Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1999
Born	(1961-01-26) January 26, 1961 Brantford, Ontario, CAN
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position	Centre
Played for	WHA  Indianapolis Racers  Edmonton Oilers NHL  Edmonton Oilers  Los Angeles Kings  St. Louis Blues  New York Rangers
Playing career	1978–1999

Wayne Douglas Gretzky, OC (born January 26, 1961) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player, currently coach and part-owner of the Phoenix Coyotes. Born and raised in Brantford, Ontario, Gretzky regularly played at a level far above his peers. In 1978, he signed with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association (WHA), where he briefly played before being signed by the Edmonton Oilers. When the WHA folded, the Oilers joined the National Hockey League (NHL), where Gretzky won four Stanley Cups, nine Hart Trophies as the most valuable player, and ten Art Ross Trophies for most points in a season.

Nicknamed "The Great One", Gretzky was called "the greatest player of all time" in Total Hockey: The Official Encyclopedia of the NHL. He is generally regarded as the best player in history, and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters, players, and coaches. Upon his retirement on April 18, 1999, he held forty regular-season records, fifteen playoff records, and six All-Star records. He is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season — a feat he accomplished four times. In addition, he tallied over 100 points a season for 15 NHL seasons, 13 of them consecutively. He is the only player to have his number (99) officially retired by the National Hockey League for all teams.

After his retirement in 1999, he was immediately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He became Executive Director for the Canadian national men's hockey team during the 2002 Winter Olympics, where the team won a gold medal. In 2000, he became part owner of the Phoenix Coyotes and following the 2004-05 NHL lockout became their head coach.

Early years

Gretzky's paternal grandfather was an immigrant who came to Canada via the United States at the beginning of the 20th century from the former Russian imperial province of Grodno, now part of Belarus. His father, Walter Gretzky has referred to himself as being from Belarus, while on other occasions the family mentioned its Polish ancestry. In a 1999 Hockey Hall Of Fame inductee press conference, Gretzky stated "Thank God I'm Polish" when a friendly joke was made about another inductee of Scottish descent who wore a traditional Scottish kilt as a dedication to his heritage.

Wayne's father Walter turned the Gretzky backyard into a rink by leaving a water sprinkler running all winter; Walter taught Wayne and his brothers Keith, Brent, and Glenn to play hockey. In an unusually-frank 1990 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Gretzky related how Walter would build him up one minute then tear him down the next, reminding him that he could never have an "average" game. Wayne was a classic prodigy whose extraordinary skills made him the target of jealous parents.

Gretzky always played at a level far above his peers. 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. The first media story about him was published during this time 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, 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 same team, then known as the Seneca Nationals. In addition, he signed with his first agent, Bob Behnke.

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 would not 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 originally wanted to wear number 9 — for his old hero Gordie Howe — but it was already being worn by his teammate, Brian Gualazzi. At coach Muzz MacPherson's suggestion, Gretzky settled on 99.

He became the youngest player to compete in the World Junior Championships when he participated in Montreal in 1978 at age 16. Despite being the youngest player in the tournament by far, he finished as the tournament's top scorer, and was voted to the All-Star team and Best Forward of the tournament.

World Hockey Association

That year (1978–79) he signed with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) as an underage player. Prior to signing with Indianapolis, Gretzky was heavily recruited by Birmingham Bulls owner John F. Bassett. Bassett wanted to confront the NHL by signing as many young and promising superstars as possible and saw Gretzky as the most promising young prospect. 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. Wayne Gretzky scored his first professional goal against Dave Dryden of the Edmonton Oilers.

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, 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.

One of the highlights of Gretzky’s season was when he appeared in the 1979 WHA All-Star Game. The format of the game was a three game series between the WHA All-Stars against Moscow Dynamo. The WHA All-Stars were coached by Jacques Demers and Demers put Gretzky on a line with his boyhood idol Gordie Howe and his son Mark Howe. In Game One, the line scored seven points, as the WHA All-Star won by a score of 4-2. In game two, Gretzky and Mark Howe each scored a goal and Gordie Howe picked up an assist as the WHA won 4-2. The line did not score in the final game but the WHA won by a score of 4-3.

