Wayne Gretzky was recognized as one of the greatest hockey players of all time by almost everyone when he broke several Gordie Howe records. He became the all-time leading scorer with his 802th goal, and also the all-time scorer when he scored his 1852 point.
Wayne was born and raised in Ontario, Canada, and his father built a backyard ice rink when Wayne was six years old. He practiced every day for hours, and his father taught him the skills of skating, shooting, and stick handling. Even at the age of six, Wayne played on a team of ten, far beyond the typical skill range of a six-year-old. Twelve months he scored 378 goals on a peewee team, and earned the nickname “The White Tornado” for his talent and white gloves.
Wayne went after Toronto at the age of fourteen for more hockey opportunities, and at 16 he played in the World Junior Championships. He was thought to be too small and light to even make the Canadian team, but here, he was named top center and was the scoring leader for the entire competition. Wayne knew he was looking to play professional hockey, but at 17 he was too young for the minimum age of 20 in the NHL draft, so he signed a contract with the Indianapolis Racers. That hockey team was in financial trouble, so Gretzky was transferred to the Edmonton Oilers, where he became universally known. In his freshman year at Edmonton he attracted a lot of attention, but only won one hockey trophy that year, the Hart Trophy.
The following year, 1980, Wayne’s march began to claim many of hockey’s statistics as his own. He won his first scoring title and set a new assists record of 109, to surpass Bobby Orr. The following year, he beat Phil Esposito’s record of 76 ambitions in one season, which many people had thought would stand forever. Gretzky scored 92 goals in one season, which many people now consider simply impossible to break. He also recorded 212 points in one season, and is the only player to have done so. He is the only hockey player to break 200 points in one season, and he repeated that feat for four seasons.
Gretzky had some signature moves. He was known for not using a man who skated in front of him, but for using the man who followed him in races. When the team took a penalty, Gretzky did not ice the puck in a defensive role, but instead tried to surprise the other team by scoring under manpower. He would also skate past the blue line and then curl up, where he would wait for defenders to join him and create a genuine scoring perspective. “Gretzky’s office” was the area behind the other team’s goal, because he made a lot of perfect passes for scoring opportunities from there.
After playing with various teams, Wayne Gretzky ended his professional hockey career with the New York Rangers in the 1998-1999 season. The National Hockey League retired its number 99, a well-deserved tribute to an extraordinary player.