Wayne Douglas Gretzky (born January 26, 1961 in Brantford, ON) is a former professional ice hockey player, coach and entrepreneur. Gretzky is considered one of the best hockey players of all time. His nickname, "The Great One," refers to his abilities on the ice and impact on the sport. He was part of four Stanley Cup-winning teams with the Edmonton Oilers and holds 61 incredible National Hockey League records. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 22, 1999. His name is synonymous with number 99, which he did iconically over the years of his career.
This article tells the story of how a young Canadian boy who lived in Brantford turned out to be one of the most famous, respected hockey players in the world.
The Early Life of Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky is the eldest son of Walter and Phyllis Gretzky. He has four younger siblings - Kim, Keith, Glen and Brent. He first started skating when he was three years old on the Nith River near his grandparents' farm in Canning, Ontario. With the help of his father, Wayne mastered the skills of ice skating in a backyard at his home in Brantford, Ontario. He spent countless hours on the ice and honed his talents as a figure skater, shooter and passer. His passion for the sport grew stronger and stronger as he got older, and it became his favorite hobby of all time.
Minor Hockey League
Gretzky started playing less hockey as a six-year-old. He played for the Brantford Atom League with the Nadrofsky Steelers team. Gretzky was undersized when he played with boys who were four years older than him, but his skill level and talent made up for his small size. It soon became clear that young Gretzky was a hockey miracle.
The following season, he scored 27 goals at the age of seven. Next year, he quadrupled goal production to 104 goals. However, Gretzky proved his skills during the 1970-1971 season when he scored 196 goals and scored 120 assists in 76 games. As a result, Gretzky received a lot of attention for his natural talent. Unfortunately, not many other team members liked him and called him a "puck-hog" and a "show off." The jealous teammates made him unhappy, and he decided to change leagues and play junior hockey instead.
Junior Hockey League
In 1975, Gretzky moved to Toronto and began playing Junior B hockey with the Vaughan Nationals of the Metropolitan Toronto Hockey League (MTHL). The following year, he played for the Seneca Nationals in the MTHL, but he also played a brief three-game stint with Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
In the 1977-1978 season, Gretzky began playing full-time in the OHL, with Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. In his first season, he scored 70 goals and 112 assists in 64 games. It was also in Sault Ste. Marie, where Gretzky first became number 99.
Wayne Gretzky's professional debut
In 1978, Wayne Gretzky became a professional hockey player and signed with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association (WHA). As a 17-year-old, he was the youngest athlete to play a major league sport in North America. However, he played only eight games with the Racers until he switched to the Edmonton Oilers (then part of the WHA). By its second season with the Oilers, the WHA had merged with the National Hockey League (NHL). It was not long before Gretzky took the league by storm.
Edmonton Oilers
In Edmonton's first season in the NHL (1979-1980), Gretzky enjoyed the lead in scoring. He also won the Hart Trophy as the league's "most valuable player", as well as the Lady Byng Trophy.
In his second season with the NHL, Gretzky scored 164 points, beat Phil Esposito's season record of 152 points and surpassed Bobby Orr's assist record of 102 by 109. A year later, he scored 212 points, including 92 goals - beating Esposito's previous record of 76 goals . It was during this season that Gretzky set another NHL record by scoring 50 goals in just 39 games. He achieved this feat with a five-goal performance against the Philadelphia Flyers on December 30, 1981. This record, like many of his others, is unlikely to be broken by another player in today's game. Due to Gretzky and his natural in-game skills, the Edmonton Oilers won four Stanley Cup championships in five years before being transferred to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988.
Los Angeles Kings
Although he failed to recreate the team's success with the Kings that he shared with the Oilers, Gretzky dramatically increased his profile in hockey in the United States. His presence in Los Angeles is widely credited with the league's expansion through the southern states of America in the early 1990s.
In 1993, Gretzky resumed play after missing the first half of the season due to a back problem. He led the Kings to the Stanley Cup final, and lost to the Montreal Canadiens, but still wins the playoff scoring title. He won his 10th scoring title in 15 NHL seasons from 1993 to 1994, scoring his 802nd goal. Gretzky played with the Kings until February 27, 1996, when he was transferred to the St. Louis Blues.
New York Rangers
In the low season of 1996, Gretzky switched teams again, this time to join his ex-Oiler teammate Mark Messier at the New York Rangers. Even in the final years of his career, Gretzky still reached impressive numbers. In his first season with Rangers, he scored 97 points and was the team's leading goal scorer in the playoffs in 1997, helping the team get as far as the conference final. Rangers did not reappear after the season in almost 10 years.
Retirement
After three seasons of playing with the Rangers, Gretzky announced his retirement at the age of 38. Everyone, including team members and coaches, was saddened by the announcement of his departure. He played his last game on April 18, 1999 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The match ended in a 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but Gretzky still described it as his "greatest day in hockey." Not long after, the NHL retired his number in recognition of his impact on the sport - no player would ever have the number 99 again.