Gretzky would finish third in the league in scoring behind Robbie Ftorek and Buddy Cloutier. Gretzky helped the Edmonton Oilers to the Avco Cup finals against the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets goalie was Gary Smith, a teammate of Gretzky while playing for the Indianapolis Racers. Coincidentally, when Wayne Gretzky went to his first game at Maple Leaf Gardens, Gary Smith was one of the goalies in the game. The Maple Leafs played the California Seals and Smith was the Seals' goalie.

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 captured the Lou Kaplan Trophy for rookie of the year, finished third in league scoring (110 points), and helped the Oilers to first overall in the league. The Oilers reached the Avco World Trophy finals before losing to the Winnipeg Jets. It was Gretzky's only year in the WHA, as the league folded following the season. The one award Gretzky never received in the NHL was the one he earned in the WHA: Gretzky was awarded the WHA Rookie of the Year award in its final season.

NHL career

After the World Hockey Association folded in 1979, the Edmonton Oilers and three other teams 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 league.

Edmonton Oilers (1979–1988)

A statue of Gretzky located outside Rexall Place in Edmonton.

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) and tied for the scoring lead with Marcel Dionne with 137 points, which remains the most points by a first-year player. Although Gretzky played 79 games to Dionne's 80, Dionne was awarded the Art Ross Trophy since he scored more goals (53 vs. 51). 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. Instead, Boston Bruins' defenseman Ray Bourque won it. The rule was later changed.

In his second season, Gretzky won the Art Ross (the first of seven consecutive) 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. 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 saw Gretzky break his own assists record three more times (125 1982–83, 135 1984–85, and 163 1985–86; he also bettered that mark (120 assists) in 1986–87 with 121 and 1990–91 with 122) and his point record one more time (215). 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. The same success was not immediate when they joined the NHL, but within four 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 (from 1983–88). 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 with Mark Messier as captain.

"The Trade" - Los Angeles Kings (1988–1996)

On August 9, 1988, in a move that drastically changed the dynamics of the NHL, the Oilers traded Gretzky, along with Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski, to the Los Angeles Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, $15 million in cash, and the Kings' first-round draft picks in 1989 (later traded to the New Jersey Devils - New Jersey selected Jason Miller), 1991 (Martin Rucinsky), and 1993 (Nick Stajduhar). "The Trade", as it came to be known, upset Canadians to the extent that New Democratic Party House Leader Nelson Riis demanded that the government block it and Pocklington was burned in effigy. 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 the furtherance of his wife's acting career. 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 hockey. The Kings, who then played their home games at the Great Western Forum, named Gretzky their captain (a position he held until his trade to St. Louis in 1996) and 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 Pittsburgh's 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. In 1990, the Associated Press named him Male Athlete of the Decade.

Gretzky was sidelined for much of the 1992–93 regular season with an upper back injury, the only year in which he did not lead his team in scoring. However, he performed very well in the playoffs, notably when he scored a hat trick in Game 7 of the Campbell Conference Finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs. This victory propelled the Kings into the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history, where they faced the Montreal Canadiens. After winning the first game of the series by a score of 4–1, however, the team lost the next three games in overtime, and then fell 1–4 in the deciding fifth game where Gretzky failed to get a shot on net. The next season, Gretzky broke Gordie Howe's career goal-scoring record and won the scoring title, but the team began a long slide, and despite numerous player and coaching moves, they failed to qualify for the playoffs again until 1998. Long before then, 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.

St. Louis Blues (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. However, 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)

Wayne Gretzky in a New York Rangers uniform in 1997

Gretzky ended his professional career with the New York Rangers, where he played his final three seasons and helped the team reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 1997. The Rangers were defeated in the conference finals by the Philadelphia Flyers, despite Gretzky leading the Rangers in the playoffs with 10 goals and 10 assists. For the first time in his NHL career, Gretzky was not named captain; during his stint with the Rangers he briefly wore the captain's 'C' when captain Mark Messier and alternate captain Brian Leetch were injured and out of the lineup at the same time. After the 1996–97 season, Mark Messier signed a free agent contract with the Vancouver Canucks, ending the brief reunion of Messier and Gretzky after just one season. With Messier's departure from the Rangers, the spotlight was on Gretzky once again. Unfortunately, the Rangers would not qualify for the playoffs for the remainder of Gretzky's career.

