Gretzky: Great Then, Greater Now
By Gerry Calamia
Photos courtesy of the Phoenix Coyotes, Norm Hall/NHLI
When Wayne Gretzky was six years old, his father, Walter, built a rink for him in the backyard of their house in Brantford, Ontario. This was the first step toward the pinnacle of his sport that Gretzky would reach by becoming the greatest team player the NHL and the world had ever seen.
“The Great One” now uses his talents to run the Phoenix Coyotes as their head coach and to champion great causes through his Wayne Gretzky Foundation, which he started in 2002 to help disadvantaged youngsters throughout North America participate in the sport of hockey. Corporate clients such as JVC, Anheuser-Busch, Pepsi-Cola Canada, and McFarlane Toys have eagerly sought and obtained his endorsement.
He holds or shares sixty-one NHL records, was awarded the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP an astounding nine times, was the captain of four Stanley Cup Championship teams with the Edmonton Oilers, and retired as the NHL’s all-time goal scorer, assists, and total-points leader. He helped Team Canada win three Canada Cup Titles, and then in 2002 coached the Canadian Men’s Olympic Team to its first gold medal in fifty years at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
In 1988, when Gretzky was sent from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings in what is known as The Trade, hockey in America would never be the same. Gretzky’s influence created big changes, which brought the NHL into Western and Southern U.S. markets where it had never been before. In 2000, even Gretzky got involved in the NHL’s expansion by becoming a managing partner of the Phoenix Coyotes. The next step seemed logical: Gretzky became the Phoenix Coyotes’ head coach in 2005.
Gretzky now puts the magic of his storied twenty-year career into his roles as an NHL coach, a father and, through his charitable work with Ronald McDonald House Charities in Canada and Hands that Shape Humanity, a friend to those in need. Maybe we’ll have to start calling him “The Greater One.”
We talked with Gretzky briefly about hockey, his foundation, and his plans for the Coyotes’ future.
North Valley Magazine: Having taken over the coaching ranks of the Phoenix Coyotes since 2005, which would you say has been more challenging: leading a team as its captain or as its coach?
Wayne Gretzky: As a coach. As I player, I felt as if I could affect the outcome. Sometimes, as a coach, I feel helpless.
NVM: What personal changes did you make to prepare yourself for the move from iconic sports athlete to rookie head coach?
WG: Oh, nothing really. I just wanted to do the best job I could do and knew it was going to be a lot of hard work.
NVM: What is your greatest hockey memory as a youth hockey player and as a professional hockey player?
WG: [There are] too many to name, but winning that first Stanley Cup would be tough to beat.
NVM: You have played with some Hall of Famers such as Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, and Grant Fuhr (the current Coyotes goalie coach) during your career. How has this helped you when considering young prospects for the draft selections of the Coyotes?
WG: Players like those come along once in a lifetime. Every player is different, and our great scouting staff leads the way in that regard.
NVM: April 16, 1999 was your final NHL game in Canada at Ottawa, and April 18, 1999 was your last NHL game with the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. What memories stick out as the Canadian and American fans said goodbye and thanked you?
WG: Mostly that I was so happy that they appreciated my love for the game, and I think that is what they were applauding.
NVM: If you had to choose something other than hockey to excel in, what would “The Great One” have chosen?
WG: I really loved baseball a lot when I was growing up. I always loved to play.
NVM: Your foundation recently announced the partnership with Ford Canada to sponsor The Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic Golf Tournament, featuring professionals playing with amateurs beginning in 2008. How did the idea for a foundation arise?
WG: The foundation is just a nice way to give back and help people. I am very fortunate to have been blessed in so many ways, and the foundation lets us share our blessings.
NVM: What made you finally decide to coach the Coyotes after having been a managing partner for nearly five years?
WG: It’s as close to the game as you can get without being a player, and I missed being in the game.
NVM: With the Coyotes out of the NHL’s playoff race for 2008, what are the team’s goals as well as your own goals for next season?
WG: Our goal next year and every year is to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs and do a lot of damage when we get there.
NVM: When you do have free time, other than golfing, what can we find Gretzky doing?
WG: Spending time with my family and friends.
NVM: What advice can you offer young players pursuing their hockey dreams?
WG: Work hard and stay passionate about your dream.
Timeline:
January 1, 1967—Wayne Gretzky records his first goal at age six while playing against ten-year-olds.
April 30, 1972—In 82 games, Wayne compiles 378 goals and 139 assists for a 517-point season as an eleven-year-old.
November 30, 1977—With Wayne’s number 9 unavailable on his Soo Greyhounds Junior Hockey Team, he decides on the number 99, and the rest is legend.
October 14, 1978—Wayne plays his first pro game for the Indianapolis Racers of the WHA in a 6–3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
October 14, 1979—Wayne scores his first ever NHL goal against the Vancouver Canucks goalie Glen Hanlon.
December 30, 1981—Wayne scores five goals in one game, giving him fifty goals for the season in an unimaginable thirty-nine games.
May 19, 1984—Wayne Gretzky leads the Oilers to their first-ever Stanley Cup by beating the New York Islanders, who had won the previous four consecutive Stanley Cups.
November 22, 1986—Wayne scores his 500th career goal against the Vancouver Canucks, becoming the fastest player to reach this milestone in only his 575th NHL game.
May 26, 1989—The Edmonton Oilers win their fourth Stanley Cup in five years, which would be Wayne’s last Cup in his career.
October 15, 1989—Wayne passes Gordie Howe as the all-time points leader in the history of the NHL.
March 23, 1994—Wayne passes “Mr. Hockey” Gordie Howe with his 802nd goal, becoming the NHL’s greatest goal scorer of all time.
April 16 and 18, 1999—Wayne announces his retirement and plays his final NHL game in Madison Square Garden as a New York Ranger.
April 26, 1999—Seven days after Wayne hangs up the skates, the Hockey Hall of Fame waives the three-year waiting period to induct the Great One.
August 8, 2005—Wayne Gretzky becomes the coach for the Phoenix Coyotes.
For more information on the Phoenix Coyotes, including schedule and ticket information, visit coyotes.nhl.com.