Wayne Gretzky I INTRODUCTION Wayne Gretzky, born in 1961, Canadian professional ice hockey player, nicknamed The Great One, who is the National Hockey League (NHL) career leader in goals, assists, and points (goals and assists combined).

Wayne Gretzky I INTRODUCTION Wayne Gretzky, born in 1961, Canadian professional ice hockey player, nicknamed The Great One, who is the National Hockey League (NHL) career leader in goals, assists, and points (goals and assists combined). Playing center for the Edmonton Oilers of the NHL, Gretzky led the team to four Stanley Cup championships during the 1980s. His accomplishments earned him wide recognition as the greatest hockey player ever, and he was especially noted for his ability to improve the performances of his teammates by complementing their playing strengths. A prolific scorer with graceful skating abilities and pinpoint passing skills, Gretzky set more than 60 NHL scoring records during a 20-year career that spanned from the 1979-80 through the 1998-99 seasons. Throughout that time Gretzky's jersey bore the number 99. In a tribute during the final game of his career, the NHL retired the number, meaning that no other NHL player will ever wear it. II EARLY YEARS Born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, Wayne Gretzky began skating at the age of three on a backyard rink built by his father, Walter. He began playing organized hockey in grade school and was soon such a dominant scorer that he was moved out of his age bracket to play with youngsters several years older. Gretzky's idols as a young hockey player were his father and Hall of Fame forward Gordie Howe. After playing in several local and regional leagues, Gretzky advanced to play junior hockey with the Sault Sainte Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League, a developmental league for young players. During the 1977-78 season with the Greyhounds he compiled 182 points, with 70 goals and 112 assists in 64 games. Gretzky stayed with the Greyhounds for only one season before signing a professional contract with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) in May 1978, four months before his 18th birthday. He played eight games with Indianapolis before the financially troubled franchise sold him and two other players to the Oilers. The young center had an outstanding first season in Edmonton, compiling 104 points on 43 goals and 61 assists in 72 games. Gretzky was a skinny teenager playing a highly physical sport against grown men, but he was a dominant offensive player. Although he was rarely the fastest skater or the most powerful shooter, he possessed several skills that set him apart from other players. He had an uncanny ability to anticipate where the puck would go and where to pass or shoot it, quick acceleration while skating, and an accurate shot that he could release quickly before goalies had an opportunity to prepare themselves. III THE EDMONTON DYNASTY Before the start of the 1979-80 season, the Oilers and three other WHA teams were absorbed into the NHL. During his first NHL season Gretzky became known as The Great Gretzky (later shortened to The Great One). He amassed 137 points with 51 goals and 86 assists. The total earned him the first of eight consecutive Hart Memorial Trophies as the league's most valuable player (MVP). A year later, Gretzky scored 164 points--a league record at the time--and won the first of seven consecutive Art Ross Trophies (awarded to the NHL's top scorer). Oilers coach Glen Sather, another influential figure in Gretzky's career, guided him during his initial years in the NHL. Sather, who also served as the Oilers' general manager, drafted and traded for other talented players to surround Gretzky. Sather's additions of wing Jari Kurri, defenseman Paul Coffey, and center Mark Messier helped him build one of the NHL's most dominant teams. In the 1981-82 season Gretzky became the first player to surpass 200 points during a single campaign. That year he scored 92 goals, breaking an 11-year-old league record for the most goals scored in a single season. (Boston Bruin Phil Esposito had set the previous record with 76 goals during the 1970-71 season.) Not until the 1983-84 season did Gretzky achieve his ultimate goal--a Stanley Cup championship. That season Gretzky, Kurri, Coffey, Messier, and goalie Grant Fuhr led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup. They repeated the feat in 1985, 1987, and 1988. Ironically, Gretzky may have had his most dominant year during the 1985-86 season, when Edmonton's Stanley Cup streak was interrupted. His 215 points that year set an NHL record, and his 163 assists alone represented 22 more total points than any other player compiled. The 1988 Stanley Cup victory was Gretzky's last in Edmonton. Team owner Peter Pocklington, struggling to keep his team profitable as the salaries of the franchise's top players rose, began to dismantle his dynasty. On August 9, 1988, in what is considered by many as the most significant trade in NHL history, Pocklington traded Gretzky and two Oiler teammates to the Los Angeles Kings for two players, three first-round draft choices, and cash. IV AFTER EDMONTON Over the next eight seasons in Los Angeles, Gretzky gradually relinquished his title as the game's dominant offensive player to the Pittsburgh Penguins' Mario Lemieux. His presence on the Kings, however, changed the team from a struggling franchise to one of the NHL's most glamorous teams. Aided by other former Oilers (Kurri, Coffey, and defenseman Marty McSorley), Gretzky helped turn the Kings from a losing team playing in front of small crowds to a consistent winner that sold out almost every home game. During the 1992-93 season Gretzky guided the Kings to their first Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Montréal Canadiens, 4 games to 1. Gretzky continued to reach personal milestones while in Los Angeles. He broke Gordie Howe's all-time points total in 1989, scoring his 1,851st career point during a game in Edmonton against his former team. In 1994 he passed Howe's career total of 801 goals to become the NHL's goal-scoring leader. The Kings failed to reach the playoffs in 1993-94, the first time Gretzky played for a team that failed to qualify for the postseason. Struggling financially under new owners and sinking in the standings, the Kings traded Gretzky to the St. Louis Blues near the end of the 1995-96 season. Gretzky's stay in St. Louis was brief. Before the 1996-97 season he signed with the New York Rangers, where he was reunited with his former teammate and long-time friend, Messier. The Great One retired at the end of the 1998-99 season, holding records for the most career goals (894), career assists (1,963), and career points (2,857). Gretzky also holds the records for the most goals (92), assists (163), and points (215) scored in a single season, as well as numerous other records for single games, the NHL playoffs, and the NHL All-Star Game. In addition to owning almost every individual NHL scoring record and playing the most important role in Edmonton's dynasty, Gretzky is credited with being one of hockey's best ambassadors. His presence in Los Angeles not only saved that franchise, but also convinced the NHL to admit two other California franchises, the San Jose Sharks and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Gretzky won the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP on nine occasions (1980-1987, 1989) and won the Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer ten times (1981-1987, 1990, 1991, 1994). Additionally, Gretzky won the Conn Smythe Trophy (most valuable player in playoffs) in 1985 and 1988, and the Lady Byng Trophy (most sportsmanlike player) in 1980, 1991, 1992, and 1994. He was also a perennial fan favorite at the NHL's annual All-Star Game. Gretzky participated in numerous international events. He played for the Canadian national team and helped Canada win the Canada Cup tournaments in 1984, 1987, and 1991. He was captain of the national team for the 1996 World Cup and made his first Olympic Games appearance as a member of Canada's ice hockey team during the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. In 1999, just a few months after his retirement from the NHL, Gretzky was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The board of directors of the Hall of Fame waived the normal three-year waiting period as a way of honoring Gretzky for all his contributions to the sport of hockey. Gretzky remained active in hockey following his retirement as a player. He served as an unofficial ambassador for the NHL and helped direct Canada's national team at the 2002 Winter Olympics, a squad that captured the gold medal. During this period Gretzky also took a management position with the Phoenix Coyotes and bought part of the franchise. In August 2005 the Coyotes appointed Gretzky the team's new head coach. Contributed By: Mike Loftus Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.