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The following biography
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Wikipedia.org
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Free Encyclopedia.”
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, OC
(born January 26, 1961) is a former professional ice hockey player. Born
in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, he is known as "The Great One", and
considered by many to be the best player of all time. Position: Centre.
* * * *
Early Years
Taught by his father
Walter, Gretzky was a classic prodigy. At 6, he was skating with 10
year-olds. At 10, he scored 378 goals in 85 games, and the first story
on him was published in the Toronto Telegram (now the Toronto Sun). At
14, playing against 20 year-olds, he left Brantford to further his
career. He also signed with his first agent.
He played one year in the
Ontario Hockey League at the age of 16, with the Sault Ste. Marie
Greyhounds. There he began wearing 99 on his jersey. He had wanted 9 —
for his hero Gordie Howe — but it was already being worn by another
teammate. At Coach Muzz MacPherson's suggestion, Gretzky tried and
settled on 99. The next year, he signed with the Indianapolis Racers of
the World Hockey Association. Eight games into the season, his contract
was bought by Peter Pocklington, owner of the Alberta Oilers aka
Edmonton Oilers.
NHL career
Gretzky played on four
different NHL teams over a 20 year period: the Edmonton Oilers, the Los
Angeles Kings, the St. Louis Blues, and the New York Rangers
Edmonton
After the 1978-79 season,
four WHA teams, including the Alberta Oilers (who would become the
Edmonton Oilers), joined the National Hockey League. The other three WHA
teams were the Quebec Nordiques, Winnipeg Jets, and Hartford Whalers. 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
(Dionne was awarded the Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the league's leading
scorer because he had scored more goals, even though Gretzky played
fewer games). Gretzky was not eligible for the Calder Memorial Trophy,
given to the top NHL rookie, because of his previous year of
professional experience. The rule, however, was changed a few years
later. Teemu Selänne is a case in point of this rule change. He won
rookie of the year with 76 goals even though he previously had
professional experience.
In his second season,
Gretzky won the Art Ross (the first of seven consecutive years) with a
single-season record 164 points, and won his second straight Hart
Trophy. The Oilers were a young, strong team featuring forwards Mark
Messier, Glenn Anderson and Jari Kurri, defenseman Paul Coffey, goalie
Grant Fuhr, and Gretzky as its captain. In 1983, they made it to the
Stanley Cup finals, only to be swept by the three-time defending
champion New York Islanders. The following season, the Oilers met the
Islanders in the Finals again, this time winning their first of four
Stanley Cups over the next five years.
In only Gretzky's second
NHL season, he broke both Bobby Orr's record for assists in a season and
Phil Esposito's record for points in a season. In 1981, Gretzky
surpassed one of the game's most cherished records — 50 goals in 50
games — set by Maurice "Rocket" Richard during the 1944-45 season and
tied by Mike Bossy during the 1980-81 season. On December 30, 1981, in
Edmonton's 39th game, Gretzky scored his 50th goal of the season (and
fifth of the game) into an empty net in the final seconds of a 7-5 win
against Philadelphia.
On 24 February, 1982,
Gretzky broke Esposito's record for most goals in a season (76), when he
scored four goals to help beat the Buffalo Sabres, 6-3. He ended the
1981-1982 season with 92 goals and a record 212 points in 80 games.
Gretzky broke the season
points record again in 1985-86 with 215 points and also set a season
record with 163 assists.
"The Trade"
On August 9, 1988, in a
move that drastically changed the dynamics of the NHL, Gretzky was
traded with Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski by the Oilers to the
Los Angeles Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, $15 million cash and
the Kings' first-round draft picks in 1989, 1991 and 1993. "The Trade,"
as it came to be known, so upset Canadians that one lawmaker demanded
the government block it, and Pocklington was burned in effigy. Gretzky
himself was considered a "traitor" by many Canadians for turning his
back on his adopted hometown, his home province, and his home country.
After "The Trade", Gretzky's personal popularity sank across Canada.
