Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky CCis a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey Leaguefor four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "The Great One", he has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters, players, and the NHL itself. He is the leading scorer in NHL history, with more goals and more assists than any other player. He scored more assists than any other player scored total points,...
NationalityCanadian
ProfessionHockey Player
Date of Birth26 January 1961
CityBrantford, Canada
CountryCanada
As I said seven days ago, it doesn't involve me. I'm not involved. I've said it for seven days, it's over and done with.
I like how hard this team played (on the trip) and how unselfish it was. . . . We're playing as a group and that's most important. The outcomes have been better because we're playing better as a group.
The last year I was playing, I asked the stick boy to get me a Diet Coke and he said, "Really?" But I always had one on the bench because that's what I did in 1979 when there wasn't Gatorade. If you needed energy you went and got a Snickers or a Kit Kat. Nobody knew any better.
We played in an era where you were taught to hate your opponent. But life changes. I raise my kids differently than my mom and dad raised their kids.
Blake takes a nice shot, and I think that changed the momentum of the hockey game. We just couldn't find our way back into it.
When I played in a 21-team league, there were six or seven goalies who were just average, and the equipment and pads were smaller. I came in the right era. I played for the right team. It was all speed, and creativity and imagination.
I don't want to get in a situation where he is 90 percent and gets re-injured and is out for another week. . . . We won't take that risk.
Every game is a stepping stone to getting to the final game. We had a really good first period and all of a sudden the tide turned.
If I bet on sports ? I would never embarrass Team Canada or the country or hockey ? I would phone (NHL commissioner) Gary Bettman and Bob Nicholson right now and say you know what, I resign, it's over, even if I made a $1 bet.
I'm just too tired mentally and physically to talk any more about it. There's nothing more for me to talk about. And if you have questions for people involved, contact them.
He works harder than any athlete I've ever been around as far as off-season conditioning goes. He's a maniac . . . I see him playing another three years no question. He could be our ( Julio ) Franco .
In a lot of ways he reminds me of ( Mark ) Messier . He's solid. He's hard. He just wants to win.
Hopefully, they can come up with a compromise that everyone's happy with because it would be great to see us keep playing hockey.
He's meant so much not only to the National Hockey League but to that franchise and the city of Pittsburgh.