2004 mcfarlane wayne gretzky biography

It was the season when he won his first of seven straight scoring titles. In a highly contentious move, Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in Wayne, however, continued to do what he did best. He set the tone and pace for hockey in the Kings club, and is actually credited with popularizing hockey in California. Gretzky was to take the Kings to the Stanley Cup finals in for their first time.

He was instrumental in eliminating the Toronto Maple Leafs in early playoff rounds during that season. In the yearMr. Gretzky became part owner of the Phoenix Coyotes. Despite his lack of strength, Gretzky had remarkable physical stamina. Like his hero, Gordie Howe, Gretzky possessed "an exceptional capacity to renew his energy resources quickly.

2004 mcfarlane wayne gretzky biography: This figure features The

In the year he scored his record 92 goals, 22 of them went in the net during the first period, 30 in the second—and 40 in the third. He also had strong general athletic skills. Growing up, he was a competitive runner and also batted. As a result, he was offered a contract by the Toronto Blue Jays. At age ten, after scoring goals in his hockey league, he scored goals in lacrosse.

According to Gretzky, lacrosse was where he learned to protect himself from hard checks : "In those days you could be hit from behind in lacrosse, as well as cross-checked, so you had to learn how to roll body checks for self-protection. The pound 93 kg Denis Potvina fellow Hall of Famer, compared attempting to hit Gretzky to "wrapping your arms around fog.

You saw him but when you reached out to grab him your hands felt nothing, maybe just a chill. I saw him do it night after night. Gretzky was named honorary chairman of the Open Ice Summitheld in August to discuss ways to improve Canadian ice hockey. Gretzky was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 22,becoming the tenth player to bypass the three-year waiting period.

Inthe Kings held a jersey retirement ceremony and erected a life-sized statue of Gretzky 2004 mcfarlane wayne gretzky biography the Staples Center ; the ceremony was delayed until then so that Bruce McNall, who had recently finished a prison sentence, could attend. Brantford further inducted Gretzky into its "Walk of Fame" in Almost immediately after retirement, several NHL teams approached Gretzky about an ownership role.

Trucking magnate and Arizona Diamondbacks part-owner Jerry Moyes was added to the partnership. Inrumours began circulating that Gretzky was about to name himself head coach of the Coyotes, but were denied by Gretzky and the team. Phyllis Gretzky died of lung cancer on December InMoyes became majority owner of the team. During Gretzky's coaching tenure, the Coyotes did not reach the postseason, and their best finish in the Western Conference standings was 12th.

An ownership dispute involving Research in Motion 's Jim Balsillie to relocate the team to Hamilton, Ontario and the NHL itself arose, which eventually ended up in court. Gretzky did not attend the Coyotes' training camp, leaving associate head coach Ulf Samuelsson in charge, due to an uncertain contractual status with the club, whose bankruptcy hearings were continuing.

Bidders for the club had indicated that Gretzky would no longer be associated with the team after it emerged from bankruptcy, and on September 24,Gretzky stepped down as head coach and head of hockey operations of the Coyotes. Gretzky's final head coaching record was —— On February 18, he lashed out at the media at a press conferencefrustrated with media and fan comments regarding his team's uninspiring 1—1—1 start.

Gretzky addressed those comments by saying he spoke out to protect the Canadian players, and the tirade was not "staged". Gretzky again acted as executive director of Canada's men's hockey team at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italythough not with the success of ; the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals and failed to win a medal.

Gretzky served as an ambassador to Vancouver's successful bid for the Winter Olympics[ ] and was named Special Advisor to Canada's men's hockey team at the Games. Although Gretzky had previously stated he would not participate in any "old-timers exhibition games", [ ] on November 22,he took to the ice to help celebrate the Edmonton Oilers' 25th anniversary as an NHL team.

Despite frigid temperatures, the crowd numbered 57, with an additional several million watching the game on television. Louis Blues players two days before the Winter Classic. Gretzky represented the Blues in the game, which his team won 8—7. On May 25,Gretzky announced that he would step down from his role with the Oilers, stating that "The Oilers, their fans, and the city of Edmonton have meant the world to me and my family for over four decades—and that will never end.

Given the pandemic and other life changes, I realize I will not be able to dedicate the time nor effort needed to support this world-class organization.

2004 mcfarlane wayne gretzky biography: Featuring "The Great One" Wayne Gretzky

NHL rightsholder Turner Sports to become an analyst. Gretzky has made several TV appearances, including as a Dance Fever celebrity judge, and acted in a dramatic role alongside Victor Newman in The Young and the Restless in Gretzky is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States, having become a naturalized citizen of the latter. Joseph's Basilicamembers of the Fire Department acted as ceremonial guards.

Paulina and golfer Dustin Johnson announced their engagement on August 18,[ ] and married on April 23,in Tennessee. His father Walter died in at the age of Gretzky owned or partnered in the ownership of two sports teams before becoming a partner in the Phoenix Coyotes. For the first season that Gretzky played in Los Angeles, the Kings had their training camp at the Olympiques' arena.

Gretzky's appeal as a product endorser far surpassed that of other hockey players of his era. Inas part-owner with Andrew Peller Ltd. Bush and his handling of the conflict, saying: "the President of the United States is a great leader, I happen to think he's a wonderful man and if he believes what he's doing is right, I back him per cent.