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. However, Gretzky, Steve Yzerman, and Ray Bourque were passed over for the captaincy in favour of the younger Eric Lindros. 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. There was some additional controversy when Gretzky was not selected by coach Marc Crawford for the decisive shootout. Team Canada then lost the bronze medal game 3-2 to Finland, but Gretzky was said to have encouraged all of his teammates to attend the closing ceremony afterwards.

Wayne Gretzky's Farewell Game at Madison Square Garden

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 which had Jaromír Jágr, the future Ranger captain, scoring the game winning goal on April 18, 1999 in the Madison Square Garden. 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". 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.

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,"; he had a good shot, moved the puck very well, never quit, and played "both ways" (defence as well as offence). He was described as a player that any team could build their hockey club around, which is perhaps exemplified by the immediate impact he had on the Los Angeles Kings upon joining them.

In terms of basic athletic abilities, Gretzky was not impressive. Gretzky was 6 feet tall, weighing only 160 pounds as an eighteen year old NHL rookie in 1979 and ending his career in 1999 at 185 pounds. At the beginning of Gretzky's NHL career, many critics at the time opined that Gretzky was "too small, too wiry, and too slow to be a force in the NHL". On the other hand, he had no rival in his intelligence and reading of the game, being able to anticipate where the puck was going to be and execute the right move at the right time.[3]. It was said that he "seems to have eyes in the back of his head" and had a knack of "rolling with a check."

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. Gretzky became accustomed to the position after watching and studying Bobby Clarke play in that zone. In honour of that, for his last game there were two large "99s" painted on the ice behind the goal 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."

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. Despite previous denials however, on August 8 2005 Gretzky agreed to become the new coach of the Coyotes.

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.

Additionally, since Gretzky's retirement, a statue has been erected outside Staples Center, home of his former Los Angeles Kings, in his honor, as well as another statue outside Rexall Place home of his Edmonton Oilers.

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.

Gretzky again acted as Executive Director of Canada's men's hockey team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, though not to the success of 2002; the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals and failed to win a medal. He was asked to manage Canada's team at the 2005 Ice Hockey World Championships, but declined due to his mother's poor health.

The Heritage Classic

Main article: Heritage Classic

Although Gretzky previously stated he would not participate in any old-timers exhibition games, on November 22, 2003, he took to the ice one last time to help celebrate the Edmonton Oilers' 25th anniversary as an NHL team. The Heritage Classic, held at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, was the first NHL game to be played outdoors. It was preceded by the Mega Stars game, which featured Gretzky and many of his Oiler Dynasty teammates against a group of retired Montreal Canadiens players including Claude Lemieux and Guy Lafleur. Despite frigid temperatures, the crowd numbered 57,167 (an NHL record), with an additional several million watching the game on television. The Edmonton alumni won the Megastars game 2–0, while Montreal went on to win the regular season game held later that day, 4-3. The game was subsequently released on DVD entitled Heritage Classic: A November to Remember.

Off the ice

Gretzky met American actress Janet Jones in 1984 when he was a judge on Dance Fever and she was a dancer on the show. They ran into each other at a Los Angeles Lakers game in 1987.

Janet was four months pregnant with Paulina when they married on July 17, 1988. "The Royal Wedding" was broadcast live throughout Canada from Edmonton's St. Joseph's Basilica, although neither Gretzky nor Jones is Roman Catholic. Members of the Fire Department acted as guards at the church steps. The event reportedly cost Gretzky over US$1 million. Gretzky obtained American citizenship after the wedding, and has since resided in the United States. They have 4 other children: Ty Robert (born July 9, 1990), Trevor Douglas (born September 14, 1992), Tristan Wayne (born August 2 2000), and Emma Marie (born March 28, 2003). Ty plays for Shattuck-Saint Mary's Midget AA hockey team, the same school that produced Sidney Crosby.

Gretzky hosted Saturday Night Live in 1989. In 1991 Gretzky purchased the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL with Bruce McNall and John Candy. He and McNall later bought one of the Honus Wagner T206 cigarette cards. In November 2007, Wayne Gretzky and John Candy's names were added to the 1991 Grey Cup as team owners.

