Wayne Gretzky
From The UCSC Wikipedia Trust Project
Template:Featured articleTemplate:Infobox Ice Hockey PlayerWayne Douglas Gretzky, OC (born January 26, 1961) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently part-owner and head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes.
Born in Brantford, Ontario and nicknamed "The Great One," Total Hockey: The Official Encyclopedia of the NHL calls Gretzky "the greatest player of all time".[1] He is generally regarded as the best player of his era and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever"[2] by many sportswriters,[3][4][5] players,[6] coaches, and fans. Along with his many awards and achievements, he is the only player to ever have his playing number, 99, officially retired across the entire National Hockey League.
Identified as a hockey prodigy at a very young age, Gretzky regularly played at a level far above his peers.[7] He became a full professional at the age of 17 in the World Hockey Association, leading to a long career in the NHL. He set 40 regular-season records, 15 playoff records, 6 All-Star records, won four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, and won 9 MVP awards and 10 scoring titles. He is the only player ever to total over 200 points in a season (a feat that he accomplished four times in his career). In addition, he tallied over 100 points a season for 15 NHL seasons, 13 of them consecutively.
He retired from playing in 1999, becoming Executive Director for the Canadian national men's hockey team during the 2002 Winter Olympics. He also became part owner of the Phoenix Coyotes in 2000 and following the 2004-05 NHL lockout became their head coach.
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Early years and the WHA
Gretzky's paternal grandparents were ethnic Polish immigrants who came to Canada at the beginning of the 20th century from the town of Mogilev in the Russian Empire (now Belarus).[8] Taught by his father Walter, Gretzky was a classic prodigy. At age 6 he was skating with 10-year-olds. By the age of ten he scored 378 goals and 139 assists in just 85 games with the Nadrofsky Steelers and the first story on him was published in the Toronto Telegram. At 14, partly to further Wayne's career, and partly to remove him from the uncomfortable pressure he faced in his hometown, the Gretzkys challenged the Canadian amateur hockey rules to win Wayne the right to play elsewhere, something which was disallowed at the time. The Gretzkys won, and Wayne moved to Toronto to play Junior B hockey with the Toronto Nationals. He earned Rookie of the year honours in the Metro Junior B Hockey League in 1975-76, with 60 points in 28 games. The following year, as a 15 year old, he had 72 points in 32 games with the Seneca Nats. In addition, he signed with his first agent.
Despite his celebrity, Gretzky was bypassed by two teams in the 1977 OHA Midget Draft. Oshawa picked Tom McCarthy, and Niagara Falls picked Steve Peters second overall. With the third pick, the Greyhounds selected Gretzky. The Greyhounds took him, even though Walter Gretzky had written the team to advise that Wayne wouldn't move to Sault Ste. Marie, a city with a northern Ontario location that inflicts a heavy traveling schedule on its junior team. He played a season in the Ontario Hockey League at the age of 16 with the Greyhounds. While playing for the Greyhounds, he began wearing the number 99 on his jersey. He had originally wanted to wear number 9 — for his old hero Gordie Howe — but it was already being worn by another teammate, Brian Gualazzi. At coach Muzz MacPherson's suggestion, Gretzky settled on 99.[9]
He became the youngest player to compete in the World Junior Championships when he participated in Montreal in 1978 at age 16.[10] Despite being the youngest player in the tournament by far, he finished as the tournament's top scorer, was voted to the All-Star team and Best Forward of the tournament.[11]
That year (1978-79) he signed with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) as an underage player. The National Hockey League (NHL) does not allow the signing of players under the age of 18, but the WHA had no rules regarding such signings. Racers owner Nelson Skalbania signed the 17-year-old to an eight-year personal services contract worth between $1.12- and $1.75-million US over one to two years. Skalbania knew that the WHA was fading and that the Racers could not hope to be included among any teams taken in by the NHL. He hoped to keep the Racers alive long enough to collect compensation from the surviving teams when the WHA dissolved, as well as any funds earned from selling the young star.
However, eight games into the season, Skalbania needed money. He sold Gretzky to his former partner, and then-owner of the WHA's Edmonton Oilers, Peter Pocklington. Although the announced price was $850,000, Pocklington actually paid $700,000 to purchase Gretzky as well as two other Indianapolis players, goaltender Eddie Mio and forward Peter Driscoll.
On Gretzky's 18th birthday, January 26, 1979, Pocklington signed him to a 20-year personal services contract (the longest in hockey history) worth $4-5 million US. Gretzky went on to capture the Lou Kaplan Trophy for rookie of the year, finish third in league scoring (110 points), and help the Oilers to first overall in the league. The Oilers reached the Avco World Trophy finals before losing to the Winnipeg Jets. It would be Gretzky's only year in the WHA, as the league folded following the season.
