position Centre
  Shot Left
  Played for WHA
  Indianapolis Racers
  Edmonton Oilers
  NHL
  Edmonton Oilers
  Los Angeles Kings
  St. Louis Blues
  New York Rangers
  National team Canada
  Playing career 1978–1999
  Website Official website
  Wayne Gretzky 2006-02-18 Turin 001.jpg This article is part of a series
  about
  Wayne Gretzky
  Former professional ice hockey player
  Career achievements Freeway named after Gretzky
  Awards
  Wayne Gretzky 99 Award Wayne Gretzky Trophy
  Video games
  Wayne Gretzky and the NHLPA All-Stars Wayne Gretzky Hockey Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey '98
  v t e
  Wayne Douglas Gretzky CC (/ˈɡrɛtski/; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played twenty seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "The Great One",[1] he has been called "the greatest hockey player ever"[2] by many sportswriters, players, and the league itself. He is the leading scorer in NHL history, with more goals and assists than any other player. He garnered more assists than any other player scored total points, and is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season – a feat he accomplished four times. In addition, he tallied over 100 points in 16 professional seasons, 14 of them consecutive. At the time of his retirement in 1999, he held 61 NHL records: 40 regular-season records, 15 playoff records, and six All-Star records.[2] As of 2015, he still holds 60 NHL records.[3]

  Born and raised in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, Gretzky honed his skills at a backyard rink and regularly played minor hockey at a level far above his peers.[4] Despite his unimpressive stature, strength and speed, Gretzky's intelligence and reading of the game were unrivaled. He was adept at dodging checks from opposing players, and consistently anticipated where the puck was going to be and executed the right move at the right time. Gretzky became known for setting up behind his opponent's net, an area that was nicknamed "Gretzky's office".[5]

  In 1978, Gretzky signed with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association (WHA), where he briefly played before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers. When the WHA folded, the Oilers joined the NHL, where he established many scoring records and led his team to four Stanley Cup championships. His trade to the Los Angeles Kings on August 9, 1988, had an immediate impact on the team's performance, eventually leading them to the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals, and he is credited with popularizing hockey in California.[6] Gretzky played briefly for the St. Louis Blues before finishing his career with the New York Rangers. Gretzky captured nine Hart Trophies as the most valuable player, ten Art Ross Trophies for most points in a season, two Conn Smythe Trophies as playoff MVP, and five Lester B. Pearson Awards (now called the Ted Lindsay Award) for most outstanding player as judged by his peers. He won the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship and performance five times, and often spoke out against fighting in hockey.[7]

  After his retirement in 1999, Gretzky was immediately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, making him the most recent player to have the waiting period waived. The NHL retired his jersey number 99 league-wide, making him the only player to receive this honour. He was one of six players voted to the International Ice Hockey Federation's (IIHF) Centennial All-Star Team. Gretzky became executive director for the Canadian national men's hockey team during the 2002 Winter Olympics, in which the team won a gold medal. In 2000, he became part-owner of the Phoenix Coyotes, and following the 2004–05 NHL lockout he became the team's head coach. In 2004, he was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.[8] In September 2009, following the franchise's bankruptcy, Gretzky resigned as coach and relinquished his ownership share. In October 2016, he became partner and vice-chairman of Oilers Entertainment Group.

  Contents [hide]
  1 Early years
  2 World Hockey Association
  3 NHL career
  3.1 Edmonton Oilers (1979–1988)
  3.2 The Gretzky rule
  3.3 Strategy and effect on NHL play
  3.4 "The Trade"
  3.5 Los Angeles Kings (1988–1996)
  3.6 St. Louis Blues (1996)
  3.7 New York Rangers (1996–1999)
  4 International play
  5 Skills and influences
  5.1 Style of play
  5.2 Size and strength
  5.3 Stamina, athleticism
  5.4 Major coaching influences
  5.5 Early start
  5.6 Study of game
  6 Post-retirement
  6.1 Phoenix Coyotes
  6.2 Winter Olympics
  6.3 Heritage Classic
  6.4 Edmonton Oilers
  7 Personal life
  7.1 Family
  7.2 Business ventures
  7.3 Political activity
  8 Legacy
  9 Career statistics
  9.1 Playing career
  9.2 International performance
  9.3 Coaching record
  10 See also
  11 Notes
  12 References
  13 Further reading
  14 External links
  Early years
  Wayne Gretzky was born on January 26, 1961 in Brantford, Ontario, the son of Phyllis Leone (Hockin) and Walter Gretzky.[4][9] The couple had married in 1960, and lived in an apartment in Brantford, where Walter worked for Bell Telephone Canada.[10] The family moved into a house on Varadi Avenue in Brantford seven months after Wayne was born, chosen partly because its yard was flat enough to make an ice rink on every winter.[11] Wayne was joined by a sister, Kim (b. 1963), and brothers Keith, Glen and Brent. The family would regularly visit the farm of Wayne's grandparents, Tony and Mary, and watch Hockey Night in Canada together. By age two, Wayne was trying to score goals against Mary using a souvenir stick.[12] The farm was where Wayne skated on ice for the first time, aged two years, 10 months.[12]

  A small pair of ice skates, meant for a small child. The boot is leather and is missing its laces, while the blade is deteriorating and showing significant wear due to age.
  Gretzky's first pair of skates, worn when he was three years old
  Walter taught Wayne, Keith, Brent, Glen and their friends hockey on a rink he made in the back yard of the family home, nicknamed the "Wally Coliseum".[13] Drills included skating around Javex bleach bottles and tin cans, and flipping pucks over scattered hockey sticks to be able to pick up the puck again in full flight.[14] Additionally, Walter gave the advice to "skate where the puck's going, not where it's been".[14] Wayne was a classic prodigy whose extraordinary skills made him the target of jealous parents.[15]

  The team that Gretzky played on at age six was otherwise composed of ten-year-olds.[4] His first coach, Dick Martin, remarked that he handled the puck better than the ten-year-olds.[16] According to Martin, "Wayne was so good that you could have a boy of your own who was a tremendous hockey player, and he'd get overlooked because of what the Gretzky kid was doing."[17] The sweaters for ten-year-olds were far too large for Gretzky, who coped by tucking the sweater into his pants on the right side. Gretzky continued doing this throughout his NHL career.[18]

  By the age of ten, Gretzky had scored an astonishing 378 goals and 139 assists in just one season with the Brantford Nadrofsky Steelers.[19] His play now attracted media attention beyond his hometown of Brantford, including a profile by John Iaboni in the Toronto Telegram in October 1971.[20] By age 13, he had scored over 1,000 goals.[21] His play attracted considerable negative attention from other players' parents, including those of his teammates, and he was often booed.[22] According to Walter, the "capper" was being booed on "Brantford Day" at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens in February 1975.[21]

  When Gretzky was 14, his family arranged for him to move to and play hockey in Toronto, partly to further his career, and partly to remove him from the uncomfortable pressure he faced in his hometown. The Gretzkys had to legally challenge the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association to win Wayne the right to play elsewhere, which was disallowed at the time.[23] The Gretzkys won, and Wayne played Junior B hockey with the Toronto Nationals. He earned Rookie of the Year honours in the Metro Junior B Hockey League in 1975–76, with 60 points in 28 games. The following year, as a 15-year-old, he had 72 points in 32 games with the same team, then known as the Seneca Nationals.[24]

  Despite his offensive statistics, two teams bypassed him in the 1977 OMJHL Midget Draft of 16-year-olds. The Oshawa Generals picked Tom McCarthy, and the Niagara Falls Flyers picked Steve Peters second overall. With the third pick, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds selected Gretzky, even though Walter Gretzky had told the team that Wayne would not move to Sault Ste. Marie, a northern Ontario city that inflicts a heavy traveling schedule on its junior team. The Gretzkys made an arrangement with a local family they knew and Wayne played a season in the Ontario Hockey League at the age of 16 with the Greyhounds.[25] It was with the Greyhounds that Wayne first wore the number 99 on his jersey. He originally wanted to wear number 9—for his hockey hero Gordie Howe—but it was already being worn by teammate Brian Gualazzi. At coach Muzz MacPherson's suggestion, Gretzky settled on 99.[26]

  World Hockey Association
  In 1978, the World Hockey Association (WHA) league was in competition with the established NHL. The NHL did not allow the signing of players under the age of 20, but the WHA had no rules regarding such signings. Several WHA teams courted Gretzky, notably the Indianapolis Racers and the Birmingham Bulls. Birmingham Bulls owner John F. Bassett wanted to confront the NHL by signing as many young and promising superstars as possible and saw Gretzky as the most promising young prospect.[27] However, it was Racers owner Nelson Skalbania who, on June 12, 1978, signed 17-year-old Gretzky to a seven-year personal services contract worth $1.75 million US.[28][29] Gretzky scored his first professional goal against Dave Dryden of the Edmonton Oilers[30] in his fifth game, and his second goal four seconds later.[31] Skalbania opted to have Gretzky sign a personal-services contract rather than a standard player contract in part because he knew a deal to take some WHA teams into the NHL was in the works. He also knew that the Racers could not hope to be included among those teams, and hoped to keep the Racers alive long enough to collect compensation from the surviving teams when the WHA dissolved, as well as any funds earned from selling the young star.[32]

  Gretzky only played eight games for Indianapolis. The Racers were losing $40,000 per game. Skalbania told Gretzky he would be moved, offering him a choice between the Edmonton Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets. On the advice of his agent, Gretzky picked the Oilers, but the move was not that simple. On November 2, Gretzky, goaltender Eddie Mio and forward Peter Driscoll were put on a private plane, not knowing where they would land and what team they would be joining.[28] While in the air, Skalbania worked on the deal. Skalbania offered to play a game of backgammon with Winnipeg owner Michael Gobuty, the stakes being if Gobuty won, he would get Gretzky and if he lost, he had to give Skalbania a share of the Jets. Gobuty turned down the proposal and the players landed in Edmonton.[33] Mio paid the $4,000 bill for the flight with his credit card.[34] Skalbania sold Gretzky, Mio and Driscoll to his former partner, and then-owner of the Edmonton Oilers, Peter Pocklington. Although the announced price was $850,000, Pocklington actually paid $700,000.[30] The money was not enough to keep the Racers alive; they folded that December.[32]

  One of the highlights of Gretzky's season was his appearance in the 1979 WHA All-Star Game. The format was a three-game series between the WHA All-Stars and Dynamo Moscow played at Edmonton's Northlands Coliseum.[35] The WHA All-Stars were coached by Jacques Demers, who put Gretzky on a line with his boyhood idol Gordie Howe and Howe's son, Mark.[36] In game one, the line scored seven points, and the WHA All-Stars won by a score of 4–2.[36] In game two, Gretzky and Mark Howe each scored a goal and Gordie Howe picked up an assist as the WHA won 4–2.[36] The line did not score in the final game, but the WHA won by a score of 4–3.[37]

  On Gretzky's 18th birthday, January 26, 1979, Pocklington signed him to a ten-year personal services contract (the longest in hockey history at the time) worth C$3 million, with options for 10 more years.[38] Gretzky finished third in the league in scoring at 110 points, behind Robbie Ftorek and Réal Cloutier.[39] Gretzky captured the Lou Kaplan Trophy as rookie of the year,[30] and helped the Oilers to first overall in the league.[40] The Oilers reached the Avco World Trophy finals, where they lost to the Winnipeg Jets in six games.[41] It was Gretzky's only year in the WHA, as the league folded following the season.[42]

  NHL career
  Edmonton Oilers (1979–1988)
  After the World Hockey Association folded in 1979, the Edmonton Oilers and three other teams joined the NHL.[43] Under the merger agreement the Oilers, like the other surviving WHA teams, were to be allowed to protect two goaltenders and two skaters from being reclaimed by the established NHL teams in the 1979 NHL Expansion Draft. The Oilers kept Gretzky on their roster, making him a "priority selection".[44]

  Gretzky's success in the WHA carried over into the NHL, despite some critics suggesting he would struggle in what was considered the bigger, tougher, and more talented league.[45]

  A statue, located outside Rogers Place in Edmonton, of Gretzky hoisting the Stanley Cup, which the Oilers won four times with him. Sculpted by John Weaver.
  In his first NHL season, 1979–80, Gretzky was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the League's Most Valuable Player (the first of eight in a row) and tied for the scoring lead with Marcel Dionne with 137 points.[46][47] Although Gretzky played 79 games to Dionne's 80, Dionne was awarded the Art Ross Trophy since he scored more goals (53 vs. 51).[48] The season still stands as the highest point total by a first year player in NHL history. Gretzky became the youngest player to score 50 goals but was not eligible for the Calder Memorial Trophy, given to the top NHL rookie, because of his previous year of WHA experience.[49] The Calder was awarded to Boston Bruins defenceman Ray Bourque.[50]

  In his second season, Gretzky won the Art Ross (the first of seven consecutive) with a then-record 164 points, breaking both Bobby Orr's record for assists in a season (102) and Phil Esposito's record for points in a season (152).[26] He won his second straight Hart Trophy.[46] In the first game of the 1981 playoffs versus the Montreal Canadiens, Gretzky had five assists. This was a single game playoff record.[51]

  During the 1981–82 season, he surpassed a record that had stood for 35 years: 50 goals in 50 games, first set by Maurice "Rocket" Richard during the 1944–45 NHL season and tied by Mike Bossy during the 1980–81 NHL season. Gretzky accomplished the feat in only 39 games. His 50th goal of the season came on December 30, 1981 in the final seconds of a 7–5 win against the Philadelphia Flyers and was his fifth of the game.[52] Later that season, Gretzky broke Esposito's record for most goals in a season (76) on February 24, 1982, scoring three goals to help beat the Buffalo Sabres 6–3.[53] He ended the 1981–82 season with records of 92 goals, 120 assists, and 212 points in 80 games, becoming the only player in NHL history to break the two hundred-point mark.[54] That year, Gretzky became the first hockey player and first Canadian to be named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.[55] He was also named 1982 "Sportsman of the Year" by Sports Illustrated.[56] The Canadian Press also named Gretzky Newsmaker of the Year in 1982.