InGretzky, who has some Ukrainian heritage, was invited by Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk to speak at the United for Ukraine Gala fundraiser in Toronto in support of the country during the invasion of Crimea by Russia. Following the Russian invasion of UkraineGretzky supported calls to ban Russian teams from international events as a consequence.

During the Canadian federal election campaign, Gretzky endorsed the Conservative Party and Prime Minister Stephen Harperand was featured at a campaign rally praising Harper as "wonderful to the country". InWayne and his family attended the victory party for Donald Trump during the United States presidential election. Gretzky's career achievements include a record nine Hart Trophies as the most valuable player in the NHL.

He was an inaugural recipient of the Order of Hockey in Canada in The Wayne Gretzky International Award is presented by the United States Hockey Hall of Fame to honour international individuals who have made major contributions to the growth and advancement of hockey in the United States. Source: [ 64 ] [ ]. Contents move to sidebar hide.

Louis Blues Article Talk. Read View source View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. Canadian ice hockey player and coach born For other people with the same name and other uses, see Gretzky disambiguation. Ice hockey player. Louis Blues New York Rangers. This article is part of a series about.

Edmonton Oilers — Strategy and effect on NHL play. For the Nigerian crime drama film, see The Trade film. Los Angeles Kings — New York Rangers — See also: List of career achievements by Wayne Gretzky. Regular season and playoffs. May 21, Archived from the original on October 15, Retrieved March 1, Archived from the original on March 4, Retrieved July 1, Archived from the 2004 mcfarlane wayne gretzky biography on July 26, Retrieved June 10, Regarded as the greatest by many sportswriters: see Falla, Jack In Dryden, Steve ed.

ISBN That many players share the view, see Maloney, Tom February 15, Archived from the original on August 23, Retrieved March 7, In Dan Diamond ed. Total Sports. Archived from the original on November 17, Retrieved September 9, National Hockey League. Archived from the original on January 17, Montreal: Transcontinental Books. Archived from the original on December 8, Retrieved March 27, Archived from the original on July 19, Retrieved October 4, Petersburg Times.

Archived from the original on May 22, Retrieved April 23, USA Today. Archived from the original on June 8, Retrieved February 21, The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on December 22, Retrieved December 16, Once upon a time, Wayne Gretzky opposed fighting in hockey as passionately as Sinden, suggesting soon after he arrived in Los Angeles that hockey would never be a mainstream sport as long as fighting was condoned the way it was.

Ultimately, as Gretzky's voice was ignored for years and years, he stopped contributing to the conversation. People can only be shouted down for so long before they figure it's somebody else's turn to carry the torch. International Ice Hockey Federation.

2004 mcfarlane wayne gretzky biography: Wayne Gretzky, center, Edmonton

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Archived from the original on April 19, Retrieved August 10, Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on September 19, Retrieved May 3, Archived from the original on March 18, Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 26, Cigar Aficionado. Archived from the original on October 12, Retrieved April 15, Archived from the original on June 17, Retrieved April 10, Archived from the original on May 18, June 6, Archived from the original on May 24, October 2, Archived from the original on January 8, Retrieved November 28, December 31, February 25, The New York Times.

The Calgary Herald. January 26, December 27, Archived from the original on February 7, Retrieved April 11, National Post. December 19, Retrieved January 24, Archived from the original on September 24, Retrieved January 31, Archived from the original on May 16, Archived from the original on January 14, Unofficial records edit. NHL scoring edit.

Major league scoring edit. Milestones edit. Goals edit. Assists edit. Points edit. Career statistics edit. Awards edit. Honours edit.

2004 mcfarlane wayne gretzky biography: The inch-tall figure is sculpted flying

See also edit. References edit. The Canadian Press. June 16, Retrieved June 17, In his final year of peewee hockey, he scored an improbable goals. By the time he was a teenager, Gretzky was making waves across Canada with his play. Marie Greyhounds. His future status as an NHL star was furthered at the World Junior Championships in Quebec City, where Gretzky played for his home country and led the entire tournament in scoring.

Eager to turn professional but barred from leaping to the NHL because of the league's age restrictions, Gretzky signed with the Indianapolis Racers of the fledgling World Hockey Association in the fall of However, not long after Gretzky arrived, the franchise closed its doors and sold its young asset to the NHL's Edmonton Oilers. In the fall ofGretzky embarked on his first full NHL season.

As he had at every other level, he quickly started to dominate the competition, racking up an astonishing 51 goals and 86 assists, on his way to winning the league's Hart Memorial Trophy, an award recognizing its most valuable player. It was the first time a first-year player had ever been honored with the award. Soon enough, Edmonton came to be a championship juggernaut.

With Gretzky leading the way, the Oilers finished as Stanley Cup champions in, and As his team won, Gretzky blazed through the record books by posting unfathomable numbers. Inhe cracked the point barrier for the first time, setting a single-season record with 92 goals, while also collecting assists. His finest year may have beena season in which he totaled 52 goals and an NHL single-season record, assists.

With the big numbers came plenty of adoration from Canadian hockey fans.