Gretzky, Hockey Legend - By: Richard Poulin

Wayne Gretzky was born January. 26, 1961 in Brantford, Ontario 1961 near to Toronto, Ontario, CANADA. When he was two, he was given his first skates . Wayne started skating and his every move was recorded on his dad's movie camera .

By obeying his father's advice to go where the puck was headed, not where it was he outshone his rivals.

Is he the Great One? When 100 point seasons were rare , Wayne Gretzky was reaching 200 . Wayne did it four times , he alone has done it .In 1985-86 he peaked at 215 points. In 1981 he broke the 50 goals in 50 games record long held by the most famous Maurice Richard . Wayne was just 20 years old. He accomplished it in just 39 games by scoring nine goals in Games 38 and 39. It was no fluke . Wayne did it again 9 times in the 80's!

Gretzky shocked the hockey world by scoring 92 goals in 1981-82, beating Phil Esposito's mark of 76. Gretzky additionally has the record assists in one year, 1986 of 163.

Each yr. through the 1980's one new he would win both the Hart and the Ross trophies. The Hart was his nine times, better than any other star in any team sport, and the Ross netting trophy 7 times in the 1980's , and then three more times in the 1990's . Gretzky was the greatest player on the best team at that time , giving Edmonton four Cups in 5 years plus two Playoff MVP honors in those same years.
The shifty Gretzky did not have the look of a superstar at 5'11" and 175lbs. His imposing talent lay elsewhere, not in brawn and muscle. His gift was intelligence, anticipation and an ablility to see the whole play as it developped.

Gretzky saw what would likely happen, where the others players would be in the following seconds .

Gretzky couldn't beat players with his strength ; Wayne did not have a hard shot; Gretzky wasn't the quickest of skaters . It was his vision, anticipation and intelligence that set him apart

Wayne often claimed he could sense where player were without actually seeing them. Then he could pass without really looking .

Despite his success, he was always respectful of his fans. Wayne never refused to give an autograph. Wayne new that for that fan, that youngster, it could seem like the greatest thing that ever happened in his life.

Gretzky shone as a kid, and as a teenager player and then blossemed into the Great One in the NHL. Wayne alwaysproved worthy of his moniker, the Great One.

He was just barely 18 when he signed with Edmonton for three years and $10,000,000. They were pleased, he won the rookie of the yr. award that yr. and cumulated 104 points.

The following year Gretzky quieted all remaining skeptics by becoming the youngest player at 19 to score 50 goals in a year and lead all players with a 137 point year.

The Oilers, now in financial difficulty, traded Wayne to the L.A. Kings in 1988.
Gretzky played in L.A. for 8 years and went on to St Louis then the Rangers.

On Oct. 15, 1989, No. 99 became the No. one all-time NHL scorer with his 1,851st point, passing Howe. 4 years went by before he passed his hero once more with a 802nd goal

By the time he retired in 1999 he had 2, 857 points recorded in the NHL. Howe's record had been over 1,000 less. More of a play-maker than a scorer, his goals statistic was still a most satisfactory 894 in a 20 year career, once again an NHL record .

About the Author

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