  The following seasons saw Gretzky break his own assists record three more times (125 in 1982–83, 135 in 1984–85, and 163 in 1985–86); he also bettered that mark (120 assists) in 1986–87 with 121 and 1990–91 with 122, and his point record one more time (215, in 1985–86).[57][58] By the time he finished playing in Edmonton, he held or shared 49 NHL records, which in itself was a record.

  The Edmonton Oilers finished first overall in their last WHA regular season. The same success was not immediate when they joined the NHL, but within four seasons, the Oilers were competing for the Stanley Cup.[59] The Oilers were a young, strong team featuring, in addition to Gretzky, future Hall of Famers including forwards Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, and Jari Kurri, defenceman Paul Coffey, and goaltender Grant Fuhr. Gretzky was its captain from 1983 to 1988. In 1983, they made it to the Stanley Cup Final, only to be swept by the three-time defending champion New York Islanders.[60] The following season, the Oilers met the Islanders in the Final again, this time winning the Stanley Cup, their first of five in seven years.[61]

  Gretzky was named an officer of the Order of Canada on June 25, 1984, for outstanding contribution to the sport of hockey. Since the Order ceremonies are always held during the hockey season, it took 13 years and 7 months—and two Governors General—before he could accept the honour.[62] He was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in 2009 "for his continued contributions to the world of hockey, notably as one of the best players of all time, as well as for his social engagement as a philanthropist, volunteer and role model for countless young people".[63] The Oilers also won the Cup with Gretzky in 1985, 1987 and 1988.[64]

  When the Oilers joined the NHL, Gretzky continued to play under his personal services contract with Oilers owner Peter Pocklington. This arrangement came under increased scrutiny by the mid-1980s, especially following reports that Pocklington had used the contract as collateral to help secure a $31 million loan with the Alberta government-owned Alberta Treasury Branches.[65] Amid growing concern around the league that a financial institution might be able to lay claim to Gretzky's rights in the event the heavily leveraged Pocklington were to declare bankruptcy, as well as growing dissatisfaction on the part of Gretzky and his advisers, in 1987 Gretzky and Pocklington agreed to replace the personal services contract with a standard NHL contract.[66]

  The Gretzky rule
  In June 1985, as part of a package of five rule changes to be implemented for the 1985–86 season, the NHL Board of Governors made a decision to introduce offsetting penalties, where neither team lost a man when coincidental penalties were called. The effect of calling offsetting penalties was felt immediately in the NHL, because during the early 1980s, when the Gretzky-era Oilers entered a four-on-four or three-on-three situation with an opponent, they frequently used the space on the ice to score one or more goals.[67][68] Gretzky held a press conference one day after being awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy, criticizing the NHL for punishing teams and players who previously benefited. The rule change became known as the Gretzky rule.[67][69] The rule was reversed for the 1992–93 season.[70]

  Strategy and effect on NHL play
  Gretzky had a major influence on the style of play of the Edmonton Oilers and in the NHL as a whole, helping to inspire a more team-based strategy. Using this approach, the Oilers, led by Gretzky, became the highest scoring team in league history.[71]

  "He was, I think, the first Canadian forward to play a true team game", said hockey writer and former NHL goalie Ken Dryden. The focus of the game prior to Gretzky's arrival, he said, especially among the Canadian teams, was on the player with the puck—in getting the puck to a star player who would make the big play. "Gretzky reversed that. He knew he wasn't big enough, strong enough, or even fast enough to do what he wanted to do if others focused on him. Like a magician, he had to direct attention elsewhere, to his four teammates on the ice with him, to create the momentary distraction in order to move unnoticed into the open ice where size and strength didn't matter. . . . Gretzky made his opponents compete with five players, not one, and he made his teammates full partners to the game. He made them skate to his level and pass and finish up to his level or they would be embarrassed."[72]

  Between 1982 and 1985, the Edmonton Oilers averaged 423 goals a season, when no previous team had scored 400, and Gretzky on his own had averaged 207 points, when no player before had scored more than 152 in one year. "In the past, defenders and teams had learned to devise strategies to stop opponents with the puck. Without the puck, that was interference. But now, if players without the puck skated just as hard, but faster, dodged and darted to open ice just as determinedly, but more effectively, as those with the puck, how do you shut them down?"[71]

  In this, Gretzky added his considerable influence as the preeminent NHL star of his day to that of the Soviets, who had also developed a more team-style of play, and had successfully used it against the best NHL teams, beginning in the 1972 Summit Series. "The Soviets and Gretzky changed the NHL game", says Dryden. "Gretzky, the kid from Brantford with the Belarusian name, was the acceptable face of Soviet hockey. No Canadian kid wanted to play like Makarov or Larionov. They all wanted to play like Gretzky."[73]

  At the same time, Gretzky recognized the contributions of their coach in the success of the Oilers: "Under the guidance of Glen Sather, our Oiler teams became adept at generating speed, developing finesse, and learning a transition game with strong European influences."[74]

  Gretzky explains his style of play further:

  People think that to be a good player you have to pick the puck up, deke around ninety-three guys and take this ungodly slap shot. No. Let the puck do all the moving and you get yourself in the right place. I don't care if you're Carl Lewis, you can't outskate that little black thing. Just move the puck: give it up, get it back, give it up. It's like Larry Bird. The hardest work he does is getting open. The jumpshot is cake.

  That's all hockey is: open ice. That's my whole strategy: Find Open Ice. Chicago coach Mike Keenan said it best: "There's a spot on the ice that's no-man's land, and all the good goal scorers find it." It's a piece of frozen real estate that's just in between the defense and the forward.[75]

  "The Trade"
  Two hours after the Oilers won the Stanley Cup in 1988, Gretzky learned from his father that the Oilers were planning to deal him to another team.[76] Walter Gretzky had known for months after having been tipped off by Skalbania, but kept the news from Wayne so as not to upset him. According to Walter, Wayne was being "shopped" to Los Angeles, Detroit, and Vancouver, and Pocklington needed money as his other business ventures were not doing well.[77] At first, Wayne did not want to leave Edmonton, but he later received a call while on his honeymoon from Los Angeles Kings owner Bruce McNall asking permission to meet and discuss the deal. Gretzky informed McNall that his prerequisites for a deal to take place were that Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski join him as teammates in Los Angeles. Both McNall and Pocklington quickly agreed. After the details of the trade were finalized by the two owners, one final condition had to be met: Gretzky had to call Pocklington and request a trade.[78] When Pocklington told Oilers general manager and head coach Glen Sather about his plans to trade Gretzky to L.A., Sather tried to stop the deal, but when he found out that Gretzky had been involved in the negotiations, he changed his attitude and requested Luc Robitaille in exchange. The Kings refused, instead offering Jimmy Carson.[79]

  On August 9, 1988, in a move that heralded significant change in the NHL, the Oilers traded Gretzky, along with McSorley and Krushelnyski, to the Kings for Carson, Martin Gelinas, $15 million in cash, and the Kings' first-round draft picks in 1989 (later traded to the New Jersey Devils – New Jersey selected Jason Miller), 1991 (Martin Rucinsky), and 1993 (Nick Stajduhar).[58] "The Trade", as it came to be known,[80] upset Canadians to the extent that New Democratic Party House Leader Nelson Riis demanded that the government block it,[81] and Pocklington was burned in effigy outside Northlands Coliseum.[15] Gretzky himself was considered a "traitor" by some Canadians for turning his back on his adopted hometown, and his home country; his motivation was widely rumoured to be the furtherance of his wife's acting career.[82]

  In Gretzky's first appearance in Edmonton after the trade—a game that was nationally televised in Canada—he received a four-minute standing ovation.[83] The arena was sold out, and the attendance of 17,503 was the Oilers' biggest crowd ever to that date.[83] Large cheers erupted for his first shift, his first touch of the puck, his two assists, and for Mark Messier's body check of Gretzky into the boards.[83] After the game, Gretzky took the opportunity to confirm his patriotism: "I'm still proud to be a Canadian. I didn't desert my country. I moved because I was traded and that's where my job is. But I'm Canadian to the core. I hope Canadians understand that."[83] After the 1988–89 season, a life-sized bronze statue of Gretzky was erected outside Northlands Coliseum, holding the Stanley Cup over his head.[84]

  Los Angeles Kings (1988–1996)
  The Kings named Gretzky their alternate captain. He made an immediate impact on the ice, scoring on his first shot on goal in the first regular-season game.[85] The Kings got off to their best start ever, winning four straight on their way to qualifying for the playoffs. Despite being underdogs against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Edmonton Oilers in the Smythe Division semifinals, Gretzky led the Kings to a shocking upset of his old squad, spearheading the Kings' return from a 3–1 series deficit to win the series 4–3. He was nervous that Edmonton would greet him with boos, but they were eagerly waiting for him.[86] For only the second time in his NHL career, Gretzky finished second in scoring, but narrowly beat out Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux (who scored 199 points) for the Hart Trophy as MVP.[87] In 1990, the Associated Press named him Male Athlete of the Decade.[88]

  Gretzky's first season in Los Angeles saw a marked increase in attendance and fan interest in a city not previously known for following hockey. The Kings now boasted of numerous sellouts.[89] Many credit Gretzky's arrival with putting non-traditional U.S. hockey markets on "the NHL map"; not only did California receive two more NHL franchises (the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and San Jose Sharks) during Gretzky's tenure in L.A., but his popularity in Southern California proved to be an impetus in the league establishing teams in other parts of the U.S. Sun Belt.[90]

  Gretzky was sidelined for much of the 1992–93 regular season with a back injury, and his 65-point output ended a record 13-year streak in which he recorded at least 100 points each season.[91] However, he performed very well in the playoffs, notably when he scored a hat trick in game seven of the Campbell Conference Finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs.[26] This victory propelled the Kings into the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history, where they faced the Montreal Canadiens. After winning the first game of the series by a score of 4–1, the team lost the next three games in overtime, and then fell 4–1 in the deciding fifth game where Gretzky failed to get a shot on net.[92]

  The next season, Gretzky broke Gordie Howe's career goal-scoring record and won the scoring title,[26] but the team began a long slide, and despite numerous player and coaching moves, they failed to qualify for the playoffs again until 1998.[93] After the financially troubled McNall was forced to sell the Kings in 1994, Gretzky's relationship with the Kings' new owners grew strained.[94] Under both McNall and the new ownership group, the team was fiscally unstable, to the point that paychecks to players bounced.[95] Finally, in early 1996, Gretzky requested a trade.[94] During the 1994–95 NHL lockout, Gretzky and some friends (including Mark Messier, Marty McSorley, Brett Hull, and Steve Yzerman) formed the Ninety Nine All Stars Tour and played eight exhibition games in various countries.[96]

  St. Louis Blues (1996)
  On February 27, 1996, Gretzky joined the St. Louis Blues in a trade for Patrice Tardif, Roman Vopat, Craig Johnson, and two draft picks (Peter Hogan and Matt Zultek).[58] He partially orchestrated the trade after reports surfaced that he was unhappy in Los Angeles.[97] At the time of the trade, the Blues and New York Rangers emerged as front-runners, but the Blues met his salary demands.[98] Gretzky was immediately named the team's captain. He scored 37 points in 31 games for the team in the regular season and the playoffs,[57] and the Blues came within one game of the Conference Finals.[99] However, the chemistry that everyone expected with winger Brett Hull never developed, and coach Mike Keenan publicly criticized him.[100] Gretzky rejected a three-year deal worth $15 million with the Blues, and on July 21, he signed with the New York Rangers as a free agent, rejoining longtime Oilers teammate Mark Messier for a two-year $8 million (plus incentives) contract.[101]

  New York Rangers (1996–1999)