Gretzky's first season in
Los Angeles saw a marked increase in attendance and fan interest in a
city not previously known for following ice hockey. The Kings, who then
played their home games at the Great Western Forum, boasted numerous
sellouts on their way to reaching the 88-89 playoffs. Despite being
heavy underdogs against his old squad, Gretzky led the new-look Kings on
and off the ice to a shocking upset of the defending Stanley Cup
champion Edmonton Oilers, as Gretzky led his team back from a 3-1
deficit to win the series 4-3. Many credit Gretzky's arrival with
putting Southern California on "the NHL map"; now California is home to
three NHL franchises.
Gretzky's time with the
Kings reached its peak when he led the team to its first Cup finals in
1993. After winning the first game of the series, however, the team lost
the next four in a row to the Montreal Canadiens. The team began a long
slide that continued despite numerous player and coaching moves and
failed to even qualify for the playoffs again until 1998. Long before
that, running out of time and looking for a team with which he could win
again, Gretzky had been traded from the Kings at his request. On
February 27, 1996 he joined the St. Louis Blues in a trade for Patrice
Tardif, Roman Vopat, Craig Johnson, and draft picks. While he scored 37
points in 31 games for the team (regular season and playoffs), and they
got within one overtime game of the Conference finals, he never clicked
with the team or with sniper Brett Hull on the ice as well as many had
expected. On July 21, he signed with the New York Rangers as a free
agent, rejoining Messier.
He ended his professional
career with the Rangers, playing his final three seasons there and
helping the team reach the conference finals in 1997. His last NHL game
in Canada was on April 16, 1999, and his final game was a 2-1 overtime
loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 18. The national anthems in
that game were adjusted to accomodate Gretzky's departure. "O Canada, we
stand on guard for thee" was changed to "We're going to miss you Wayne
Gretzky". The Star-Spangled Banner was changed from "the land of the
free" to "the land of Wayne Gretzky". Gretzky was named as the first,
second and third star of both April 16th and 18th games.
In 2003, Gretzky took to
the ice one last time to help celebrate the Edmonton Oilers' 25th
anniversary as an NHL team. The Heritage Classic, was the first NHL game
to be played outdoors. Preceding the NHL game was an exhibition game
that reunited Gretzky and many of the old-guard Oilers against a
superstar Montreal Canadiens team. The game has subsequently been
released on DVD.
Career Statistics
Regular Season
Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A
Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1976-77 Peterborough Petes
OHA 3 0 3 3 0 -- -- -- -- --
1977-78 Sault Ste. Marie
Greyhounds OHA 64 70 112 182 14 -- -- -- -- --
1978-79 Indianapolis Racers
WHA 8 3 3 6 0 -- -- -- -- --
1978-79 Edmonton Oilers WHA
72 43 61 104 19 13 10 10 20 2
1979-80 Edmonton Oilers NHL
79 51 86 137 21 3 2 1 3 0
1980-81 Edmonton Oilers NHL
80 55 109 164 28 9 7 14 21 4
1981-82 Edmonton Oilers NHL
80 92 120 212 26 5 5 7 12 8
1982-83 Edmonton Oilers NHL
80 71 125 196 59 16 12 26 38 4
1983-84 Edmonton Oilers NHL
74 87 118 205 39 19 13 22 35 12
1984-85 Edmonton Oilers NHL
80 73 135 208 52 18 17 30 47 4
1985-86 Edmonton Oilers NHL
80 52 163 215 46 10 8 11 19 2
1986-87 Edmonton Oilers NHL
79 62 121 183 28 21 5 29 34 6
1987-88 Edmonton Oilers NHL
64 40 109 149 24 19 12 31 43 16
1988-89 Los Angeles Kings
NHL 78 54 114 168 26 11 5 17 22 0
1989-90 Los Angeles Kings
NHL 73 40 102 142 42 7 3 7 10 0
1990-91 Los Angeles Kings
NHL 78 41 122 163 16 12 4 11 15 2
1991-92 Los Angeles Kings
NHL 74 31 90 121 34 6 2 5 7 2
1992-93 Los Angeles Kings
NHL 45 16 49 65 6 24 15 25 40 4
1993-94 Los Angeles Kings
NHL 81 38 92 130 20 -- -- -- -- --
1994-95 Los Angeles Kings
NHL 48 11 37 48 6 -- -- -- -- --
1995-96 Los Angeles Kings
NHL 62 15 66 81 32 -- -- -- -- --
1995-96 St. Louis Blues NHL
18 8 13 21 2 13 2 14 16 0
1996-97 New York Rangers
NHL 82 25 72 97 28 15 10 10 20 2
1997-98 New York Rangers
NHL 82 23 67 90 28 -- -- -- -- --
1998-99 New York Rangers
NHL 70 9 53 62 14 -- -- -- -- --
20 Years Totals NHL 1487
894 1963 2857 596 208 122 260 382 68
NHL Records
Wayne Gretzky held or
shared 61 NHL records upon his retirement on the 18th of April, 1999. He
had 40 regular season records, 15 playoff records, and 6 all-star
records.