Once Gretzky retired, one of Edmonton's busiest inner city highways that passes by the Oilers arena, Capilano Drive, was renamed to "Wayne Gretzky Drive" in October of 1999. Similarly, most of Park Road in his hometown of Brantford, Ontario, is now "Wayne Gretzky Parkway".

He has endorsed a wide variety of products, including denim jeans, his own line of wallpaper, pillow cases, cereal, chocolate bars, clocks, lunch boxes and a Mattel doll. Other endorsements include Koho, Titan, and Easton hockey sticks, Thrifty Rent A Car, Peak Antifreeze, Ford-Canada, Coca-Cola, Esso, McDonald's, Domino's Pizza, Campbell's Soup, the Official All-Star Café, Primestar TV, Upper Deck, Nike, Ultra Wheels, Hallmark Cards, Zürich Insurance, 7 Up, Tylenol, Canadian Imperial Bank, and Power Automotive Group. He and Ty did commercials for the Sharp Viewcam. Gretzky also lent his likeness (along with Michael Jordan and Bo Jackson) to a 1992 cartoon show, ProStars, and video games in 1991, 1996, 2004, and 2006. Forbes estimates that Gretzky earned US$93.8 million from 1990–98. In 1998, Gretzky launched a line of menswear, and signed a licensing agreement with a phone card company. The model of helmet that Gretzky wore, the Jofa VM, is known as the "Gretzky helmet". Gretzky is featured in several lines of McFarlane NHL Sports Picks figures created by Edmonton Oilers co-owner Todd McFarlane.

Gambling controversy

On February 7, 2006, Coyotes assistant coach Rick Tocchet was implicated in a New Jersey-based gambling ring. Bets were allegedly taken from NHL players, Janet Jones and Coyotes GM Michael Barnett, who confirmed to police he placed a bet on Super Bowl XL with Tocchet. Gretzky stated: "I did nothing wrong, or nothing that has to do with anything along the lines of betting; that never happened... I'll say it one more time: I didn't bet, didn't happen, not going to happen, never will happen, hasn't happened, not something I've done." Reports by the Newark Star-Ledger stated that the New Jersey State Police possessed wiretaps with Gretzky speaking to Tocchet. Sources told the paper there is no evidence Gretzky made any bets, but police were attempting to learn if he placed any through his wife. Another source later confirmed that the wiretap occurred after police went to Gretzky's house to question Jones. It was announced on February 16, 2006 that Gretzky would not be charged nor would it be likely his wife would be charged.

On March 15, 2006, the New Jersey attorney general announced it will subpoena Jones to testify as soon as a grand jury convenes. On May 8, Tocchet and Jones filed separate notices that they intend to sue the State of New Jersey for $50 million each for defamation, claiming the investigation damaged their reputations and cost them business opportunities. On August 3, former New Jersey state trooper James Harney pleaded guilty to conspiracy, promoting gambling and official misconduct, and promised to help authorities with their case against Tocchet.

Transactions

• June 12, 1978 - Signed as a free agent with the Indianapolis Racers

• November 2, 1978 - Traded by the Indianapolis Racers, along with Eddie Mio and Peter Driscoll, to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for $700,000 and future considerations.

• August 9, 1988 - Traded by the Edmonton Oilers, along with Mike Krushelnyski and Marty McSorley. to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, Los Angeles' 1989, 1991 and 1993 1st round draft choices and cash.

• February 27, 1996 - Traded by the Los Angeles Kings to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Roman Vopat, Craig Johnson, Patrice Tardif, St. Louis' 1996 5th round draft choice and St. Louis' 1997 1st round draft choice.

• July 21, 1996 - Signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers.