  Gretzky in a New York Rangers uniform in 1997
  Gretzky ended his professional playing career with the New York Rangers, where he played his final three seasons and helped the team reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 1997.[102] The Rangers were defeated in the Conference Finals in five games by the Philadelphia Flyers, despite Gretzky leading the Rangers in the playoffs with 10 goals and 10 assists.[57] For the first time in his NHL career, Gretzky was not named captain,[103] although he briefly wore the captain's 'C' in 1998 when captain Brian Leetch was injured and out of the lineup.[104] After the 1996–97 season, Mark Messier signed a free agent contract with the Vancouver Canucks, ending the brief reunion of Messier and Gretzky after just one season.[105] The Rangers did not return to the playoffs until 2006, well after Gretzky retired.[106]

  In 1997, prior to his retirement, The Hockey News named a committee of 50 hockey experts (former NHL players, past and present writers, broadcasters, coaches and hockey executives) to select and rank the 50 greatest players in NHL history. The experts voted Gretzky number one.[19] Gretzky said that he would have voted Bobby Orr or Gordie Howe as the best of all time.[107]

  Gretzky in 1997 with the New York Rangers
  The 1998–99 season was his last as a professional player. He reached one milestone in this last season, breaking the professional total (regular season and playoffs) goal-scoring record of 1,071, which had been held by Gordie Howe. Gretzky was having difficulty scoring this season and finished with only nine goals, contributing to this being the only season in which he failed to average at least a point per game, but his last goal brought his scoring total for his combined NHL/WHA career to 1,072, one more than Howe.[108] As the season wound down, there was media speculation that Gretzky would retire, but he refused to announce his retirement. His last NHL game in Canada was on April 15, 1999, a 2–2 tie with the Ottawa Senators and the Rangers' second-to-last game of the season.[109] Following the contest, in a departure from the usual three stars announcement, Gretzky was awarded all three stars.[110] Upon returning to New York, Gretzky announced he would retire after the Rangers' last game of the season.[111]

  The final game of Gretzky's career was a 2–1 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 18, 1999, in Madison Square Garden. Although the game involved two American teams, both national anthems were played, with the lyrics slightly adjusted to accommodate Gretzky's departure. In place of the lyrics "O Canada, we stand on guard for thee", Bryan Adams ad-libbed, "We're going to miss you, Wayne Gretzky".[112] "The Star-Spangled Banner", as sung by John Amirante, was altered to include the words "in the land of Wayne Gretzky".[113] Gretzky ended his career with a final point, assisting on the lone New York goal scored by Brian Leetch.[112] At the time of his retirement, Gretzky was the second-to-last WHA player still active in professional hockey. Mark Messier, who attended the game along with other representatives of the Edmonton Oilers' dynasty, was the last.[114]

  Gretzky told journalist Scott Morrison that the final game of his career was his greatest day.[115] He recounted:

  My last game in New York was my greatest day in hockey...Everything you enjoy about the sport of hockey as a kid, driving to practice with mom [Phyllis] and dad [Walter], driving to the game with mom and dad, looking in the stands and seeing your mom and dad and your friends, that all came together in that last game in New York.[115]

  International play
  Medal record
  Representing Canada
  Ice hockey
  World Cup
  Silver medal – second place 1996 Canada
  Canada Cup
  Gold medal – first place 1991 Canada
  Gold medal – first place 1987 Canada
  Gold medal – first place 1984 Canada
  Silver medal – second place 1981 Canada
  World Championships
  Bronze medal – third place 1982 Finland
  World Junior Championships
  Bronze medal – third place 1978 Canada
  Gretzky made his first international appearance as a member of the Canadian national junior team at the 1978 World Junior Championships in Montreal, Quebec. He was the youngest player to compete in the tournament at the age of 16. He went on to lead the tournament in scoring with 17 points to earn All-Star Team and Best Forward honours.[116] His 17 points remain the most scored by a 16-year-old in the World Junior Championships.[117] Canada finished with the bronze medal.[116][118]

  Gretzky debuted with the Team Canada's men's team at the 1981 Canada Cup. He led the tournament in scoring with 12 points en route to a second-place finish to the Soviet Union,[116] losing 8–1 in the final. Seven months later, Gretzky joined Team Canada for the 1982 World Championships in Finland. He notched 14 points in 10 games, including a two-goal, two-assist effort in Canada's final game against Sweden to earn the bronze.[116] Gretzky did not win his first international competition until the 1984 Canada Cup, when Canada defeated Sweden in a best-of-three finals. He led the tournament in scoring for the second consecutive time and was named to the All-Star Team.[116]

  Gretzky's international career highlight arguably came three years later at the 1987 Canada Cup. Gretzky has called the tournament the best hockey he had played in his life.[119] Playing on a line with Pittsburgh Penguins' superstar Mario Lemieux, he recorded a tournament-best 21 points in nine games. After losing the first game of a best-of-three final series against the Soviets, Gretzky propelled Canada with a five-assist performance in the second game, including the game-winning pass to Lemieux in overtime, to extend the tournament.[119] In the deciding game three, Gretzky and Lemieux once again combined for the game-winner. With the score tied 5–5 and 1:26 minutes to go in regulation, Lemieux one-timed a pass from Gretzky on a 3-on-1 with defenceman Larry Murphy. Lemieux scored to win the tournament for Canada; the play is widely regarded as one of the most memorable plays in Canadian international competition.[120]

  The 1991 Canada Cup marked the last time the tournament was played under the "Canada Cup" moniker. Gretzky led the tournament for the fourth and final time with 12 points in seven games. He did not, however, compete in the final against the United States due to a back injury.[116] Canada nevertheless won in two games by scores of 4–1 and 4–2. Five years later, the tournament was revived and renamed the World Cup in 1996. It marked the first time Gretzky did not finish as the tournament's leading scorer with seven points in eight games for fourth overall.[116]

  Leading up to the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, it was announced that NHL players would be eligible to play for the first time. Gretzky was named to the club on November 29, 1997.[116] However, Gretzky, was passed over for the captaincy, along with several other Canadian veterans including Steve Yzerman and Ray Bourque in favour of the younger Eric Lindros.[121] Expectations were high for the Canadian team, but the team lost to the Czech Republic in the semi-finals.[122] The game went to a shootout with a 1–1 tie after overtime, but Gretzky was controversially not selected by coach Marc Crawford as one of the five shooters, all of whom failed to score.[123][124] Team Canada then lost the bronze medal game 3–2 to Finland to finish without a medal.[125] The Olympics marked Gretzky's eighth and final international appearance, finishing with four assists in six games. He retired from international play holding the records for most goals (20), most assists (28), and most overall points (48) in best-on-best hockey.[126]

  Skills and influences
  Style of play
  Gretzky's size and strength were unimpressive—in fact, far below average for the NHL—but he is widely considered the smartest player in the history of the game.[127][128][129] His reading of the game and his ability to improvise on the fly were unrivaled, and he could consistently anticipate where the puck was going to be and execute the right move at the right time.[25] His coach at the Edmonton Oilers, Glen Sather, said, "He was so much more intelligent. While they were using all this energy trying to rattle his teeth, he was just skating away, circling, analyzing things."[130]

  He was also considered one of the most creative players in hockey. "You never knew what he was going to do", said hockey Hall of Famer Igor Larionov. "He was improvising all the time. Every time he took the ice, there was some spontaneous decision he would make. That's what made him such a phenomenal player."[131] Gretzky's ability to improvise came into the spotlight at the 1998 Olympics in Japan. Then an older player in the sunset of his career, he had been passed over for the captaincy of the team. But as the series continued, his unique skills made him a team leader.

  The Canadians had trouble with the big ice. They had trouble with the European patterns and the lateral play and the endless, inventive cycling. … Slowly, as game after game went by and the concern continued to rise, Wayne Gretzky began climbing through the lineup. He, almost alone among the Canadians, seemed to take to the larger ice surface as if it offered more opportunity instead of obligation…. His playing time soared, as he was being sent on not just for power plays but double shifts and even penalty kills. By the final round … it was Wayne Gretzky who assumed the leadership both on and off the ice.[132]

  He passed and shot with prodigious skill. Hall of Fame defenceman Bobby Orr said of Gretzky, "He passes better than anybody I've ever seen."[133] In his first two seasons in the NHL, his deft passing skills helped earn him a reputation as an ace playmaker, and so opposing defensemen focused their efforts on foiling his attempts to pass the puck to other scorers. In response, Gretzky started shooting on goal himself—and with exceptional effectiveness.[134] He had a fast and accurate shot. "Wayne Gretzky was one of the most accurate scorers in NHL history", said one biography.[135] Statistics support the contention: whereas Phil Esposito, who had set the previous goal-scoring record, needed 550 shots to score 76 goals, Gretzky netted his 76th after only 287 shots—about half as many. He scored his all-time record of 92 goals with just 369 shots.[134] Because he was so light compared to other players, goalies were often surprised by how hard Gretzky's shot was. Goalies called his shots "sneaky fast." He also had a way of never hitting the puck with the same rhythm twice, making his shots harder to time and block.[136]

  Size and strength
  When he entered the league in 1979, critics opined that Gretzky was "too small, too wiry, and too slow to be a force in the NHL".[137] His weight was 160 pounds (73 kg), compared to the NHL average of 189 pounds (86 kg) at that time.[138] But that year, Gretzky tied for first place in scoring, and won the Hart trophy for the league's most valuable player.[139] In his second year in the league, weighing just 165 pounds, he broke the previous single-season scoring record, racking up 164 points.[140] The next year (1981–82), at 170 pounds—still "a wisp compared to the average NHL player"—he set the all-time goal-scoring record, putting 92 pucks in the net.[141] He weighed "about 170 pounds" for the better part of his career.[142] He consistently scored last in strength tests among the Edmonton Oilers, bench pressing only 140 pounds (64 kg).[143]

  Stamina, athleticism
  However, he had remarkable physical stamina. Like his hero, Gordie Howe, Gretzky possessed "an exceptional capacity to renew his energy resources quickly." In 1980, when an exercise physiologist tested the recuperative abilities of all of the Edmonton Oilers, Gretzky scored so high the tester said that he "thought the machine had broken."[144] His stamina is also indicated by the fact that Gretzky often scored late in the game. In the year he scored his record 92 goals, 22 of them went in the net during the first period, 30 in the second—and 40 in the third.[134]

  He also had strong general athletic skills. Growing up, he was a competitive runner and also batted .492 for the Junior Intercounty Baseball League's Brantford CKCP Braves in the summer of 1980. As a result, he was offered a contract by the Toronto Blue Jays.[144] (History repeated itself in June 2011, when Gretzky's 17-year-old son, Trevor, was drafted by the Chicago Cubs. Trevor signed with the Cubs the next month.[145] ) Gretzky also excelled at box lacrosse, which he played during the summer. At age ten, after scoring 196 goals in his hockey league, he scored 158 goals in lacrosse.[146]

  According to him, lacrosse was where he learned to protect himself from hard checks: "In those days you could be hit from behind in lacrosse, as well as cross-checked, so you had to learn how to roll body checks for self-protection."[147] Gretzky adroitly applied this technique as a professional player, avoiding checks with such skill that a rumour circulated that there was an unwritten rule not to hit him.[148]

  Defensemen found Gretzky a most elusive target. Fellow Hockey Hall of Famer Denis Potvin compared attempting to hit Gretzky to "wrapping your arms around fog. You saw him but when you reached out to grab him your hands felt nothing, maybe just a chill." The 205-pound (93 kg) Potvin, a three-time winner of the Norris Trophy for best defenceman, added that part of the problem in hitting Gretzky hard was that he was "a tough guy to dislike... what was there to hate about Gretzky? It was like running Gandhi into a corner."[149]

  He received a good deal of cover from burly Oiler defensemen Dave Semenko and Marty McSorley. The latter followed Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings in 1989, where he played the same policeman role for several more years.[150][151] But Gretzky discouraged unfair hits in another way. "If a guy ran him, Wayne would embarrass that guy", said former Oiler Lee Fogolin. "He'd score six or seven points on him. I saw him do it night after night."[151]

  Commentators have noted Gretzky's uncanny ability to judge the position of the other players on the ice—so much so that many suspected he enjoyed some kind of extrasensory perception. Sports commentators said that he played like he had "eyes in the back of his head."[152] Gretzky said he sensed other players more than he actually saw them. "I get a feeling about where a teammate is going to be", he said. "A lot of times, I can turn and pass without even looking."[4]

  Veteran Canadian journalist Peter Gzowski says that Gretzky seemed to be able to, in effect, slow down time. [153] "There is an unhurried grace to everything Gretzky does on the ice. Winding up for the slapshot, he will stop for an almost imperceptible moment at the top of his arc, like a golfer with a rhythmic swing." "Gretzky uses this room to insert an extra beat into his actions. In front of the net, eyeball to eyeball with the goaltender … he will … hold the puck one … extra instant, upsetting the anticipated rhythm of the game, extending the moment. … He distorts time, and not only by slowing it down. Sometimes he will release the puck before he appears to be ready, threading the pass through a maze of players precisely to the blade of a teammate's stick, or finding a chink in a goaltender's armour and slipping the puck into it … before the goaltender is ready to react."[154]

  Major coaching influences
  However, Gretzky denied that he had any exotic innate abilities. He said that many of his advantages were a result of his father's brilliant coaching.