Some of the more impressive
regular season records include most goals in a season (92), most assists
in a season (163), and most points in a season (215). He also holds the
record for the fastest 50 goals in 50 games or less, which he did in
only 39 games and the most goals in 50 games (61, which he did twice).
In 1982-83, he had a 51 game point scoring streak that has been compared
to Joe DiMaggio's streak in baseball. During Gretzky's point scoring
streak, he had 61 goals and 92 assits for 153 points.
He had dominated the
playoffs like he had dominated the regular season. His 47 points in 1985
and his 31 assists in 1988 are still records for a playoff year. He is
the career playoff leader in goals (122), assists (260), points (382),
hat tricks (10), and game winning goals (24). These playoff numbers
appear to be untouchable.
His career regular season
stats are equally as impressive. He has the record for most career
regular season goals (894), assists (1,962), points (2,856), and hat
tricks (50). The next closest player in total points is Mark Messier
with 1887 points. That is almost a thousand points difference.
His total points including
regular season and playoffs is an impressive 3,238.
Amazing Stats and Facts
-
Gretzky
is the youngest player to score 50 goals.
-
Marcel
Dionne’s best single season point total in his career was 137
points. Gretzky matched that in his first year. In fact, Gretzky
didn’t have fewer than 137 points in a season until over 10 years
later in 1991-92 when he had 121.
-
He was
not considered a rookie in his first year, but he still holds the
record for most points (137) in a season by a first year player
(second is Teemu Selänne with 132) and most assists (86). He also
has the most points (8) and assists (7) in one game by a first year
player.
-
Bobby Orr
is one of the greatest players in NHL history. In Gretzky’s second
season, he broke Orr’s record for most assists in one season (102)
with 109. Gretzky did not have fewer than 102 assists until the
1991-92 season.
-
In his
second season, he broke the NHL record for most points (152) held by
super star Phil Esposito with 164. In doing so, he also became the
first player to average more than two points a game in the modern
NHL. Mario Lemieux is the only other player in the NHL to do that.
-
In his
third season, Gretzky did what many thought was impossible. First,
he scored 50 goals in 39 games. Next, he broke Esposito’s record for
most goals in a season (76). Then, he hit the 200 point plateau. He
finished the season setting new records with 212 points, 92 goals,
and 120 assists.
-
After
scoring 212 points the year before, he had what many people called a
"disappointing" season in 1982-83 with only 196 points. Even though
he had a "disappointing" season, he still set a new record for
assists with 125.
-
Gretzky
is the only player to reach 200 points in a season. He did it four
times in 5 years between 1981-82 and 1985-86.
-
In
1983-84, Gretzky set a record with a 51 game point scoring streak.
During that streak, he had 61 goals and 92 assists for 153 points.
That is exactly three points a game. That is amazing considering
that he had a separated shoulder for much of that streak. After that
streak ended, he took 6 games off to rest his shoulder.
-
Gretzky
has scored the magical 50 goals in 50 games or less three times in
his career, more than anyone else. Brett Hull did it twice.
-
Considering that only one player besides Gretzky has ever averaged
two points a game in a season, what he did in 1985-86 is truly
amazing. He averaged over 2 assists a game that season. He had 163
assists in 80 games and still managed to score 52 goals.