NHL career
After the World Hockey Association folded in 1979, the Edmonton Oilers and three other teams[12] joined the NHL. Gretzky's success in the WHA carried over into the NHL, despite some critics suggesting he would flounder in what was considered the bigger, tougher, and more talented NHL.[13]
Edmonton Oilers (1979-1988)
In his first NHL season, 1979-80, Gretzky proved his critics wrong. He was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the League's Most Valuable Player (the first of eight in a row[14]) and tied for the scoring lead with Marcel Dionne with 137 points, which remains the most points by a first-year player. Since Dionne scored more goals (53 vs. Gretzky's 51), he was awarded the Art Ross Trophy over Gretzky (It is also worth noting that Gretzky played 78 games to Dionne's 80). Gretzky became the youngest player to score 50 goals but was not eligible for the Calder Memorial Trophy, given to the top NHL rookie, because of his previous year of professional experience. The rule was later changed. Instead, Boston Bruins' defenseman Ray Bourque won it.
In his second season, Gretzky won the Art Ross (the first of seven consecutive[15]) with a then-record 164 points, breaking both Bobby Orr's record for assists in a season (102) and Phil Esposito's record for points in a season (152). He won his second straight Hart Trophy.
During the 1981-82 season, he surpassed a record that had stood for 35 years: 50 goals in 50 games. Set by Maurice "Rocket" Richard during the 1944-45 NHL season and tied by Mike Bossy during the 1980-81 NHL season, Gretzky accomplished the feat in only 39 games. His 50th goal of the season came on December 30, 1981 in the final seconds of a 7-5 win against the Philadelphia Flyers and was his fifth of the game. Later that season, Gretzky broke Esposito's record for most goals in a season (76) on February 24 1982 scoring three goals to help beat the Buffalo Sabres, 6-3. He ended the 1981-82 season with records of 92 goals, 120 assists, and 212 points in 80 games, becoming the first and only player in NHL history to break the 200-point mark.[16] That year, 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."
The following seasons would see Gretzky break his own assists record three more times (125 [1982-1983], 135 [1984-1985], and 163 [1985-1986]; he also bettered that mark in the 1990-1991 season with 121) and his point record one more time (215).[17] By the time he finished playing in Edmonton, he held or shared 49 NHL records, which in itself was a record.
The Edmonton Oilers finished their last WHA season first overall in the regular season.[18] The same success was not immediate when they joined the NHL, but within 4 seasons, the Oilers were competing for the Stanley Cup. The Oilers were a young, strong team featuring forwards Mark Messier, Gretzky, Glenn Anderson and Jari Kurri, defenceman Paul Coffey, and goaltender Grant Fuhr. Gretzky was 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 the Stanley Cup, their first of five in seven years. Gretzky was named an officer of the Order of Canada on June 25, 1984 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 Governors-General before he could accept the honour. The Oilers, with Gretzky, also won the Cup in 1985, 1987, and 1988; and without him in 1990.
"The Trade" - Los Angeles Kings (1988-1996)
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 (Jason Soules), 1991 (Tyler Wright), and 1993 (Jason Arnott). "The Trade," as it came to be known,[19] upset Canadians to the extent that New Democratic Party House Leader Nelson Riis demanded the government to block it,[20] and Pocklington was burned in effigy.[21] Gretzky himself was considered a "traitor" by some Canadians for turning his back on his adopted hometown, his home province, and his home country; his motivation was widely rumoured to be to further his wife's acting career.[22] Others believe it was Pocklington who instigated the trade, seeking to benefit personally from the transaction. 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 1989 playoffs. Despite being underdogs against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Oilers in the Smythe Division semifinals, Gretzky led the Kings to a shocking upset of his old squad, spearheading the Kings' return from a 3-1 series deficit to win the series 4-3. For only the second time in his NHL career, Gretzky finished second in scoring, but narrowly beat out Mario Lemieux (who scored 199 points) for the Hart Trophy as MVP. Many credit Gretzky's arrival with putting non-traditional U.S. hockey markets on "the NHL map"; not only did California receive two more NHL franchises (the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the San Jose Sharks) during Gretzky's tenure in L.A., but his popularity in Southern California proved to be an impetus in the league establishing teams in other parts of the U.S. Sun Belt.[23] In 1990, the AP named him Male Athlete of the Decade.
After being sidelined during the 1992-93 season with an upper back injury (the only year in which he didn't lead his team in scoring), Gretzky's tenure with the Kings reached its peak when he scored a hat trick in Game 7 of the 1993 Campbell Conference Finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs, propelling the Kings into the Stanley Cup Finals. After winning the first game of the series, however, the team narrowly 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.
A Stopover in St. Louis (1996)
On February 27, 1996 he joined the St. Louis Blues in a trade for Patrice Tardif, Roman Vopat, Craig Johnson, and draft picks. He scored 37 points in 31 games for the team in both the regular season and the playoffs, and the Blues came within one overtime game of the Conference finals. He also served as the team's captain in his short tenure with the Blues. Unfortunately, he never clicked with the team or with his new right-winger, “The Golden Brett” Hull, on the ice as well as many had expected. On July 12, he signed with the New York Rangers as a free agent, rejoining longtime Oilers teammate Mark Messier.
