Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky (Document)

My hero is the great hockey player Wayne Gretzky. Wayne Gretzky was born January 16, 1961 in Brantford, Ontario, Canada and he was raised there, too. His parents' names are Phyllis and Walter Gretzky. Wayne Gretzky has three brothers and one sister. At 64 years of age, Wayne's mother Phyllis passed away. In memory of her death, Walter established an annual golf charity fund. From the early age of 3 years old up to the time he became a professional as a rookie in 1978, Walter played an important role in teaching and coaching Wayne on the game's skills.

Wayne Gretzky (When he was little.)

Wayne improved his skills as a hockey player at a backyard rink in his hometown,the rink was nicknamed the "Wally Coliseum". He played on his first organized team when he was six years old. His teammates at the time were all ten years old. Even though Wayne was 4 years younger than his teammates and opposing players, he played at a different level, above his peers. Wayne Gretzky's first coach was Dick Martin; when the coach saw how Wayne handled the puck and scored goals he thought Wayne was better at playing hockey than many of his ten year old teammates. When Wayne Gretzky was only ten years old he was called "The Great Gretzky." He finished the season scoring 378 goals and 128 assists in only 85 games. By the age of 13, Wayne Gretzky had scored 1,000 goals but often when he was playing, he recieved boos and jeering from the home crowd including parents that resented his superior skills on the ice. In 1975 Wayne Gretzky played Junior B hockey in Toronto for the Toronto Nationals and earned Rookie of the Year honors. In 1977, with the third pick, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds selected Wayne Gretzky in the Midget Draft for 16 year olds. While playing with the Greyhounds, Wayne first wore the number 99 on his jersey. At 16 he won Rookie of the Year and Most Sportsmanlike awards and was selected to represent Canada at the 1978 World Junior Championships. At the World Juniors' he was the top scorer, was voted to the All Star team and named Best Forward. Wayne was not big and strong with break-away speed, it was his intelligence that allowed him to read and anticipate the play, set up scoring chances, make remarkable passes and know where the puck was going to be.

Wayne Gretzky (Document)

Wayne Gretzky became a professional hockey player in 1978 with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association. After playing a short time with the Racers, he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers. The Edmonton Oilers soon joined the NHL as a new franchise. Wayne established himself as a leader on the team, setting scoring records and leading the Edmonton Oilers to 4 Stanley Cup championships in 5 years. In 1988 Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings. His trade impact was sizable as he led the Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup finals. In Edmonton, many fans were openly upset that Wayne Gretzky had been traded. In 1996 Wayne Gretzky was traded to the St. Louis Blues where he played briefly. He was traded again, and finished his professional career with the New York Rangers.

Wayne Gretzky (Document)

Wayne Gretzky retired from playing professional hockey in 1999. Upon his retirement he was immediately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and his number "99" jersey retired by the NHL. During his professional career, Wayne was awarded Most Valuable Player honor's nine times and still holds many regular season and playoff records including six All-Star records. A life size bronze statue of Wayne Gretzky was erected outside of Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, holding the Stanley Cup over his head.