-
In 1989,
he broke Gordie Howe’s record for most points in a career. It took
Howe 26 years to get 1850 points. It took Gretzky only 10. Gretzky
averaged over 180 points a season for those 10 years. His average
was better than anyone else’s best (except for Mario Lemieux.
Lemieux achieved over 180 points once in his career).
-
Only two
players besides Gretzky have ever had 100 assists in an NHL season.
Mario Lemieux did it once with 114. Bobby Orr also did it once with
102. Gretzky did it 11 times, all consecutively. During that streak,
his best season (1985-86) he had 163 assists and his worst season
(1989-90) he had 102. He holds the top eight spots in the record
books for most assists in a season.
-
If you
took away all of Gretzky’s goals, he would still have won the Art
Ross Trophy for leading scorer four times and would still have more
career points than anyone else. His 1963 career assists are better
than Gordie Howe’s 1850 and Mark Messier’s 1887 points.
-
Gretzky
has played a total of 1788 professional ice hockey regular and
playoff season games in the NHL and WHA amassing 1072 goals and 2297
assists for a total of 3369 points.
Awards
-
He won
nine Hart Trophies, the NHL's most valuable player award, and eight
of these were awarded in consecutive years from 1980-1987. In fact,
Gretzky holds the record for most MVP awards of any player in
American professional sports.
-
Hart
Memorial Trophy (most valuable player) -1980, 1981, 1982, 1983,
1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989
-
Art Ross
Trophy (scoring champion) -1981, 1982 ,1983 ,1984, 1985, 1986, 1987,
1990, 1991, 1994
-
Conn
Smythe Trophy (playoff most valuable player) - 1985, 1988
-
Lester B.
Pearson Award (outstanding player, voted by the players) -1982,
1983, 1984, 1985, 1987
-
Lady Byng
Memorial Trophy (most gentlemanly player) -1980, 1991, 1992, 1994,
1999
-
NHL
Plus/Minus Award (best plus-minus rating) -1982, 1984, 1985, 1987
-
Chrysler-Dodge/NHL Performer of the Year -1985, 1986, 1987
-
Lester
Patrick Trophy (outstanding service to hockey in the United States)
-1994
-
NHL
All-Star Game MVP-1983, 1989, 1999
-
NHL First
All-Star Team-1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1991
-
NHL
Second All-Star Team-1980, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1997, 1998
Hockey Hall of Fame
He was inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame on November 22, 1999, becoming the tenth player to
by-pass the three-year waiting period. The NHL then stated that he would
be the last player to do so. His daily "journal" was syndicated
throughout Canada's newspapers detailing his personal thoughts and
feelings about his induction as the day neared. It was also announced
that no other player would ever wear the number ‘99’ again. His number
was retired league-wide.
"The Royal Wedding"
He met American actress
Janet Jones in 1984 when he was a judge on the show "Dance Fever" and
she was a dancer, but they didn't begin dating until 1987. Their July
17, 1988 nuptials at St. Joseph's Basilica in Edmonton was dubbed "The
Royal Wedding" by the press and broadcast live throughout Canada.
"Guards" from the Edmonton Fire Department stood on the church steps.
The event reportedly cost Gretzky over $1,000,000; Janet's dress alone
cost $40,000. They have 5 children: Paulina, Ty, Trevor, Tristan, and
Emma.
Winter Olympics
Gretzky participated in the
1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Expectations were high of the
Canadian team, but without the presence of Mario Lemieux (with whom
Gretzky did well with in the 1987 Canada Cup) and several other star
Canadians due to injury, the team lost to Finland for the bronze medal.
Many also tribute the loss of the gold medal to Canada's coach Marc
Crawford's decision to use a defenceman, Ray Bourque, and not Gretzky in
the shoot-out against Dominik Hasek.
