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| Birth Name(s) : Wayne Gretzky |
Date of Birth: N/A |
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Single
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| Profession:
Athlete |
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Full Wayne Gretzky Biography
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, OC (born 26 January 1961 in Brantford, Ontario) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently part-owner and head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes.
Racers owner Nelson Skalbania signed the 17-year-old to an eight-year personal services contract worth between $1.12- and $1.75-million US over one to two years. Skalbania knew that the WHA was fading and that the Racers could not hope to be included among any teams taken in by the NHL. He hoped to keep the Racers alive long enough to collect compensation from the surviving teams when the WHA dissolved, as well as any funds earned from selling the young star.
On Gretzky's 18th birthday, January 26, 1979, Pocklington signed him to a 20-year personal services contract (the longest in hockey history) worth $4-5 million US. Gretzky captured the Lou Kaplan Trophy for rookie of the year, finished third in league scoring (110 points), and helped the Oilers to first overall in the league. The Oilers reached the Avco World Trophy finals before losing to the Winnipeg Jets. It was Gretzky's only year in the WHA, as the league folded following the season. The one award Gretzky never received in the NHL was the one he earned in the WHA: Gretzky was awarded the WHA Rookie of the Year award in its final season.
Gretzky's first season in Los Angeles saw a marked increase in attendance and fan interest in a city not previously known for following hockey. The Kings, who then played their home games at the Great Western Forum, named Gretzky their captain (a position he held until his trade to St. Louis in 1996) and boasted numerous sellouts on their way to reaching the 1989 playoffs. Despite being underdogs against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Oilers in the Smythe Division semifinals, Gretzky led the Kings to a shocking upset of his old squad, spearheading the Kings' return from a 3-1 series deficit to win the series 4-3. For only the second time in his NHL career, Gretzky finished second in scoring, but narrowly beat out Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux (who scored 199 points) for the Hart Trophy as MVP. Many credit Gretzky's arrival with putting non-traditional U.S. hockey markets on "the NHL map"; not only did California receive two more NHL franchises (the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the San Jose Sharks) during Gretzky's tenure in L.A., but his popularity in Southern California proved to be an impetus in the league establishing teams in other parts of the U.S. Sun Belt. In 1990, the Associated Press named him Male Athlete of the Decade.
Gretzky was sidelined for much of the 1992-93 regular season with an upper back injury, the only year in which he did not lead his team in scoring. However, he performed very well in the playoffs, notably when he scored a hat trick in Game 7 of the Campbell Conference Finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs. This victory propelled the Kings into the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history, where they faced the Montreal Canadiens. After winning the first game of the series by a score of 4–1, however, the team lost the next three games in overtime, and then fell 1–4 in the deciding fifth game where Gretzky failed to get a shot on net. The next season, Gretzky broke Gordie Howe's career goal-scoring record and won the scoring title, but the team began a long slide, and despite numerous player and coaching moves, they failed to qualify for the playoffs again until 1998. Long before then, running out of time and looking for a team with which he could win again, Gretzky had been traded from the Kings at his request.
On February 27, 1996 he joined the St. Louis Blues in a trade for Patrice Tardif, Roman Vopat, Craig Johnson, and draft picks. He scored 37 points in 31 games for the team in both the regular season and the playoffs, and the Blues came within one overtime game of the Conference finals. He also served as the team's captain in his short tenure with the Blues. However, he never clicked with the team or with his new right-winger, “The Golden Brett” Hull, on the ice as well as many had expected. On July 12, he signed with the New York Rangers as a free agent, rejoining longtime Oilers teammate Mark Messier.
Gretzky was Executive Director of the Canadian men's hockey team at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. On February 18, he lashed out at the media at a press conference, frustrated with speculation regarding his team's uninspiring 1-1-1 start. His temper boiled over after Canada's 3-3 draw vs. the Czech Republic, as he launched a tirade against the perceived negative reputation of Team Canada amongst other national squads, and called rumours of dissent in the dressing room the result of "American propaganda." "They're loving us not doing well," he said, referring to American hockey fans. American fans online began calling Gretzky a "crybaby"; defenders said he was merely borrowing a page from former coach Glen Sather to take the pressure off his players. Canada went on to win the gold medal. |
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