Statistics

Playing career

				Regular season										Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	+/-	PP	SH	GW		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1975–76	Toronto Nationals	MetJHL		28	27	33	60	7	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	Seneca Nationals	MetJHL		32	36	36	72	35	—	—	—	—		23	40	35	75	—
1976–77	Peterborough Petes	OHL		3	0	3	3	0	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1977–78	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds	OHL		64	70	112	182	14	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Indianapolis Racers	WHA		8	3	3	6	0	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Edmonton Oilers	WHA		72	43	61	104	19	—	—	—	—		13	10	10	20	2
1979–80	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		79	51	86	137	21	+15	13	1	6		3	2	1	3	0
1980–81	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		80	55	109	164	28	+41	15	4	3		9	7	14	21	4
1981–82	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		80	92	120	212	26	+81	18	6	12		5	5	7	12	8
1982–83	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		80	71	125	196	59	+60	18	6	9		16	12	26	38	4
1983–84	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		74	87	118	205	39	+76	20	12	11		19	13	22	35	12
1984–85	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		80	73	135	208	52	+98	8	11	7		18	17	30	47	4
1985–86	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		80	52	163	215	46	+71	11	3	6		10	8	11	19	2
1986–87	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		79	62	121	183	28	+70	13	7	4		21	5	29	34	6
1987–88	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		64	40	109	149	24	+39	9	5	3		19	12	31	43	16
1988–89	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		78	54	114	168	26	+15	11	5	5		11	5	17	22	0
1989–90	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		73	40	102	142	42	+8	10	4	4		7	3	7	10	0
1990–91	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		78	41	122	163	16	+30	8	0	5		12	4	11	15	2
1991–92	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		74	31	90	121	34	-12	12	2	2		6	2	5	7	2
1992–93	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		45	16	49	65	6	+6	0	2	1		24	15	25	40	4
1993–94	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		81	38	92	130	20	-25	14	4	0		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		48	11	37	48	6	-20	3	0	1		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		62	15	66	81	32	-7	5	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	St. Louis Blues	NHL		18	8	13	21	2	-6	1	1	1		13	2	14	16	0
1996–97	New York Rangers	NHL		82	25	72	97	28	+12	6	0	2		15	10	10	20	2
1997–98	New York Rangers	NHL		82	23	67	90	28	-11	6	0	4		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	New York Rangers	NHL		70	9	53	62	14	-23	3	0	3		—	—	—	—	—
20 years	Totals	NHL		1487	894	1963	2857	577	+518	204	73	91		208	122	260	382	66

Coaching record

Team	Year	Regular Season						Post Season
		G	W	L	OTL	Pts	Finish	Result
PHX	2005–06	82	38	39	5	81	5th in Pacific	Missed Playoffs
PHX	2006–07	82	31	46	5	67	5th in Pacific	Missed Playoffs

International play

Played for Canada in:

• 1978 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (bronze medal)
• 1981 Canada Cup (silver medal)
• 1982 World Championships (bronze medal)
• 1984 Canada Cup (gold medal)
• 1987 Canada Cup (gold medal)
• 1991 Canada Cup (gold medal)
• 1996 World Cup of Hockey (silver medal)
• 1998 Winter Olympics (failed to medal)

International statistics

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1978	Canada	WJC		6	8	9	17	2
1981	Canada	CC		7	5	7	12	2
1982	Canada	WCh		10	6	8	14	0
1984	Canada	CC		8	5	7	12	2
1987	NHL All-Stars	RV-87		2	0	4	4	0
1987	Canada	CC		9	3	18	21	2
1991	Canada	CC		7	4	8	12	2
1996	Canada	WCp		8	3	4	7	2
1998	Canada	OG		6	0	4	4	2
Int'l Totals				63	34	69	103	14

See also

• List of career achievements by Wayne Gretzky
• List of retired NHL players
• List of NHL seasons
• List of NHL players with 500 goals
• List of NHL statistical leaders

References

• Wayne Gretzky with Rick Reilly (1990). Gretzky: An Autobiography. An Edward Burlingame Book. ISBN 0-06-016339-9
• Wayne Gretzky, John Davidson, and Dan Diamond. 99: My Life in Pictures. ISBN 0-920445-67-5
• SLAM! Presents Wayne Gretzky, Canadian Online Explorer: SLAM! Sports.
• Wayne Gretzky Fansite, Wayne Gretzky Stats, Biography, Career Milestones and Quotes
• Wayne Gretzky on NHL.com

External links

• Wayne Gretzky - The Official Homepage
• NHL.com Wayne Gretzky section
• The Greatest Canadians
• Armstrong Draws Inspiration from Gretzky
• Order of Canada Citation
• United Athletes Magazine Gretzky's physical qualities and abilities.
• Wayne Gretzky career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Gretzky's profile at LegendsOfHockey.net
• CBC Digital Archives – The Great Wayne Gretzky
• Gretzky, Candy to get names etched on Grey Cup
• Wayne Gretzky at IMDb

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