  Some say I have a "sixth sense" … Baloney. I've just learned to guess what's going to happen next. It's anticipation. It's not God-given, it's Wally-given. He used to stand on the blue line and say to me, "Watch, this is how everybody else does it." Then he'd shoot a puck along the boards and into the corner and then go chasing after it. Then he'd come back and say, "Now, this is how the smart player does it." He'd shoot it into the corner again, only this time he cut across to the other side and picked it up over there. Who says anticipation can't be taught?[143]

  Gretzky learned much about hockey from his father on a backyard rink at his home. Walter Gretzky had been an outstanding Junior B hockey player.[155] He cultivated a love of hockey in his sons and provided them with a backyard rink and drills to enhance their skills.[14] On the backyard rink, nicknamed the "Wally Coliseum", winter was total hockey immersion with Walter as mentor-teacher as well as teammate. Walter's drills were his own invention, but were ahead of their time in Canada. Gretzky would later remark that the Soviet National Team's practice drills, which impressed Canada in 1972, had nothing to offer him: "I'd been doing these drills since I was three. My Dad was very smart."[156]

  In his autobiography, Gretzky describes how at practices his dad would drill him on the fundamentals of smart hockey:

  Him: "Where's the last place a guy looks before he passes it?"
  Me: "The guy he's passing to."
  Him: "Which means..."
  Me: "Get over there and intercept it."
  Him: "Where do you skate?"
  Me: "To where the puck is going, not where it's been."
  Him: "If you get cut off, what are you gonna do?"
  Me: "Peel."
  Him: "Which way?"
  Me: "Away from the guy, not towards him."[157]

  Wayne also salutes his coach at the Edmonton Oilers, Glen ("Slats") Sather, as an important influence in his development as a hockey player. Gretzky played for 10 years with the Oilers, with Sather as coach. "It's as if my father raised me until age 17, then turned me over to Slats and said, 'You take him from here.'"[74]

  Early start
  Where Gretzky differed from others in his development was in the extraordinary commitment of time on the ice. "From the age of three to the age of 12, I could easily be out there for eight to 10 hours a day", Gretzky has said.[158] In his autobiography, he wrote:

  All I wanted to do in the winters was be on the ice. I'd get up in the morning, skate from 7:00 to 8:30, go to school, come home at 3:30, stay on the ice until my mom insisted I come in for dinner, eat in my skates, then go back out until 9:00. [159]

  When asked how he managed, at age ten, to score 378 goals in a single season, Gretzky explained,

  See, kids usually don't start playing hockey until they're six or seven. Ice isn't grass. It's a whole new surface and everybody starts from ground zero. … By the time I was ten, I had eight years on skates instead of four, and a few seasons' worth of ice time against ten-year-olds. So I had a long head start on everyone else.[160]

  Study of game
  Much has been written about Gretzky's highly developed hockey instincts, but he once explained that what appeared to be instinct was, in large part, the effect of his relentless study and practice of the game, in cooperation with his coaches. As a result, he developed a deep understanding of its shifting patterns and dynamics. Peter Gzowski says that the best of the best athletes in all sports understand the game so well, and in such detail, that they can instantly recognize and capitalize upon emerging patterns of play. Analyzing Gretzky's hockey skills, he says, "What we take to be creative genius is in fact a reaction to a situation that he has stored in his brain as deeply and firmly as his own phone number." Gzowski presented this theory to Gretzky, and he fully agreed. "Absolutely", Gretzky said. "That's a hundred percent right. It's all practice. I got it from my Dad. Nine out of ten people think it's instinct, and it isn't. Nobody would ever say a doctor had learned his profession by instinct; yet in my own way I've put in almost as much time studying hockey as a medical student puts in studying medicine."[161]

  Post-retirement
  Gretzky was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 22, 1999, becoming the tenth player to bypass the three-year waiting period.[162] The Hall of Fame then announced that he would be the last player to do so.[163] He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2000.[164] In addition, Gretzky's jersey number 99 was retired league-wide at the 2000 NHL All-Star Game. The jersey retirement was similar to Major League Baseball's retirement of the number 42 worn by Jackie Robinson.[165] In October 1999, Edmonton honoured Gretzky by renaming one of Edmonton's busiest freeways, Capilano Drive – which passes by Northlands Coliseum – to Wayne Gretzky Drive.[166] Also in Edmonton, the local transit authority assigned a rush-hour bus route numbered No. 99 which also runs on Wayne Gretzky Drive for its commute.[167]

  In 2002, the Kings held a jersey retirement ceremony and erected a life-sized statue of Gretzky outside the Staples Center; the ceremony was delayed until then so that Bruce McNall, who had recently finished a prison sentence, could attend.[168] His hometown of Brantford, Ontario, renamed Park Road North to "Wayne Gretzky Parkway" as well as renaming the North Park Recreation Centre to The Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre. Brantford further inducted Gretzky into its "Walk of Fame" in 2004.[169] On May 10, 2010, he was awarded The Ambassador Award of Excellence by the LA Sports & Entertainment Commission.[170] Gretzky was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017.[171]

  Phoenix Coyotes
  Almost immediately after retirement, several NHL teams approached him about an ownership role.[172] In May 2000, he agreed to buy a 10% stake in the Phoenix Coyotes in a partnership with majority owner Steve Ellman, taking on the roles of alternate governor, managing partner and head of hockey operations.[173] The Coyotes were in the process of being sold and Ellman convinced Gretzky to come on board, averting a potential move to Portland, Oregon.[173] The sale was not completed until the following year, on February 15, 2001, after two missed deadlines while securing financing and partners before Ellman and Gretzky could take over. Trucking magnate and Arizona Diamondbacks part-owner Jerry Moyes was added to the partnership.[174][175] Gretzky convinced his long-time agent Michael Barnett to join the team as its General Manager.[176]

  In 2005, rumors began circulating that Gretzky was about to name himself head coach of the Coyotes, but were denied by Gretzky and the team.[177] Ultimately, Gretzky agreed to become head coach on August 8, 2005.[178] Gretzky made his coaching debut on October 5,[179] and won his first game on October 8 against the Minnesota Wild.[180] He took an indefinite leave of absence on December 17 to be with his ill mother. Phyllis Gretzky died of lung cancer on December 19.[181] Gretzky resumed his head-coaching duties on December 28.[182] The Coyotes' record at the end of the 2005–06 season was 38–39–5, a 16-win improvement over 2004–05; they were 36–36–5 in games Gretzky coached.[183]

  In 2006, Moyes became majority owner of the team.[184] There was uncertainty about Gretzky's role[185] until it was announced on May 31, 2006 that he had agreed to a five-year contract to remain head coach.[186] The Coyotes' performance declined in 2006–07, as the team ended the season 15th in their conference. During Gretzky's coaching tenure, the Coyotes did not reach the postseason, and their best finish in the Western Conference standings was 12th.[183]

  On May 5, 2009, the Coyotes' holding company, Dewey Ranch Hockey LLC, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. An ownership dispute involving Research in Motion's Jim Balsillie (with the intention of relocating the team) and the NHL itself arose, which eventually ended up in Court. Gretzky did not attend the Coyotes' training camp, leaving associate head coach Ulf Samuelsson in charge, due to an uncertain contractual status with the club, whose bankruptcy hearings were continuing. Bidders for the club had indicated that Gretzky would no longer be associated with the team after it emerged from bankruptcy, and on September 24, 2009, Gretzky stepped down as head coach and head of hockey operations of the Coyotes. Gretzky's final head coaching record was 143–161–24.[183]

  Winter Olympics
  Gretzky was Executive Director of the Canadian men's hockey team at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. On February 18, he lashed out at the media at a press conference, frustrated with media and fan comments regarding his team's uninspiring 1–1–1 start.[187] His temper boiled over after Canada's 3–3 draw versus the Czech Republic, as he launched a tirade against the perceived negative reputation of Team Canada amongst other national squads, and called rumours of dissent in the dressing room the result of "American propaganda". "They're loving us not doing well", he said, referring to American hockey fans.[187] American fans online began calling Gretzky a "crybaby"; defenders said he was merely borrowing a page from former coach Glen Sather to take the pressure off his players. Gretzky addressed those comments by saying he spoke out to protect the Canadian players, and the tirade was not "staged".[188] The Canadian team won the gold medal, its first in 50 years.[189]

  Gretzky again acted as Executive Director of Canada's men's hockey team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, though not with the success of 2002; the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals and failed to win a medal.[190] He was asked to manage Canada's team at the 2005 Ice Hockey World Championships, but declined due to his mother's poor health.[191]

  In 2010, Gretzky, Steve Nash, Nancy Greene and Catriona Le May Doan participated in the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. In this photo, they finish lighting up the cauldron before the Games begin.
  Gretzky also served as an ambassador and contributor in Vancouver winning the bidding process to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. He went to Prague, Czech Republic and was part of the presentation team.[192]

  Gretzky was the final Olympic torchbearer at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He was one of four who lit the cauldron at BC Place Stadium during the opening ceremony (although one did not due to technical difficulties with one of the cauldron's "arms" which failed to rise) and then jogged out of the stadium, where he was then driven by police escorts through the streets of downtown Vancouver to light a second, outdoor cauldron near the Vancouver Convention Centre located in the city's downtown waterfront district.[193] Under IOC rules, the lighting of the Olympic cauldron must be witnessed by those attending the opening ceremony, implying that it must be lit at the location where the ceremony is taking place. Although another IOC rule states that the cauldron should be witnessed outside by the entire residents of the entire host city, this was not possible since the ceremony took place indoors. However, VANOC secretly built a second outdoor cauldron next to the West Building of the Vancouver Convention Centre, and Gretzky was secretly chosen to light this permanent cauldron.[194] Quickly word spread through the downtown Vancouver area that Gretzky was indeed the final torchbearer, and very soon a crush of people came running after the police escort to cheer Gretzky on and hopefully catch a glimpse of him carrying the torch to the outdoor cauldron.[195] For the 2010 Winter Olympics, he was named Special Advisor to the Canada men's national ice hockey team.[196]

  Heritage Classic
  Main article: 2003 Heritage Classic
  Although Gretzky had previously stated he would not participate in any "old-timers exhibition games",[197] on November 22, 2003, he took to the ice one last time to help celebrate the Edmonton Oilers' 25th anniversary as an NHL team. The Heritage Classic, held at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, was the first regular season NHL game to be played outdoors.[198] It was preceded by the Mega Stars game, which featured Gretzky and many of his Oiler Dynasty teammates against a group of retired Montreal Canadiens players (whose likes included Claude Lemieux, Guy Lafleur and others). Despite frigid temperatures, the crowd numbered 57,167, with an additional several million watching the game on television.[199] The Edmonton alumni won the Megastars game 2–0,[200] while Montreal went on to win the regular season game held later that day, 4–3.[198]

  Edmonton Oilers
  In October 2016, Gretzky returned to the Oilers as a partner and vice-chairman of the team's parent company, Oilers Entertainment Group. He will work closely with owner Daryl Katz and Oilers Entertainment Group CEO Bob Nicholson on the business side of the Oilers' operation.[201]

  Personal life
  Gretzky has made several TV appearances, including as a Dance Fever celebrity judge, and an 'unforgettable appearance', acting in a dramatic role alongside Victor Newman in The Young and the Restless in 1981.[202] In 1984, he travelled to the Soviet Union to film a television program on Russian goaltender Vladislav Tretiak.[203] Gretzky hosted the Saturday Night Live comedy program in 1989.[204] A fictional crime-fighting version of him served as one of the main characters in the cartoon ProStars in 1991.[205] In December 2016, Gretzky appeared briefly in a cameo on a Christmas episode of The Simpsons as a winter character.[206]

  Family

  Janet and Wayne Gretzky in December 2013
  While serving as a judge on Dance Fever, Gretzky met actress Janet Jones.[207] According to Wayne, Janet does not recall him being on the show.[207] They met regularly after that, but did not become a couple until 1987 when they ran into each other at a Los Angeles Lakers game that Wayne and Alan Thicke were attending.[208] Wayne proposed in January 1988,[209] and they were married on July 16, 1988 in a lavish ceremony the Canadian press dubbed "The Royal Wedding".[210] Broadcast live throughout Canada from Edmonton's St. Joseph's Basilica, members of the Fire Department acted as ceremonial guards. The event reportedly cost Gretzky over US$1 million.[211]

  He and Jones have five children: Paulina, Ty, Trevor, Tristan, and Emma. Paulina and golfer Dustin Johnson announced their engagement on August 18, 2013.[212] Ty played hockey at Shattuck-Saint Mary's,[213] but quit the sport, and attended Arizona State University.[214] Trevor is a former minor league baseball player.[215]

  Wayne Gretzky's uncle, Al Gretzky, ran as a Conservative candidate in London West in the 2006 federal election and for the libertarian Freedom Party of Ontario in the 2013 provincial by-election for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He was unsuccessful both times.[216][217]