Coach Phoenix Coyotes
After retiring, Gretzky became the minority owner and alternate governor of the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes. He later became the team's head coach in August 2005 and signed a five-year contract extension in May 2006. In his four seasons with the club, he coached the team to a record 143-161-24.
In May 2009, the Coyotes faced significant financial problems, and team owner Jerry Moyes was eager to sell the franchise for cash. In the midst of all this, Gretzky resigned from his role at the club in September. After filing for bankruptcy, Moyes had hoped to sell the Coyotes to Blackberry tycoon Jim Balsillie, who had plans to move the team to Hamilton, Ontario. However, the league intervened and bought the team from Moyes in November 2009, and temporarily took over the franchise until a suitable buyer was found.
After leaving Phoenix, Gretzky had a bitter relationship with the NHL, as they still owed him money from the time he worked with the Coyotes. This issue was not resolved until October 2013.
International competition
Wayne Gretzky first appeared on the international stage of the World Junior Championships in Montreal in 1978. At the age of 16, Gretzky was the youngest player in the tournament and led all scorers with 17 points. Canada came in third, behind the Soviet Union and Sweden.
Gretzky was part of the Canada Cup team in 1981 and the World Cup team in 1982, and won silver and bronze. He later won three gold medals at the Canada Cup in 1984, 1987 and 1991. He also played in the first World Cup of Hockey tournament in 1996, where Canada finished second to the United States.
Olympic Hockey
Due to restrictions on professional hockey players, Gretzky was unable to play in the Winter Olympics until 1998. The Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, were the first in which NHL players were allowed to participate. Gretzky was part of the Canadian troop. However, the team did not live up to the high expectations and failed to win a medal in the tournament.
Gretzky was named CEO of Team Canada's 2002 Olympic Games Hockey Team in Salt Lake City, Utah. Gretzky's great leadership and his insistence on securing a skilled and fast team contributed to Canada's first gold medal in men's hockey since 1952. He was again named CEO of the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, but the team did not perform well enough. to get to the podium.
Records and Honors
Wayne Gretzky's achievements are without a doubt unparalleled in any sport:he won the Hart Trophy (most valuable player) nine times, the Art Ross Trophy (scoring championship) ten times, the Lady Byng Trophy four times and the Conn Smythe Trophy (outstanding player in the playoffs) two times. He is the all-time leading scorer in the NHL with 2,857 points, and the only player to reach 2,000 career points, and needed just 11 seasons to surpass the record that took Gordie Howe 26 years to complete. He holds a total of 61 NHL records, including most goals (894) and most assists (1963). Gretzky's assists alone are enough to make him the leading scorer of all time. He earned 382 career points in the playoffs, nearly 100 more than any other professional player. He was also the top scorer in six international tournaments, four of which were the Canada Cup tournaments he played in.
Two months after retiring, in June 1999, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Most retired players had to wait a period of three years to be introduced, but for Gretzky that rule was dropped. Other players who have received this special honor include Mario Lemeux (1997), Bobby Orr (1979), Jean Beliveau and Gordie Howe (1972), Maurice Richard (1961) and Dit Clapper (1947).
Gretzky was elected an officer of the Order of Canada on June 25, 1984, but was not invested until January 28, 1998. In 2009, he was promoted to the Order's companion. Three years later, in 2012, he was among the first to receive the Hockey Order in Canada. In September 2016, the NHL appointed Gretzky as its official ambassador for the league's centenary celebrations in 2017.
Business Ventures
Aside from his passion for hockey, Gretzky also had a love of business. On August 7, he bought the Hull -OL in the Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). In its first season as owner, Olympiques, coached by Pat Burns, won the QMJHL Championship in 1985.
In 1991, Gretzky and business partners John Candy (comedian) and Bruce McNall (owner of the Los Angeles Kings) bought Toronto Argonauts. The Toronto Argonauts won the Gray Cup the same year. They sold the club in 1994.
Later, he started at several businesses after retirement, including the vineyard No. 99 Estates on the Niagara Peninsula and a restaurant in Toronto called "Wayne Gretzky's", which contains photographs of his best memories in the sport.
Personal life and family
Despite all these achievements, however, Gretzky's most proud role is as a father and husband. He and his wife Janet Jones have five children together:daughters Paulina and Emma, and sons Ty, Trevor and Tristan. They currently reside in Southern California.
Final Thoughts
Wayne Gretzky's mastery of the sport was due in large part to his agility, speed and accurate shots. Without a doubt, he was one of the greatest passing players in hockey history. His impact on hockey and the void he left behind was symbolized by the retirement of his number (99) in the NHL. His personal charm as well as his great scoring achievements have made him one of the most beloved, highly respected hockey players among millions of sports fans in North America. He always has, and always will be, the best hockey player of all time.
Wayne Gretzky's official website:https://www.gretzky.com/