Wayne Gretzky Biography

BIRTH: January 26, 1961, Brantford, Canada

Wayne Gretzky Biography : NHL Hockey Player

Wayne Gretzky is a Canadian-born former ice hockey player. He is called as “the Great One” in the world of ice hockey. He made 61 NHL records by the time he retired in 1999.

Wayne Gretzky was born as Wayne Douglas Gretzky on January 26, 1961 in Ontario, Canada to Walter Gretzky and Phyllis Leone. Wayne was only two when he held a hockey stick for the first time at his grandfather’s house.

Wayne’s father was his first coach, who taught him the basics of hockey. By the time he was six, his father had built him a rink in the family’s backyard. He started to skate there for hours every day. Wayne learned everything about the game without any professional coaching. Later he was trained by Dick Martin. His coach described Wayne as a child prodigy. Wayne played in many leagues above his age; the other players in his team were four years senior to him. In his junior seasons, he’d amassed 378 goals.

In 1977, Wayne was the third player to be drafted in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League Midget draft for Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. In 1978, he experienced his first international success. He was selected for the 1978 World Junior Championships in Quebec. The next year Wayne played a full season in the OHA, finishing second, and wore his iconic No. 99 shirt for the first time.

In 1979, Gretzky played for the first time in a NHL season despite his young age. For his outstanding performance that season he received the Hart Memorial Trophy as the ‘Most Valuable Player’ in the league. Gretzky became the first ever first-year player to receive this award. In the 1981-82 season, he scored a record of 50 goals in 39 matches. He was the first person to break the 200-point limit in one season with 212 points. That season Gretzky earned seven scoring titles and nine Hart awards.

Gretzky played for many years for the Edmonton Oilers. He helped his team to win the Stanley Cup four times, in 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1988. The year 1986 was the most significant one. Gretzky ended the season with 52 goals and 163 assists, which naturally made him one of the best hockey players of all time. The Canadian government honored Gretzky for being the top ice hockey player with a Wayne Gretzky Dollar Coin, which is among the highest Canadian civilian honors.

In 1988, the Oilers traded Gretzky to the LA Kings team for some money and players. It was the biggest deal in the history of hockey. In 1988 Gretzky played for his team for the last time. Many fans were angry about Gretzky’s decision to leave for the United States.

At the end of 1988, Gretzky played for the LA Kings for the first time. He played with them for eight seasons and led his team to many victories. In 1993, his team reached the Stanley Cup finals, however they lost the game to the Montreal Canadians. Gretzky won four more Hart and Art Ross trophies and broke many records.

In 1996, Gretzky joined the St. Louis Blues team for a short while. He played only one season with them. Next year he joined the New York Rangers hockey team. He was a part of the team for three hockey seasons. In 1977, his team reached the Eastern Conference Finals but lost the game to the Philadelphia Flyers. In 1999, he broke another record by scoring a total of 1071 goals in all his games. The same year, Gretzky announced his retirement.

Gretzky’s jersey number 99 has been retired league-wide. He is the first hockey player whose jersey number was taken out of circulation by a team as a way of honoring a former player. Gretzky was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999. He’s earned 61 NHL records, has the most career goals (894), and the most career points (2,857). Throughout his career in hockey, he was awarded with ten Art Ross Memorial Trophies, nine Hart Trophies and five Ted Lindsay awards. Many awards in sports have been named in his honor.

After his retirement, Gretzky became a hockey coach. He became a minority owner of the Phoenix Coyotes in 2000 and was named their head coach in 2005 until 2009. He also opened his own restaurant business and wine business in California. Wayne did various TV shows during his active years. He was the judge for the Dance Fever show and has also done talk shows over the years. During the show Dance Fever he met his future wife, Janet Jones. They got married in 1988 and have five children.