  Business ventures
  Gretzky has owned or partnered in the ownership of two sports teams before becoming a partner in the Phoenix Coyotes. In 1985, Gretzky bought the Hull Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for $175,000 CA.[218] During his ownership, the team's colours were changed to silver and black, presaging the change in team jersey colours when he played for the Los Angeles Kings. For the first season that Gretzky played in Los Angeles, the Kings had their training camp at the Olympiques' arena.[219] Gretzky eventually sold the team in 1992 for $550,000 CA.[220]

  In 1991, Gretzky purchased the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL) with Bruce McNall and John Candy. The club won the Grey Cup championship in the first year of the partnership but struggled in the two following seasons, and the partnership sold the team before the 1994 season. Only McNall's name was engraved on the Grey Cup as team owner, but in November 2007, the CFL corrected the oversight, adding Gretzky's and Candy's names.[221] In 1992, Gretzky and McNall partnered in an investment to buy a rare Honus Wagner T206 cigarette card for $451,000 US, later selling the card. It most recently sold for $2.8 million US.[222] Gretzky was a board member and executive officer of the Hespeler Hockey Company.[223]

  As of May 2008, Gretzky's current business ventures include the "Wayne Gretzky's" restaurant in Toronto near the Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto, opened in partnership with Tom Bitove in 1993.[224] Gretzky is also a partner in First Team Sports, a maker of sports equipment and Worldwide Roller Hockey, Inc., an operator of roller hockey rinks.[225][226] Gretzky's appeal as a product endorser far surpassed that of other hockey players of his era. By 1995, he was among the five highest-paid athlete endorsers in North America, with deals from The Coca-Cola Company, Domino's Pizza, Sharp Corporation, and Upper Deck Company among others.[227] He has endorsed and launched a wide variety of products, from pillow cases to insurance.[228][229] The video game brand EA Sports included Gretzky in its 2010 title NHL Slapshot,[230] and he had previously been an endorser for the 989 Sports games Gretzky NHL 2005 and Gretzky NHL 2006.[231][232] Gretzky also made an appearance on the music video for Nickelback's "Rockstar".[233] Forbes estimates that Gretzky made US$93.8 million from 1990 to 1998.[234]

  Political activity
  During the 2015 Canadian federal election campaign, Gretzky endorsed the Conservative Party and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and was featured at a campaign rally praising Harper by calling him "wonderful to the country."[235] As a non-resident, Gretzky came under some criticism for this endorsement.[236][237][238][239][240] In 2014, Gretzky praised Harper at a United for Ukraine Gala event in Toronto calling him "one of the greatest prime ministers ever".[235] Earlier in 2015, Gretzky endorsed Patrick Brown during his successful campaign for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.[235] He is currently unable to vote in Canadian elections as he does not live in the country.[235]

  In 2003, Gretzky praised President of the United States George W. Bush and his 2003 invasion of Iraq saying: "The president of the United States is a great leader, I happen to think he's a wonderful man and if he believes what he's doing in Iraq is right, I back him 100 per cent."[241]

  Legacy
  Gretzky's career achievements include many awards and honours. He won a record nine Hart Trophies as the most valuable player in the NHL.[242] Between 1981 and 1994, he won the Art Ross Trophy, presented to the NHL's season points leader, 10 times.[243] Gretzky was named the MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs in 1985 and 1988, receiving the Conn Smythe Trophy.[244] In addition, he earned the Lester B. Pearson Award (now Ted Lindsay Award) on five occasions; the award is given to the NHL's "most outstanding player", as determined by National Hockey League Players' Association members.[245] The Lady Byng Trophy, awarded for sportsmanship and performance, was presented to Gretzky five times between 1980 and 1999.[246]

  A number of awards and trophies have been created under his name. The Wayne Gretzky 99 Award is awarded annually to the Most Valuable Player in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs;[247] the Wayne Gretzky Trophy is awarded annually to the playoff champion of the OHL's Western Conference;[248] and the Wayne Gretzky Award is presented with similar names by a number of entities including the United States Hockey Hall of Fame and the Edmonton Minor Hockey Association.[249][250]

  Career statistics
  Playing career
  Figures in boldface italics are NHL records.

  GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/– = Plus/minus; PP = Powerplay goals; SH = Shorthanded goals; GW = Game-winning goals

  Regular season Playoffs
  Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM +/– PP SH GW GP G A Pts PIM
  1975–76 Toronto Nationals MetJHL 28 27 33 60 7 — — — — — — — — —
  1976–77 Seneca Nationals MetJHL 32 36 36 72 35 — — — — 23 40 35 75 —
  1976–77 Peterborough Petes OMJHL 3 0 3 3 0 — — — — — — — — —
  1977–78 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds OMJHL 64 70 112 182 14 — — — — 13 6 20 26 0
  1978–79 Indianapolis Racers WHA 8 3 3 6 0 −3 0 — — — — — — —
  1978–79 Edmonton Oilers WHA 72 43 61 104 19 +23 9 — — 13 10 10 20 2
  1979–80 Edmonton Oilers NHL 79 51 86 137 21 +15 13 1 6 3 2 1 3 0
  1980–81 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 55 109 164 28 +41 15 4 3 9 7 14 21 4
  1981–82 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 92 120 212 26 +81 18 6 12 5 5 7 12 8
  1982–83 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 71 125 196 59 +60 18 6 9 16 12 26 38 4
  1983–84 Edmonton Oilers NHL 74 87 118 205 39 +76 20 12 11 19 13 22 35 12
  1984–85 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 73 135 208 52 +98 8 11 7 18 17 30 47 4
  1985–86 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 52 163 215 46 +71 11 3 6 10 8 11 19 2
  1986–87 Edmonton Oilers NHL 79 62 121 183 28 +70 13 7 4 21 5 29 34 6
  1987–88 Edmonton Oilers NHL 64 40 109 149 24 +39 9 5 3 19 12 31 43 16
  1988–89 Los Angeles Kings NHL 78 54 114 168 26 +15 11 5 5 11 5 17 22 0
  1989–90 Los Angeles Kings NHL 73 40 102 142 42 +8 10 4 4 7 3 7 10 0
  1990–91 Los Angeles Kings NHL 78 41 122 163 16 +30 8 0 5 12 4 11 15 2
  1991–92 Los Angeles Kings NHL 74 31 90 121 34 −12 12 2 2 6 2 5 7 2
  1992–93 Los Angeles Kings NHL 45 16 49 65 6 +6 0 2 1 24 15 25 40 4
  1993–94 Los Angeles Kings NHL 81 38 92 130 20 −25 14 4 0 — — — — —
  1994–95 Los Angeles Kings NHL 48 11 37 48 6 −20 3 0 1 — — — — —
  1995–96 Los Angeles Kings NHL 62 15 66 81 32 −7 5 0 2 — — — — —
  1995–96 St. Louis Blues NHL 18 8 13 21 2 −6 1 1 1 13 2 14 16 0
  1996–97 New York Rangers NHL 82 25 72 97 28 +12 6 0 2 15 10 10 20 2
  1997–98 New York Rangers NHL 82 23 67 90 28 −11 6 0 4 — — — — —
  1998–99 New York Rangers NHL 70 9 53 62 14 −23 3 0 3 — — — — —
  WHA career totals (1 season) 80 46 64 110 19 +20 9 — — 13 10 10 20 2
  NHL career totals (20 seasons) 1,487 894 1,963 2,857 577 +518 204 73 91 208 122 260 382 66
  International performance
  Year Event Team GP G A Pts PIM Medal
  1978 World Junior Championships Canada 6 8 9 17 2 Bronze
  1981 Canada Cup Canada 7 5 7 12 2 Silver
  1982 World Championships Canada 10 6 8 14 0 Bronze
  1984 Canada Cup Canada 8 5 7 12 2 Gold
  1987 Rendez-vous '87 NHL All-Stars 2 0 4 4 0 N/A
  1987 Canada Cup Canada 9 3 18 21 2 Gold
  1991 Canada Cup Canada 7 4 8 12 2 Gold
  1996 World Cup Canada 8 3 4 7 2 Silver
  1998 Winter Olympics Canada 6 0 4 4 2 none
  Junior international totals 6 8 9 17 2 1
  Senior international totals 57 26 60 86 12 6
  International totals 63 34 69 103 14 7
  Coaching record
  Team Year Regular Season Post Season
  G W L OTL Pts Finish Result
  PHX 2005–06 82 38 39 5 81 5th in Pacific Missed playoffs
  PHX 2006–07 82 31 46 5 67 5th in Pacific Missed playoffs
  PHX 2007–08 82 38 37 7 83 4th in Pacific Missed playoffs
  PHX 2008–09 82 36 39 7 79 4th in Pacific Missed playoffs
  Total 328 143 161 24 Points%: .473
  Source:[251]

• IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002115/

  Wayne Gretzky
  Biography
  Showing all 82 items
  Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (2) | Spouse (1) | Trade Mark (2) | Trivia (65) | Personal Quotes (8)
  Overview (4)
  Date of Birth 26 January 1961, Brantford, Ontario, Canada
  Birth Name Wayne Douglas Gretzky
  Nicknames The Great One
  The White Tornado
  The Great Gretzky
  Gretz
  Height 6' (1.83 m)
  Mini Bio (2)
  Wayne Gretzky, nicknamed "The Great One, " is widely considered the greatest hockey player of all-time. At the time of his retirement at the end of the 1998-99 NHL season he was the NHL's all-time scoring leader in Goals, Assists & Points in both the regular season & Stanley Cup Playoffs. He led the NHL in scoring a record 10 times, was Captain of 4 Stanley Cup Championship teams, and was named the league's MVP a record 9 times. He is the only NHL player ever to score 200 Points in a season, and did so 4 times in the span of 5 years. A great ambassador of pro sports, he was also named the NHL's Most Gentlemanly Player 4 times and received the Order of Canada (their highest civilian honor) in 1998. Upon his retirement in 1999, his trademark jersey No. 99 was retired by the NHL.
  - IMDb Mini Biography By: Alana Zoll

  Wayne Gretzky was a professional hockey played who played in the NHL until 1999. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is arguably the most famous hockey player of all time, and most agree he is the best hockey player of all time. Outside of hockey, Gretzky has become infamous for his inspirational quote: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take". Wayne Gretzky set 61 NHL scoring records through his 21 year career.

  Originally from Brantford, Ontario, Canada, Wayne Gretzky began playing hockey when he was just three years old. His father, Walter Gretzky, dedicated his life to making sure Wayne had everything he needed to become a successful hockey player. Walter build a backyard rink full with boards and lights so he could help Wayne practice at night. Walter spent countless hours on the backyard rink with Wayne and his brothers and taught him important insights to the game. At the age of six, Wayne Gretzky was playing youth hockey in a league with boys a few years older than him. In 1977, Gretzky was the youngest player and leading scorer at the Junior World Cup tournament held in Montreal.

  In the 1978 OHL entry draft, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds drafted a 16 year old Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky went on to score 182 points for them, only topped by 20 year old Bobby Smith with 192 points. Wayne Gretzky was clearly a breakout superstar player, but due to NHL draft rules, he would not be eligible for the draft until four years later. This led to him to sign with the Indianapolis Racers of the WHA, a professional hockey league competitor of the NHL. He was not long for Indianapolis and after just 8 games, his contract was sold to the Edmonton Oilers. In 1979, the WHA merged with the NHL and along with the Oilers, Gretzky entered the NHL. In his first season in the NHL, Wayne Gretzky became the youngest MVP in league history, as well as the youngest player to score over 50 goals and over 100 points in the same season.

  Wayne Gretzky led the Edmonton Oilers to four Stanley Cup championships in 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1988. In one of the more controversial trades in sports history, Oilers owner Peter Pocklington dealt Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings. Pocklington was in financial trouble and dealing Gretzky away was his way of settling some personal debt. The trade was mired in controversy and Oilers fans still hold a bitter grudge against Pocklington for it. The trade was immortalized in the ESPN 30 for 30 Film "Kings Ransom".

  However, the trade to Los Angeles proved to be important to the long term growth of the NHL. Wayne Gretzky made hockey a popular sport in the warm climate of California and spurred a series of expansion and relocation teams to the US Sunbelt in the early 90s. After a run to the Stanley Cup finals in 1993, Wayne Gretzky would never get close to hockey's ultimate prize again. Over the next decade, Gretzky would continue to rack up the points and NHL records while playing for the Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, and New York Rangers.

  Wayne Gretzky played his last NHL game in April of 1999 and was inducted to the Hall of Fame that same year, the only player to bypass the Hall of Fame's usual three year waiting period for players to be induced. Gretzky's number 99 is retired by every NHL team, the only number to be retired league wide.