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 Canadian response and lack of support
for its national team. His temper boiled over after Canada's 3-3 draw
vs. the Czech Republic, calling the criticism of his outburst "American
propaganda," saying, "they're loving us not doing well," refering to
American hockey fans. American hockey fans on-line began calling Gretzky
a "cry-baby" for his emotional public display. Defenders said he was
merely borrowing a page from former coach Glen Sather to take the
pressure off his players. Canada beat the U.S. to win the gold medal 50
years to the day after the Edmonton Waterloo Mercurys won the nation's
last gold medal in ice hockey. Gretzky has also expressed interest in
managing Canada's men's hockey team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in
Turin, Italy. He was asked to manage Canada's team at the 2005 Ice
Hockey World Championships, but declined due to his mother's poor
health. His mother is suffering from cancer. Even though he wasn't
officially a member of the management staff, he was consulted regularly
about decisions. Canada won the silver medal.
Honours and Accolades
Male Athlete of the
Decade
In 1982, Gretzky became the
first hockey player and first Canadian to be named Associated Press Male
Athlete of the Year. He was also named Sports Illustrated Magazine's
1982 "Sportsman of the Year." In 1990, the AP named him Male Athlete of
the Decade.
Order of Canada
Gretzky was named an
officer of the Order of Canada on June 25, 1984, during his heyday with
the Edmonton Oilers, for outstanding contribution to the sport of
hockey.
Since the Order ceremonies
are always held during the hockey season, it took 13 years, seven months
and two governor generals before Gretzky could accept the honour.
Greatest Hockey Player
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, ahead of the once
seemingly incomparable Bobby Orr and Gordie Howe.
Fifth Greatest Athlete
In 1999, ESPN named Gretzky
the fifth greatest athlete of the 20th century. Gretzky, the most
honoured player in a team sport with nine MVP awards, was voted No. 5
among North American athletes by SportsCentury's distinguished 48-person
panel. Only Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali and Jim Brown
preceded him.
The Wayne Gretzky Trophy
The Ontario Hockey League
has named a trophy after the Great Gretzky. The OHL hands out the Wayne
Gretzky Trophy to the winner of the Western Conference each year.
Off the ice
While in Edmonton, he
endorsed everything from soft drinks and blue jeans to his own
wallpaper, pillow cases, breakfast cereal, chocolate bars, and a Mattel
"Great Gretzky" doll. Past and present plugs include Thrifty Car Rental,
Peak Antifreeze, Ford Motor Company (in Canada only), Coca-Cola, Esso,
McDonald's, Campbell's Soup, Primestar TV, Upper Deck, Nike, Ultra
Wheels, Hallmark Cards, Zurich Insurance, Tylenol and Canadian Imperial
Bank of Commerce. He and his son Ty did commercials for the Sharp
Viewcam. He hosted Saturday Night Live in 1989, though this re-inforced
the notion among the public that he had better not quit his day job to
pursue an acting career. He lent his likeness to a 1992 cartoon show,
Pro-Stars, and video games in 1996 and 2004. He posed for the cover of
Cigar Aficionado Magazine with Janet. In 1998, he launched a line of
fashion menswear, and signed a licensing agreement with a phone card
company. He owns a restaurant, Hespeler sports equipment, and co-owns a
chain of roller-hockey rinks. After his retirement, he became the
spokesman for Power Automotive Group of Southern California, and Tylenol
Arthritis Formula. Forbes estimates that Gretzky earned $93.8 million
from hockey and endorsements from 1990-98.
In 2000, he became
Alternate Governor and Managing Partner of the Phoenix Coyotes NHL team.
Gretzky owns 17% of the team. In 2004, he was voted one of the ten
Greatest Canadians in a CBC poll.
A "Gretzky" has also become
the nickname of a legendary coffee at Tim Hortons: with 9 cream and 9
sugars (99, Gretzky's number).
In poker, a pair of 9's is
sometimes called a Gretzky.
[Added by PSP: There are allegations (Feb,
2006) that his wife has bet on hockey while he was playing and worse
yet, that he knew about it.]
Quotations
-
Skate "to
where the puck is going, not where it's been." -- From his father,
Walter (Gretzky & Reilly, 1990, pg. 88.)
-
"100% of
the shots you don't take don't go in."
* * * *
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