Ian
priscilla 1Wayne Gretzky
April 23rd 2010 01:23
Wayne Gretzky, (born January 26, 1961) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. Nicknamed "The Great One", Gretzky is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the NHL, 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 in 15 WHA/NHL seasons, 14 of them consecutive. Gretzky's jersey number, 99, has been retired by all teams in the National Hockey League.
The images below were taken from this article on Sports Illustrated. Many more rare photos of Wayne Gretzky can be seen here.
At age 11, Gretzky was running wild in his Pee Wee league in Brantford. Nicknamed for his white gloves and speed, he scored 378 goals ... in one season. In one game, he potted three in 45 seconds. "He would never come off the ice," recalls SI.com's Darren Eliot, who played against Gretzky in the same league. "He moved to defense instead of actually taking a break on the bench."
Gretzky, 17, scored 70 goals and 182 points in 63 games for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Junior A Ontario Hockey Association and was the youngest player on Team Canada at the 1978 World Junior Championship in Quebec City. (He lead all scorers with eight goals and nine assists in six games.) Despite his prowess and uncanny on-ice sense and vision, some scouts feared he would be too small to play in the NHL.
Gretzky had played only eight games for Indianapolis when the team folded. He was sold to the WHA's Edmonton Oilers, with whom he signed a 21-year contract worth $1 million per season on his 18th birthday. The Oilers were absorbed by the NHL later that year and Gretzky's accomplishments and legend would reach unprecedented heights.
Gretzky and the Oilers quickly became a force. Here, he playfully interviews two of his most notable teammates -- future Hall of Famers Paul Coffey and Mark Messier.
Gretzky's trade from the Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings in August 1988 was a landmark event for hockey in the United States. The Great One was welcomed to L.A. by Lakers superstar Magic Johnson.
*This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article for Wayne Gretzky.
The images below were taken from this article on Sports Illustrated. Many more rare photos of Wayne Gretzky can be seen here.
The White Tornado, 1972
1978
Edmonton Oiler, January 1979
1982
Wayne Gretzky, Magic Johnson 1988
*This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article for Wayne Gretzky.
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