  Post retirement, Gretzky was involved with owning the Phoenix Coyotes, as well as coaching them for five seasons. Wayne Gretzky was also the Executive Director for Canada's gold medal winning Men's Hockey team at the 2002 Olympics.
  - IMDb Mini Biography By: Brandon M of http://www.famoussportspeople.com

  Spouse (1)
  Janet Jones (17 July 1988 - present) (5 children)
  Trade Mark (2)
  Always tucked the right corner of his jersey into his pants
  Number 99
  Trivia (65)
  Owns a restaurant called "Wayne Gretzky's" at 99 Blue Jays Way in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  Currently holds 61 NHL records.
  Member of the 1998 Canadian olympic hockey team.
  Father of Tristan Gretzky, Trevor Gretzky, Ty Gretzky, Paulina Gretzky, and Emma Gretzky. Older brother of Glen Gretzky, and Brent Gretzky. Son of Walter Gretzky and Phyllis Gretzky.
  Widely considered as the best ice hockey player ever.
  His wedding to Janet Jones was broadcast live throughout Canada. It even included uniformed "guards" from the Fire Department on the church steps. The Archdiocese of Edmonton was criticized for allowing St. Joseph's Basilica to hold the ceremony because neither Gretzky or Jones is Catholic. The wedding reportedly cost Gretzky over $1,000,000; Janet's dress alone cost $40,000. The reception was hosted by Alan Thicke.
  All 5 of his kids were born at Ceders-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.
  Has "written"/authorized at least 4 books about himself.
  "Wrote" a daily "journal" syndicated throughout Canada's newspapers detailing his thoughts and feelings about his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame as that day neared.
  His front teeth were knocked out in a hockey game when he was 10.
  Smokes cigars.
  Unsuccessfully attempted to get the number 99 copyrighted, but did succeed in getting the address of his Toronto eatery changed to "99 Blue Jay Way."
  (February 24, 2002) The Men's Canadian Olympic Team won the Olympic gold medal, beating the United States 5-2. Canada's victory came 50 years to the day the Edmonton Waterloo Mercurys won the nation's last gold at the 1952 Oslo Winter Games.
  (February 18, 2002) Gretzky, executive director of the Men's Canadian Olympic Team, lashed out at a bizarre and impromptu press conference, saying everyone hated Canada and blamed the team's 1-1-1 start on "American propaganda.".
  First child, Paulina, was born 5 months and 2 days after his wedding.
  It was believed that he engineered his 1988 trade to the L.A. Kings to help Janet's career. According to the program "Kings Ransom", this was not true. Ironically, he broke up with live-in girlfriend, singer Vicki Moss, because she wouldn't give up her career. Moss was involved briefly with Gretzky's friend, David Foster.
  Eldest of five children.
  (October 2, 1998) Launched his own line of menswear, The Wayne Gretzky Collection, carried by Canadian department store chain The Bay, with prices from $85.00 to $300.00.
  Proposed to wife Janet over the phone.
  (February 25, 1991) Bought the CFL Toronto Argonauts with Bruce McNall and John Candy.
  In 1980, hit .492 for hometown Brantford CKPC Braves senior league baseball team, attracting the attention of the Toronto Blue Jays, who offered him a tryout. He declined.
  (August 9, 1988) In a move that forever changed the dynamics of the NHL, Gretzky, Marty McSorley, and Mike Krushelnyski were sold to the Los Angeles Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, $15 million cash, and the Kings' three first-round draft picks in 1989, 1991, and 1993. Gretzky and Carson later played together in Los Angeles (1992-1993, 1993-1994).
  After his retirement, he became the spokesperson for Tylenol Arthritis Formula, even though he doesn't actually have osteoarthritis.
  While in Edmonton, he began to turn himself into a brand name, endorsing everything from soft drinks and blue jeans to his own wallpaper, pillow cases, hockey games, breakfast cereals and a Mattel "Great Gretzky" doll. "Forbes" magazine estimated that between 1990 and 1998, Gretzky earned $93.8 million from hockey and endorsements.
  On the cover of Cigar Aficionado magazine with his wife, Janet Jones. [February 1997]
  Reportedly saving the stick he used to break Gordie Howe's NHL career points record on 15 October 1989 against his old team, the Edmonton Oilers, for his son, Ty.
  Accompanied Queen Elizabeth II to an NHL pre-season game on October 6th 2002 in Vancouver, Canada.
  Owns homes in Toronto, Westlake Village, CA, Coeur D'Alene, Idaho (which features two water slides), and Vancouver.
  Was told by Michael Jordan that retirement was "heavenly." Soon afterward, Jordan returned to the NBA.
  Sold custom-built Georgian-style estate in Thousand Oaks, CA in 2005 to Lenny Dykstra. It was sold at auction in 2010 after Dykstra lost it in foreclosure. It sold again 2013 in for $9,500,000, $5,495,000 less than asking.
  Wayne has agreed in principle to head the Canadian Olympic hockey team for 2006 in Italy if NHL hockey player are involved.
  Contrary to his image for gentlemanly play, Gretzky was ejected 11 times in his NHL career for unsportsmanlike conduct.
  Godfather to Jari Kurri's twin sons Ville and Joonas.
  Art Ross Trophy (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1994). Conn Smythe Trophy (1985, 1988). First All-Star Team (1984). First All-Star Team Centre (1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1991). Hart Memorial Trophy (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990). Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (1980, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1999). Lester B. Pearson Award (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987). Lester Patrick Trophy (1994). Second All-Star Team Centre (1980, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1997, 1998).
  The statue of Gretzky at the entrance of Skyreach Centre, home arena of the Edmonton Oilers, temporarily had a sign hanging from it that read "U$ Lackey" in protest of his comments supporting George W. Bush in the war against Iraq. (25 March 2003)
  Played for the Edmonton Oilers (1978-1988), the Los Angeles Kings (1988-1996), the St. Louis Blues (1996), and the New York Rangers (1996-1999).
  Famous for talking about himself in the third person.
  The Wayne Gretzky International Award is presented annually by the United States Hockey Hall of Fame to "an international citizen who has been deemed to have made a major contribution to the growth and advancement of American hockey."
  Print/Radio/TV ads for Power Automotive Group of Southern California debut. Gretzky is also the pitchman for Ford of Canada (May 2003).
  Did a series of TV ads for Sharp Viewcam Camcorder with son Ty.
  Baroque comic opera "The Loves of Wayne Gretzky" by composer Brad Walton debuted in Toronto. In it, Gretzky leaves his wife for Mario Lemieux (February 1994).
  One-time owner with Bruce McNall of the Honus Wagner baseball card, the world's most expensive sports card. Only 50 in existence, each is valued at almost a half-million dollars.
  Inducted into the Hockey Hockey Hall of Fame, bypassing the 3-year waiting period. Following Gretzky's induction, the Hall announced the waiting period would not be waived for any future players. (November 22, 1999).
  Has dual Canadian/American citizenship.
  Has more assists (1,963) than any other NHL player has total points (goals plus assists).
  Gretzky's trade to the Los Angeles Kings caused such a stir in Canada, Canadian Parliment tried to declare Gretzky as a national treasure, wanted the trade declared null and void. In addition, Parliment talked about buying Gretzky's contract, so it could be sold to a Canadian based team
  Loves to wear white suit/sport jackets, but will no longer wear them, due to the jackets being ruined from Sharpie pen marks applied accidentally by fans while signing autographs.
  Returned to Edmonton in 1989 to attend the unveiling of a statue of him hoisting the Stanley Cup, now at the entrance of Skyreach Centre. At the ceremony, former owner Peter Pocklington gave Gretzky's then-infant daughter Paulina a $25,000 savings bond. He later blasted Pocklington in his 1990 autobiography as being "a cheapskate."
  Sport Illustrated writer and author Rick Riley felt that writing Gretzky's biography back in 1990 was a difficult task, because Gretzky is so humble, he won't talk too much about himself.
  In 1990, the year the Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup, the CBC wanted Gretzky to appear as a reporter for Hockey Night in Canada, should the Oilers win the Stanley Cup (the first time without him), but he respectfully declined, not wanting to interfere with the Oilers' victory.
  In 1984, when the Oilers won their first Stanley Cup, he was asked to do the "I'm Going To Disneyland", bit for a commercial. He respectfully declined, because he didn't want it to interfere with the moment of winning the Stanley Cup for the first time.
  He was awarded the O.C. (Officer of the Order of Canada) on June 25, 1984 for his services to sports.
  Was a part-owner of the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL with McNall and John Candy. The group signed Raghib Ismail on the first day of the 1991 NFL draft, where he was projected the #1 overall pick.
  Portrayed by Kris Holden-Ried in Waking Up Wally: The Walter Gretzky Story (2005).
  One of his favorite positions on the ice was to take the puck to the back of an opponent's goal and try to set up teammates for a goal.
  Fellow hockey legend Mark Messier is the godfather of his daughter, Paulina Gretzky.
  He is of Polish, Belarusian, and Ukrainian descent on his father's side, and has English ancestry on his mother's side.
  Named head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes on August 8, 2005, the first time Gretzky coached hockey at any level. He resigned in September 2009 with a 143-161-24 record and zero playoff games.
  President and part owner of Phoenix Coyotes [2001]
  After Chicago Cubs GM Jim Hendry drafted Trevor Gretzky in the 7th round of the MLB draft, Gretzky personally negotiated Trevor's contract with Hendry. Trevor signed for $375,000. (July 18, 2011).
  Grandson Tatum Gretzky Johnson born on January 19, 2015 to daughter Paulina and pro golfer Dustin Johnson.
  Friends with Alan Thicke.
  Joins the Oilers Entertainment Group, owner of the Edmonton Oilers, as Partner and Vice Chairman. (October 2016).
  Endorsed the Conservative Party and Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2015.
  His net worth is $200 million.
  Personal Quotes (8)
  Ninety percent of hockey is mental and the other half is physical.
  Most people marry their mother. I married my father.
  You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
  On his support for the 2010 winter olympics in Vancouver: "I'm just going to try and tell them how great Canada is and tell them it's the right city and the right country for the Winter Olympics."
  "My dad told me today that I ran out an 800-goal scorer out of hockey" (On Brett Hull's retirement)
  The biggest difference between L.A. and Edmonton was that instead of people looking at me I was looking at them.
  A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great player plays where the puck is going to be.
  I had the greatest financial adviser in the world - my dad..I'm not a flamboyant guy who needs to have a lot of cars or buy a lot of things to make myself feel good.

  Filmography

  Jump to: Actor | Producer | Soundtrack | Stunts | Thanks | Self | Archive footage
  Hide HideActor (4 credits)
  2016 The Simpsons (TV Series)
  Wayne Gretzky
  - The Nightmare After Krustmas (2016) ... Wayne Gretzky (voice)
  2015-2016 The Garden's Defining Moments (TV Mini-Series)
  - MSG Opens (2016)
  - The Great One Retires (2015)
  2011 Robotropolis
  Additional Soccer Players
  1981 The Young and the Restless (TV Series)
  Wayne
  - Episode dated 12 November 1981 (1981) ... Wayne
  Hide Hide Producer (1 credit)
  2003 Ultimate Gretzky (Video documentary) (executive producer)
  Hide Hide Soundtrack (1 credit)
  1991 Voices that Care (TV Movie documentary) (performer: "Voices that Care")
  Hide Hide Stunts (1 credit)
  1977 Sidestreet (TV Series) (stunt double - 1 episode)
  - Once a Hero (1977) ... (stunt double: hockey player - uncredited)
  Hide Hide Thanks (3 credits)
  2012 Stanley's Game Seven 3D (Short) (special thanks)
  2005 The Human Hambone (Documentary) (special thanks)
  1998 As Long as He Lives (Short) (dedicatee)
  Hide Hide Self (92 credits)
  2017 Names on the Cup (Documentary)
  Himself
  2017 2017 NHL All-Star Game (TV Special)
  Himself - Metropolitan Division Head Coach
  2017 NHL Winter Classic (TV Special)
  St. Louis Blues Alumni Game (Himself)
  2014-2016 Conan (TV Series)
  Himself - Guest / Himself
  - Ron Howard/Wayne Gretzky/D.R.A.M. (2016) ... Himself - Guest
  - The Bun Crumbs on Cumberbatch's Cummerbund (2014) ... Himself
  2016 Breakfast Television (TV Series)
  Himself
  - Episode dated 18 October 2016 (2016) ... Himself
  2016 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (TV Series)
  Himself
  - Nick Offerman/Wayne Gretzky/Morgan Spurlock/Joseph (2016) ... Himself
  2016 CTV National News (TV Series)
  Himself
  - Episode dated 10 June 2016 (2016) ... Himself
  2016 California Golden Seals Story (Documentary)
  Himself
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  2014 Mike & Mike (TV Series)
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  2013 NHL 14 (Video Game)
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  2011 CollegeHumor Originals (TV Series)
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  2010 Remembering the WHA (Video)
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  2010 Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Ceremonies, Behind the Scenes (Documentary short)
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  2010 Vancouver 2010: XXI Olympic Winter Games (TV Mini-Series)
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  2010 Entertainment Tonight (TV Series)
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  2010 Athletes in Motion: Hockey T'Nite (Short)
  Himself
  2009 30 for 30 (TV Series documentary)
  Himself
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  2009 NHL: New York Islanders 10 Greatest Games
  Himself
  2009 Gretzky, Indy & the W.H.A. (Video documentary)
  Himself
  2008 Sidney Crosby: On the Ice and Beyond (Video documentary)
  Himself
  2008 Pond Hockey (Documentary)
  Himself
  2008 NHL: Edmonton Oilers - 10 Greatest Games
  Himself
  2007 Sports Unfiltered with Dennis Miller (TV Series)
  Himself
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  2005-2006 The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame... (TV Series)
  Himself
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  Himself
  2005 Costas Now (TV Series)
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  2005 Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith (TV Series)
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  2004-2005 ESPN 25: Who's #1? (TV Series documentary)
  Himself
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  2001-2005 Life and Times (TV Series documentary)
  Himself
  - The Life and Times of Wayne Gretzky (2005) ... Himself
  - Gentleman Jean: The Life and Times of Jean Beliveau (2001) ... Himself
  2004 The 2004 Billboard Music Awards (TV Special)
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  2004 Tiger: The Authorised DVD Collection (Video documentary)
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  2004 It's Our Game: Team Canada's Victory at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey (Video documentary)
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  2000-2002 ESPN SportsCentury (TV Series documentary)
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  Show all 6 episodes
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  2000 NHL 2000: A Millenium of Memories (Video documentary)
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  1998 The 18th Olympic Winter Games (TV Series)
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  1998 Late Night with Conan O'Brien (TV Series)
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  1998 All-Star Hockey, Vol. 2: Winning Techniques (Video)
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  1998 Nagano 1998: XVIII Olympic Winter Games (TV Mini-Series)
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  1998 The Rosie O'Donnell Show (TV Series)
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  1997 NHL Power Players: All-Stars of the Game (Video)
  Himself
  1997 Gretzky: The Great One and the Next Ones (Video)
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  1996 Late Show with David Letterman (TV Series)
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  1995 All-Star Hockey (Video)
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  1995 A Night to Die for (TV Short documentary)
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  1993-1995 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (TV Series)
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  1994 D2: The Mighty Ducks
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  1993 The Passion Returns: The 1992-93 Toronto Maple Leafs (TV Special)
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  1993 The Magic of David Copperfield XV: Fires of Passion (TV Special)
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  1990 Wayne Gretzky: Above and Beyond (Video documentary)
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  Edmonton Oilers / Los Angeles Kings Center
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  Other Works: Print ads for Cannon's T-70 35mm SLR Camera (1984-85). See more »
  Publicity Listings: 2 Print Biographies | 1 Portrayal | 2 Interviews | 12 Articles | 1 Pictorial | 9 Magazine Cover Photos | See more »
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  Personal Quote: On his support for the 2010 winter olympics in Vancouver: "I'm just going to try and tell them how great Canada is and tell them it's the right city and the right country for the Winter Olympics." See more »
  Trivia: Sport Illustrated writer and author Rick Riley felt that writing Gretzky's biography back in 1990 was a difficult task, because Gretzky is so humble, he won't talk too much about himself. See more »
  Trademark: Always tucked the right corner of his jersey into his pants See more »
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  Star Sign: Aquarius

