Wayne Gretzky

Gretzky handles the puck (Google images)

MY HERO - THE GREAT GRETZKY Little did the world know that the NHL’s best player of all time was a small, skinny boy named Wayne Gretzky. Wayne Gretzky was born on January 26th, 1961, in Brantford Ontario. His parents were Walter and Phyllis Gretzky. Walter built a backyard rink every year, starting when Wayne was two. That’s where Wayne learned how to skate. Walter knew how to skate because he had played junior hockey when he was a young man. In his first season of minor hockey, Wayne only scored one goal. Nevertheless, he still was named to the Brantford all-star team, which was made up of ten and eleven year-olds. Gretzky was six at the time. The coach said that he handled the puck much better than everyone else.

When Wayne was 16, he was drafted third overall by the Sault. Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Wayne started wearing the number 99 when he was with the Greyhounds. The first night he wore the number 99, he scored a hat trick. People started calling Wayne ‘The Great Gretzky’ during his time in Sault. Ste. Marie. When Gretzky was 17, he was signed by the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association [W.H.A.] Wayne was then traded to the Edmonton Oilers because the owner of the Racers needed more money. Gretzky had a great year with the Oilers, finishing with 110 points. The Oilers went to the W.H.A. finals, losing to the Winnipeg Jets. After that season, the W.H.A. merged with the National Hockey League [N.H.L.] The N.H.L. took the Oilers, the Jets, the Nordiques, and the Whalers.

Before the start of his first N.H.L. season, Gretzky set a goal for himself. He wanted to get at least 110 points. Wayne’s goal came true! He became the youngest player to score 50 goals in one season. He was 19. Wayne tied for the scoring lead at the end of the season! He finished the season with over 130 points. Only two players had ever scored more! A couple of years later, Wayne scored 50 goals in only 39 games! He wasn’t done yet. By the end of the season, Wayne had 92 goals, and 212 points! The Oilers made the play-offs but they were eliminated. The next season, Gretzky was on a roll. He scored or assisted in his first 51 games! But ‘The Great One’ didn’t stop there. He racked up 137 points by the all-star break! The Oilers made the play-offs for the third year in a row. The Oilers swept Winnipeg, then beat Calgary, and swept Minnesota. Awaiting the Oilers in the Stanley cup final were the Islanders. The Oilers battled, and battled, and they won the Stanley Cup!!!!!!!!! That was the first out of four cups. The cups were won in 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1988.

On August 9, 1988 Gretzky was traded to Los Angeles. The trade left Gretzky emotionally torn. The trade was one of the biggest deals ever! Wayne led L.A. to the play-offs in his first five years there. In the fifth year, the Kings went all the way to the Stanley Cup finals. They lost, but that was L.A.’s best ever finish. In 1996, Wayne was traded to the St. Louis Blues. Gretzky was going to be on the same line as fellow superstar, Brett Hull. However, this was going to be the worst time of his career. In the play-offs, Mike Keenan criticized Gretzky, questioning his effort. Gretzky became a free agent after that season. He was soon given a deal by the N.Y. Rangers. These were the twilight years of Wayne’s career. He spent three years with the Rangers before retiring in 1999.

Wayne has inspired me and many other people across Canada and the world for many reasons. Wayne exhibits many characteristics including determination and perseverance which have allowed him to reach his goals through hard work. In my opinion, Wayne is the greatest hockey player of all time. He has always been a very nice person and a good role model for kids. For instance, he always takes the time to sign autographs even when he is very busy. Also, he supports many charities for kids that have disabilities or may not be able to participate in sports because their families are too poor. That small skinny boy from Brantford, Ontario, who started skating on his backyard rink turned out to be one of the most inspiring people ever! He is my hero and he has taught me to work hard and follow my dreams!