Wayne Gretzky, former hockey player and coach, was born on January 26th, 1961, in Brantford, Canada.
The talented Gretzky was a professional hockey player from 1978 to 1999. He played for popular teams, including the New York Rangers! His immense talent earned him a spot in The Hockey Hall of Fame after his retirement in 1999. Although his professional career started in 1978, at age 17, he had been playing hockey since he was six years old! With that in mind, let us jump right into his life and career!
Gretzky’s dad taught him and his brothers how to play hockey on a homemade ice rink in their backyard; this lead him down the path of becoming a prodigy. At the age of six, the local team he played on was meant for children four years older than him. Gretzky also achieved an astonishing amount of goals by the time he was ten, 378, to be exact! He continued to add to his already impressive amateur stats up until his WHA (World Hockey Association) signing at age 17.
In the 70s, the budding WHA would sign people under the age of 20, unlike the NHL. So, in 1978 the WHA signed 17-year-old Gretzky; he was recruited by teams like the Indianapolis Racers and Birmingham Bulls. Gretzky officially signed with the Racers on June 12th, 1978; this would be the start of a long and lustrous career!
Despite Gretzky’s top-notch skills, he only played eight games with the Indianapolis Racers. The team was losing large sums of money each game, but the Racers’ owner Nelson Skalbania told Gretzky he would be given a spot on another team. Gretzky became a player for the Edmonton Oilers shortly after.
From 1979 to 1988, Gretzky played for the Oilers, garnering many awards during his time with the team. Some of those awards include,
- Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year (1982)
- Ted Lindsay Award (1984, 1985, and 1987)
- NHL Plus-Minus Award (1984, 1985, and 1987)
- Conn Smythe Trophy (1985 and 1988)
- Hart Memorial Trophy (1986 and 1987)
Gretzky has always been a legend!
After his nine-year stint with the Oilers, Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, where he was designated alternate captain. He was with the team from 1988 to 1996. When Gretzky began playing for the Kings, the NHL noticed an increase in event attendance. They speculated that this was due to Gretzky joining the team.
In the 1992 to 1993 regular season, Gretzky was sidelined due to a back injury. Although, he was healed by playoff time, helping lead his team to the Stanley Cup Finals that year. Unfortunately, they did not win the Stanley Cup that season.
Gretzky signed with St. Louis Blues in 1996. He played 31 games with the team before moving to the New York Rangers.
From 1996 to 1999, Gretzky played three seasons with the Rangers before his retirement. During his final season, he broke the goal-scoring record with 1,071 goals.
Wayne Gretzky is argued to be the greatest hockey player of all time, and boy, are those arguments valid! He now lives in California with his wife, Janet Jones. Do you think he is the greatest hockey player of all time? He might be!