• NPR - http://www.npr.org/2016/10/26/499324305/wayne-gretzky-on-hockey-history-dreaming-big-and-canadian-pride

  Wayne Gretzky On Hockey History, Dreaming Big And Canadian Pride

  Listen· 7:19

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  October 26, 20164:37 AM ET
  Heard on Morning Edition
  NPR STAFF

  Wayne Gretzky is flanked by his Edmonton Oilers teammates after winning the Stanley Cup over the Philadelphia Flyers in May 1987.
  Larry Macdougal/AP
  After a bruising career in the rough and tumble NHL, who could blame a guy for wanting to take it easy? At age 55, Wayne Gretzky is still playing charity games with other old timers, but "I'm getting older and slower," he says with a laugh.

  Gretzky grew up in Ontario, where he used to pretend to win the Stanley Cup in his backyard. "You're always dreaming that you're the guy that scores the game-winning goal," he says.
  Courtesy of Putnam
  Sports are not just about numbers, but the numbers Gretzky put up in his two decades in the NHL are astonishing. He holds 61 different records, including: most goals in a season, most assists in a season, most goals in the playoffs, and — to top it all off — most goals ever. On the night he set that record, playing for the LA Kings in 1994, Gretzky surpassed his own idol and hero, Gordie Howe, who died in June at age 88.

  Gretzky's new book 99: Stories of the Game, captures moments large and small in the league's 99-year history. Gretzky played for a handful of teams — most famously as captain of the Edmonton Oilers dynasty in the 1980s.

  Growing up in a small town in Ontario, Gretzky spent hours in the backyard, pretending to win the Stanley Cup. "You're always dreaming that you're the guy that scores the game-winning goal in Game 7," he tells NPR's David Greene.

  Interview Highlights
  99
  99
  Stories of the Game
  by Wayne Gretzky and Kristie McLellan Day

  Hardcover, 400 pages purchase

  On Canada's hockey pride

  In 2002 Canada and the U.S. played the gold medal game in Salt Lake City and I was told that somewhere between 26 and 27 million out of the 35 million Canadians watched that game.

  And they said, "What do you think of that?"

  And I said, "What do I think of that? What were the other nine million doing?"

  That's how much we love hockey in Canada.

  On getting to meet his hero, Gordie Howe

  I was fortunate enough — when I was 10 years old — I got asked to be a part of this charity event in my hometown that Gordie was going to be part of. And I remember three things: One, I was getting to meet Gordie. Two, I was going to get the day off school. And three, I was officially going to get my first suit.

  My mom and dad bought me a blue suit and pair of new shoes that were killing my feet— like every other 10-year-old — and I got a chance to talk to him. I got some great pictures with him.

  I remember when I left there my dad asking me, "How was it?" And I distinctly remember saying to my dad ... "Wow, he's nicer, bigger and better than even I had imagined him."

  'Boy On Ice' Explores The Emotional And Physical Toll Of Dropping The Gloves
  AUTHOR INTERVIEWS
  'Boy On Ice' Explores The Emotional And Physical Toll Of Dropping The Gloves
  On Howe being not quite as nice on the ice

  If you talked to anybody they would say, "The one guy I fear when I play against him is Gordie Howe." And, yet, away from the ice the perception was, "Well he's so nice we don't care what he does on the ice." And that's was sort of how fans sort of looked at Gordie.

  On the Stanley Cup belonging to the city

  We shared it with the city of Edmonton. It wasn't just our cup. And by the time we got to the second, third and fourth cup people were genuinely, "OK, geez maybe I'll get to see the cup. Maybe I'll have a barbecue at my house and the cup will be there." ...

  I remember I got pictures in the backyard of cooking steaks and potatoes and having the Stanley cup and getting pictures with my grandmothers and friends — you know, that's what it's all about though. That's the great thing about the game.

  As First Black American NHL Player, Enforcer Was Defenseless Against Racism
  CODE SWITCH
  As First Black American NHL Player, Enforcer Was Defenseless Against Racism
  On the fact that a Canadian team has not won the Stanley Cup for more than 20 years

  I think sometimes we read too much into it. And we as Canadians get our dander up pretty easily and pretty quickly that, "Hey, who's trying to steal our game?" But the reality is: I think it's just a cycle.

  If you look at a lot of the teams in the United States there's still a great many Canadian kids who are on those teams and at this point and time it just hasn't been the Canadian's team that's been able to lift the Stanley cup since 1993. ...

  We're a very proud country, and as much as the Vancouver people cheer for the Canucks or the Flames cheer for Calgary, if a team in Winnipeg or if a team in Montreal did win the Stanley Cup, Canadians would gloat and be extremely happy that: "Well, I wish we would've won, but my gosh it's great a Canadian team won." ...

  On what he'd like people to know about ice hockey

  Women's Hockey Takes Stage As New Pro Sports League
  SPORTS
  Women's Hockey Takes Stage As New Pro Sports League
  I think the biggest thing is, [in] '88 when I went to LA, the image of the National Hockey League was that of toughness and physical aspect and all that goes with it, and yet<< the game of hockey is an art.>> It's like Baryshnikov on skates. The game itself is fun to watch. You've got to be a great athlete ... and most importantly the players that we have in the game are really good people. That's what makes the National Hockey League so special.

• Players' Tribune - https://www.theplayerstribune.com/life-out-loud-wayne-gretzky-photos/

  Life Out Loud: Wayne Gretzky
  NOV 21 2016
  PHOTO BY BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES
  SHARE
  WAYNE GRETZKY
  HALL OF FAMER / NHL
  Andy Warhol. Ping pong. The psychology of “the safehouse.” The benefits of a 28-year marriage. The guilt of chasing down your hero.

  This is not your typical Wayne Gretzky interview. This is Life Out Loud, a new series from The Players’ Tribune, where athletes go deep into their vaults to share memories of long forgotten moments from their lives. Listen as The Great One narrates the story of his life through photos inspired by his new book 99: Stories of the Game.

  gretzky-02PHOTOS BY B BENNETT STUDIOS/GETTY IMAGES

  “WHEN YOU’RE 6 YEARS-OLD YOU WANT TO DO WHAT MAKES YOU THE HAPPIEST.”
  Wayne Gretzky recounts his year of organized hockey. (0:28)

  This is my first year of organized hockey. I was 6 years old. When you’re 6 years old, you want to do what makes you the happiest, and for me, it was to be able to skate in the backyard. This is our backyard rink, and I was playing on the Brantford Nadrofsky Steelers. I have no idea why I was an assistant captain, because I wasn’t very good. I only scored one goal the entire year.

  gretzky-03PHOTOS BY DENNIS ROBINSON/THE GLOBE AND MAIL
  “I WASN’T STRONG ENOUGH TO GET THEM TIGHT, SO MY DAD TIED MY SKATES UNTIL I WAS 12 YEARS OLD.”
  Wayne Gretzky remembers his first photoshoot. (0:28)

  I remember this picture vividly because it was a photoshoot for a newspaper article, probably the first newspaper article I ever did. I think it was the Toronto Telegram. This was a staged picture. They wanted to get me tying up my skates, and the funny thing about it was that I never tied my own skates. I wasn’t strong enough to get them tight enough, so my dad always tied my skates until I was like 12 years old.

  Back then, the skates, like all the equipment, wasn’t as good as it is today. My dad used to have to borrow money from his mother to actually pay for my skates because it was out of their price range for my mom and dad to afford to keep me in hockey. But that was the best they had in those days, and that’s what we played with.

  PHOTO BY GLOBE AND MAIL/CP IMAGES

  Next

  “THE HAIR THAT DARRYL SITTLER BOBBY CLARKE HAD WAS THAT LONG, CURLY & FLOWING”
  Wayne Gretzky explains his various hairstyles. (0:28)

  The long hair basically came from the fact that the hair that both Darryl Sittler and Bobby Clarke had was that long, curly flowing hair. Because those were two of my favorite players at that point in time of my life — ’74, ’74, ’76 — I always said I wanted to have the same hair as those guys. That’s why I had the hair like that.

  The hair (on the right), I believe that was the year I went 51 games in a row with a point, so I didn’t want to cut my hair because I was superstitious. And my dad would call me every game and say, “Cut your hair!” Eventually, I got stopped and I cut my hair, and I think it ended up like that. Hahaha.

  2004 Season: Gretzky in the lockerroom after his last WHA game in April 1979. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images)PHOTO BY B BENNETT STUDIOS/GETTY IMAGES
  “I REALLY DIDN’T WEAR SHOULDER PADS AND I WAS ALWAYS COMFORTABLE LIKE THAT.”
  Wayne Gretzky explains his use of minimal padding throughout his career.

  This picture here was taken in the WHA when I was only 17. I think I was in the old Springfield Arena when we played against the Hartford Whalers. It was different back then. You know, Guy Lafleur was a guy that I idolized when I played junior hockey. When I played in Montreal for Team Canada Juniors, I saw Flower’s equipment in the locker room, because we were sharing the Montreal Canadiens’ locker room. And Guy didn’t even wear shoulder pads. And I asked him why he did that, and he said that he was quicker and faster without wearing full shoulder pads. And so I went to the caps, and I pretty much wore them my whole career. I never really got a shot in the chest. I asked Lafleur about that, and he said, “You never really get hit here. It’s always on the shoulders.”

  photo-1_with-dave-dryden-and-brett-callighen_edmonton-sun-post-mediaPHOTO BY EDMONTON SUN/QMI AGENCY
  “WE WERE A PRETTY GOOD YOUNG TEAM IN A SMALL TOWN.”
  Wayne Gretzky discusses the pressure of bringing a championship to Edmonton. (1:06)

  This looks like it was after a game. Brett Callighen was my first left winger. Dave Dryden was our goaltender, who was Ken Dryden’s brother, and was sort of the elder statesman of our team. It looks like it was after a game, and somebody had a good night. It looks like he’s holding Player of the Game, like a gift certificate for a free dinner or something. Hahaha.

