HOCKEY NOTES

Wayne Gretzky (The Great One)

Center

6-0

b. 26 Jan 1961 Brantford, Ontario

What can be said about Wayne Gretzky that hasn't already been said? From a modest house at 42 Varadi Avenue in the sleepy town of Brantford, Ontario, came the most dominant offensive force in the history of organized hockey. While some may make the argument that Gordie Howe played for 1,000 more years or Wayne Gretzky that Mario Lemieux could score a goal while carrying a baby elephant on his back, Gretzky has proven himself time and time again. He is the Great One.

Gretzky entered the major leagues with the Edmonton Oilers, who in 1979 made the jump from the mortally wounded WHA to the NHL. The impact of this skinny little guy on the National League was immediate and shocking. In his first season in the NHL, he managed 51 goals and 137 points. Amazing! Who was this kid? Where did he come from? In the space of one season, he had ripped the Mr. Big title from the hands of Montreal Canadiens' legend Guy Lafleur, eclipsing the Flower's best single season point total by a tick. Globe and Mail writer Allen Abel was as confused as everyone else:

Naked, the Great Gretzky does not look like the next Bobby Hull. Sheaves of shaggy gold hair tickle his shoulders. A mustache is fighting to break through his upper lip, and losing. You've seen physiques like his in Charles Atlas ads, above the caption 'Before.' His lean face is ravaged by acne. Lord knows the lad can afford Stridex Medicated Pads.

Gretzky took the NHL by storm. The little boy Quebec City hockey fans used to call "Le Grand" and "Tornado" had grown into the NHL -- and how! He went from 137 points in his first season to 164 to a record 212 in 1981-82. Coming into the mid-1980s, Gretzky was at the peak of his colossal powers. Over the next little while, there would be Stanley Cups aplenty. The Oilers shook off the seemingly indomitable New York Islanders in 1984 for their first ever Cup and came through again in 1985, 1987, and 1988. In the last of these "Gretzky" Cups, the Great One was particularly impressive in rebounding from a "sub-par" 149-point season to cop the Conn Smythe Trophy.

On August 9, 1988, only a few months after taking Edmonton to its fourth Cup in five years, Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings. Although quite shaken by the deal, the Great One came through big in the City of Angels. Hockey, which had always been some kind of a joke in southern California, took on new life. The Great One's image was marketed to one of the largest centers in the United States, and to great effect. By 1990, the game was never more popular. Even Hollywood celebrities were snapping up tickets to what had become the hottest game in town. Gretzky rang off point totals of 168, 142, 163, and 121 in his first four seasons as a King. In 1993, he caught fire in the playoffs to lead Los Angeles to the Cup finals. Although the Kings would ultimately succumb to the Montreal Canadiens, hockey had officially arrived in Los Angeles. The Toronto Sun's John Robertson knocked hockey's golden boy:

[Gretzky's] too perfect. Just once I'd like to see him score on his own net. Or shoot from a bad angle when he should have passed. Or take a dumb penalty. Or go on TV with a booger hanging from his nose ... He darts up the ice like Bambi stalking a butterfly. Genuine hockey heroes should not have weak chins and high-pitched voices.

Indeed, Gretzky was the NHL's poster boy, the hockey hero of a new generation of fans. He has broken virtually every offensive record known to man, scoring close to 3,000 points in 20 years in the NHL. Who else but the Great One would have more assists than any other player in hockey history has points? Add to that 10 Art Ross trophies, five Lady Byngs, nine Harts, two Conn Smythes, and four championship rings -- enough hardware to open up a store. He starred for 21 winters in two professional leagues, four Canada Cup tournaments, a World Cup tournament, and an Olympic Games tournament. Not bad for a skinny little fellow from southwestern Ontario.

After much reflection, the Great One decided to retire at the end of the 1998-99 campaign. His much-hyped retirement ceremony took up most of a Sunday afternoon before a game between the Rangers and the Penguins. Before that game, league commissioner Gary Bettman retired Gretzky's legendary #99 league-wide. Gretzky will join the rest of hockey's best in the Hockey Hall of Fame in November 1999. 

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