New York Rangers (1996-1999)
Gretzky ended his professional career with the Rangers. He played his final three seasons there and helped the team reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 1997. The Rangers were defeated in the conference finals by the Philadelphia Flyers. For the first time in his NHL career, Gretzky did not have to wear the team's captaincy during his Rangers stint (Gretzky only wore the captain's 'C' when the regular team captain was injured)).
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.
He participated in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Expectations were high for the Canadian team, but without the presence of Mario Lemieux (with whom Gretzky did well in the 1987 Canada Cup) and several other star Canadians due to injury, the team lost to the Czech Republic in the semi-finals.
His last NHL game in Canada was on April 16, 1999, in a 2-2 tie with the Ottawa Senators, and his final game was a 2-1 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 18 in which Jaromir Jagr scored the winning goal. The national anthems in that game were adjusted to accommodate Gretzky's departure. In place of "O Canada, we stand on guard for thee", Bryan Adams sang "We're going to miss you Wayne Gretzky".[24] The Star-Spangled Banner, sung by John Amirante, was changed from "the land of the free" to "the land of Wayne Gretzky". He scored his final point in this game, assisting on the lone New York goal scored by Brian Leetch. Gretzky was named as the first, second, and third star of both games. Only Maurice Richard has had such an honour, when during the Stanley Cup Playoffs on March 23, 1944, he scored five dominating goals against the Toronto Maple Leafs. His Montreal Canadiens won 5-1.
At the time of his retirement, Gretzky was the second-to-last WHA player still active in professional hockey, Mark Messier being the last.
Skills
Gretzky's dominance throughout his career was attributed to the amount of time he practiced (by his own account, at least 4-5 hours a day) and also that he was a natural prodigy. At 16, Gretzky's skills were already described as "a magic touch," that he had a good shot, moved the puck very well and never quit, playing "both ways" (defense as well as offense) and a player that any team could build their hockey club around. It was said that he "seems to have eyes in the back of his head" and had a knack of "rolling with a check."[25]
By the time of his retirement, Gretzky had become known for setting up behind the net, which acquired the nickname of "Gretzky's office" because "he went to work there," passing to teammates like Luc Robitaille or Kurri or jumping out quickly for a wrap-around goal. In honour of that, for his last game there were two large "99s" painted on the ice behind the goal [26] No less an expert than Bobby Orr said he "thinks so far ahead," while Gretzky himself referred to it as having "...a feeling about where a teammate is going to be, a lot of times, I can turn and pass without looking."[27]
Post-retirement
Gretzky was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 22, 1999, becoming the tenth player to bypass the three-year waiting period. The NHL then stated that he would be the last player to do so. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2000. In addition Gretzky's #99 was retired league-wide at the 2000 NHL All-Star Game. Later that year, he became Alternate Governor and Managing Partner of the Phoenix Coyotes NHL team. Rumours began regarding Gretzky becoming the head coach of the team, but were nixed by Gretzky and the rest of the Coyotes' ownership.[28] Despite previous denials however, on August 8 2005 Gretzky agreed to become the new coach of the Coyotes. This was announced following the conclusion of the 2004-05 NHL lockout and may have been partly a marketing decision due to the league's financial struggles, though few question Gretzky's overriding motive to win hockey games.
In the time leading up to Gretzky's announcement, several prominent free agents signed with Phoenix citing the chance to play for Gretzky, including Brett Hull. Hull, who was briefly Gretzky's right winger, only lasted five games and only scored one assist before retiring. Ironically, "The Golden Brett" would have had the record for the most goals over any given three seasons — he scored 228 goals between 1989-90 and 1991-92 — if it weren't for The Gretzky. From 1981-82 to 1983-84, Gretzky scored 254 goals.
Gretzky made his coaching debut on October 5, 2005, the opening night of the 2005-06 NHL season, losing 3-2 to the Vancouver Canucks. His first coaching victory was October 8, 2005, beating the Minnesota Wild 2-1. Gretzky took an indefinite leave of absence as coach on December 17, 2005 to care for his ill mother in Brantford, Ontario. His mother lost her battle to lung cancer two days later, passing away on December 19, 2005. Assistant coach Rick Tocchet assumed the position until Gretzky's return on December 28. Coyotes' CEO Jeff Shumway announced on June 5, 2006 that Gretzky has agreed to a new five-year contract to remain as head coach.
Winter Olympics
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 speculation regarding his team's uninspiring 1-1-1 start. His temper boiled over after Canada's 3-3 draw vs. the Czech Republic, as he launched a tirade against the perceived negative reputation of Team Canada amongst other national squads, and called rumours of dissent in the dressing room the result of "American propaganda." "They're loving us not doing well," he said, referring to American hockey fans. American fans online began calling Gretzky a "crybaby"; defenders said he was merely borrowing a page from former coach Glen Sather to take the pressure off his players. Canada went on to win the gold medal.</