  We were a pretty good young team that was in a small town, in a small community, and there was a lot of stress and pressure on us to succeed. There was a lot of focus on our team, because people wanted to see us win a championship. The Stanley Cup had been in Montreal, Toronto, Detroit, New York … A small town like Edmonton had never really grasped that same feeling. And me, I was playing for fun. I didn’t understand the pressure and the magnitude of the whole scenario.

  photo2PHOTO BY EDMONTON SUN/QMI AGENCY
  “FOR ME, IT WAS MY SAFEHOUSE”
  Wayne Gretzky explains his origins playing behind the net. (1:17)

  I started playing behind the net when I was 14 years old, when nobody else did it. For me, it was my safe house. As you can see in the photo, there’s nobody really within 10 feet of me. If anybody comes in one direction, I can go in the other direction. If two guys come at me, then obviously one or two guys are going to be open. It was easy for me as a player when I got in the NHL because nobody had ever seen a guy play from behind the net. My first coach as a kid was the guy who encouraged me to go do it, and then when I got into the NHL, Glen Sather, who was the coach, understood that that’s where my comfort zone was, and there was never an issue.

  People try to always say, “Did you slow down the game? Did you see it from above?” I don’t know. I just had a joy of playing. I loved the game so much, and I worked on my craft and what made me the player that I became — and that was my hockey sense and my preparation and the love and passion for the game itself. I think that’s what propelled me to get to the level I got to.

  PHOTO BY G. PAUL BURRETT/AP IMAGES
  PHOTO BY LARRY MACDOUGALL/GETTY IMAGES
  Next

  “THE ISLANDERS WERE ONE OF THE BEST FRANCHISES EVER CREATED.”
  Wayne Gretzky talks about the road to his first NHL championship. (1:44)

  This is, ironically enough, losing the Cup. This is the ’83 Final. We came in as a group of brash, young, hip guys that thought we had the world by the tail, that we were unbeatable. And we ran into an opponent that understood and respected the game probably, at that time, more than we did. In this particular handshake, it was genuinely saying, You guys were a better team. You guys wanted it more than we did. And consequently, that’s why you guys became champions, and we didn’t. This picture says it all. We respected them, and we learned from this.

  … And then we get to this (picture on the right). I always say this to people: The Islanders were one of the greatest franchises ever built. One of the great teams — Bossy, and Billy Smith and Potvin and Trottier and Clark Gillies. We learned from them so much and we respected them so much that when we did win, we gave so much credit to them, because they were a big part of why we became champions.

  That’s the great thing about professional hockey players. You can have a hatred towards each other, and a desire to beat your opponent, but also have a respect for that opponent like no other. That’s exactly the jubilation that we felt when you look from one picture to the next.

  Edmonton Oilers team captain Wayne Gretzky, right, and Mark Messier hold up the Stanley Cup trophy following the team's 6-3 win over the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup hockey finals in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, May 26, 1988. (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy)PHOTO BY RUSTY KENNEDY/AP IMAGES
  “THEY SET THE FOUNDATION THAT THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO BECOME STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS”
  Wayne Gretzky recalls the strength and leadership of Kevin Lowe and Mark Messier (1:15)

  The two guys here, Kevin Lowe and Mark Messier, were sort of the foundation of the Oilers in ’79 and ’80. We know how great both of them became and we know the Hall of Fame player and unselfishness of Mark Messier … but his work ethic and his desire and his commitment to the team probably only paralleled to that of Gordie Howe. He was big, strong, tough — and yet — had a great deal of finesse.

  Edmonton Oilers center Wayne Gretzky, left, poses with Andy Warhol and Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor, after Warhol unveiled his portrait of Gretzky at the St. Moritz Hotel in New York, Dec. 12, 1983. (AP Photo/Mario Suriani)PHOTO BY MARIO SURIANI/AP IMAGES

  “THIS WAS A REALLY WONDERFUL DAY FOR ME.”
  Wayne Gretzky meets Andy Warhol and Ken Taylor (0:57)

  This is a cool picture, and I’ll tell you why. Andy Warhol asked me to do a painting, and it was really cool because I went to his studio and he took photos for a couple hours and we had a chance to talk, and I got to know him. It was really a wonderful day for me. I was a kid. I must’ve been 20 years old. And this other gentleman here became a good friend of mine and went on to be one of the great Canadians of all-time. He’s a hero in Canada and a huge hero in the United States. This is Ken Taylor, who was ambassador to Iran. He was the big guy behind the movie Argo. He helped the American hostages when they took over the embassy in Iran. I became good friends with him and Pat, his wife, through this painting. We went fishing together, and I’d sit and ask him questions, and he’d tell me stories about everything.

  Edmonton Oilers' star Wayne Gretzky poses for a photo with his mother, Phyllis Gretzky before the start of the NHL All-Star banquet in Harford on Monday, Feb. 3, 1986. Gretzky was besieged by autograph seekers and people taking pictures. The NHL All-Star game is to be played Tuesday in Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo /Bob Child)PHOTO BY BOB CHILD/AP IMAGES

  “SHE WAS THE PERSON WHO REALLY KEPT OUR HOUSEHOLD TOGETHER ALTHOUGH MY DAD GOT ALL THE PUBLICITY.”
  Wayne Gretzky speaks lovingly about his mother. (0:53)

  This is my mom and I — I don’t know, probably at an NHL Awards dinner — looks like about 1980 or ’81. It might have been the NHL All Star game, because the lady right here — you can only see half of her — is Kevin Lowe’s mother. So it was probably an All Star Game, because they used to do a black tie event the night before. You know, my dad gets all the credit, and deservedly so for my hockey background and everything that goes with it, but my mom, like every other mother, was the glue to our house and raising her kids — a lot like my wife is in our house. My mother was a wonderful lady and she was the person who really kept our household together, although my dad got all the publicity and all the ink.

  Canon John Munro of Brantford, Ontario gives the blessing to Wayne Gretzky and Janet Jones Gretzky in St. Joseph's Basilica, in Edmonton in afternoon on Saturday, July 16, 1988. Hollywood starlet Janet Jones and hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky were married in front of 700 friends and family. (AP Photo)PHOTO BY AP IMAGES

  “TO BE A GOOD ATHLETE YOU HAVE TO BE REALLY SELFISH. AND MY WIFE UNDERSTOOD THAT.”
  Wayne Gretzky praises his wife. (0:53)

  You know, to be a good athlete, and I don’t mean this to be controversial, but you have to be really selfish. Selfish to a point where your focus is just hockey and everything that goes around it. From September to May, it’s 100 percent hockey. The people around you have to understand that, whether it’s your brother, sister, friends, mom, dad, your wife, kids … They have to understand that your commitment is to win a championship. From my wife’s point of view, she understood that. When I told my dad that I was going to get married, he said, “You’re marrying the right person, and you’re going to be married for a long time.” It’s 28 years now and five great kids and a grandchild. It’s been wonderful, and she has been a huge backbone in the success of my career.

  Wayne Gretzky wipes a tear during a news conference in Edmonton, Alta., announcing his trade from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings August 9, 1988. (AP Photo/Ray Giguere)PHOTO BY RAY GIGUERE/AP IMAGES

  “I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN.”
  Wayne Gretzky gets traded to LA. (1:03)

  When you get traded, it’s always hard. I got traded, and obviously I wasn’t happy about it. I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t know what was going to happen. As you grow older, you learn that there’s a business side of hockey. When you’re 28 years old, you don’t really understand that. So in a lot of ways, it was really disappointing, but now that I look back at it, I totally understand where the ownership was coming from, and where the Oilers were coming from.

  It was one of those things where I wish I knew then what I know now. From that point of view, it was tough for everyone. You have emotional ties and friendships with teammates, with friends in the city, with fans that have been good to you. And so all those memories and all those great times that you had together, that’s what makes it tough.

  EDMONTON, AB - OCTOBER 15: Wayne Gretzky of the Los Angeles Kings stands with Gordie Howe as they pose with the 1,851 puck that Gretkzy scored with to pass Howe as the all-time point leader in the NHL against the Edmonton Oilers on October 15, 1989 at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images)PHOTO BY B BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES

  “I ALWAYS FELT A LITTLE GUILTY THAT I WAS BREAKING HIS RECORDS.”
  Wayne Gretzky breaks Gordie Howe’s scoring record. (1:10)

  This was when I broke the point total record that Gordie Howe held at that point in time in the NHL. I met Gordie when I was 10, and over time, we became really good friends. Each and every time I was chasing down a record, we would chat, so we got a lot of time to spend together and talk hockey. Gordie Howe was such a great player, and to me, the greatest player that ever lived, and I always felt a little guilty that I was breaking his records, because it was such a different era when he played compared to when I played. I’m the first guy to admit that I played in a more offensive era — more scoring, more teams, more players, etc.

  I remember one time I was talking to my dad and I said, “I feel a little bit guilty breaking his records.”

  And my dad said, “Listen, you should just learn from what he’s doing. He’s genuinely happy for you. So when someone’s breaking your records, you have to be like Gordie Howe and be genuinely happy for them.”

  That’s the kind of guy he is. He was the best person and the best player, and I’m fortunate enough to call him a friend.

  WAYNE GRETZKY
  CONTRIBUTOR

99: Stories of the Game
Wes Lukowsky
Booklist. 113.4 (Oct. 15, 2016): p10.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
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* 99: Stories of the Game. By Wayne Gretzky and Kirstie McLellan Day. Oct. 2016. 400p. Illus. Putnam, $28 (9780399575471). 796.962.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Gretzky is one of the half-dozen greatest hockey players of all time. He's also a student of the game and its history. He believes that every young player who enters the NHL is suddenly in the presence, either as an opponent or a teammate, of at least one idol. The idols and the newcomers will share stories and pass along anecdotes of other players, games, and histories. It's one of the game's charms and exactly what Gretzky tries to do in this collection of memories of a life in hockey. Among the stories he includes (more than 99--that was his jersey number), there are looks at various team histories as well as a nod to the World Hockey Association, founded in 1971, which opened the sport to European players and transformed hockey from a niche sport into a major attraction. He also offers some new insights into the 1980 Miracle on Ice, in which the underdog American hockey team won Olympic gold. <> This is not a memoir or the slightest bit self-aggrandizing. It's a great player doing his best to explain why he loves his sport. One of the most enjoyable hockey books to be published in many years.--Wes Lukowsky

Gretzky, Wayne with Kirstie McLellan Day. 99: Stories of the Game
Brian Sullivan
Library Journal. 141.17 (Oct. 15, 2016): p90.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
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Gretzky, Wayne with Kirstie McLellan Day. 99: Stories of the Game. Putnam. Oct. 2016. 416p. photos, index. ISBN 9780399575471. $28; ebk. ISBN 9780399575488. SPORTS

Gretzky (b. 1961), #99, nicknamed "The Great One," and arguably the best player in the history of hockey, has written a warm and enthusiastic collection of memories and stories to celebrate the National Hockey League's (NHL) 99th anniversary. Despite being the leading scorer in NHL history and holding dozens of league records, Gretzky here retains the same youthful passion for the game that he had growing up in Brantford, Ontario, watching his hero Gordie Howe. Part memoir and part history, this book is <> to all of the people who have made hockey great over the past century. Starting with the NHL's first star, Howie Morenz, and meandering up through the present day, Gretzky spins stories about the people, places, and events that have shaped the sport. Throughout, whether discussing the Stanley Cup, Bobby Hull's slap shot, or hockey's greatest dynasties (such as the legendary Edmonton Oilers teams he was a part of), this book showcases some of hockey's best moments through the keen eyes of an avid student, lover, and ambassador of the game. VERDICT Essential for all hockey fans, old and new.--Brian Sullivan, Alfred Univ. Lib., NY

Wayne Gretzky, Kirstie McLellan Day: 99
Kirkus Reviews. (Sept. 15, 2016):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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Wayne Gretzky, Kirstie McLellan Day 99 Putnam (Adult Nonfiction) 28.00 10, 18 ISBN: 978-0-399-57547-1

The Great One delivers a personal history of the National Hockey League.Many professional athletes live a charmed existence blithely unaware of the histories of the games they play, but there are those who admire and respect that which came before them. Hockey Hall of Famer Gretzky (99: My Life in Pictures, 1999, etc.), arguably the best player ever, is among those latter athletes, venerating the history of the game he played and loves. “One of the truly amazing things about coming into the NHL as a rookie,” he writes, “is that you are pretty much guaranteed to find yourself in the dressing room with, or lining up against, a guy you grew up idolizing. For me, that was Gordie Howe.” In the process of becoming a legend of the NHL, Gretzky wore number 99, which he chose in honor of the great Howe, who wore number 9 in forging his own legend and who in many ways seems to be the inspiration for this book, which provides a more-than-serviceable history of the (not coincidentally) 99-year history of the NHL and its players. Gretzky wrote the book with Day (co-author, with Marty McSorley: Hellbent: An Autobiography, 2016, etc.)—who has also co-authored books by hockey players Theo Fleury and Ron MacLean—and while the voice and admiration for the sport are inevitably Gretzky’s, the readable narrative is largely due to her. Gretzky’s sense of his sport’s history rings clearly throughout these pages, <>. Throughout, he modestly intertwines his own story of his love for hockey, which began early on in his life, with the larger narrative of the history of the NHL. Not a complete history of the NHL, but this enjoyable book provides an overview that will educate longtime fans and relative newcomers alike.