Profile: Wayne Gretzky, The Great One

On January 26, 1961 Wayne Douglas Gretzky was born in Brantford, Ontario. At the young age of six, Wayne was skating in a backyard rink that his father Walter had built him. It was there that he developed his hockey sense and skills. Walter had a substantial influence on Wayne and his hockey game, and it wasn't long for Walter to notice that Wayne had some special talents. Growing up Wayne was always the best player in his age group, therefore he would play in many leagues above his age. While playing against players much older and bigger than he, he continued to dominate and set records that are untouchable. One of his most noticeable records as a young player was a 378 goal season in his last year of pee-wee. He was labelled "The Great Gretzky" or "The Great One." He first dawned his famous number 99 when he was 16 because his favourite number 9 was taken by a senior player on the team. His number 99 went on to be retired by National Hockey League. (Wayne Gretzky Biography). Wayne Gretzky joined the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers in the 1979-1980 season. He played nine seasons with the Oilers winning the Hart trophy (most valuable player) eight times, the Art Ross (leader in points) seven times and the Stanley Cup four times. He spent 21 seasons in the National Hockey League playing for four different teams: Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and the New York Rangers. He set an astonishing 61 league records, some of his most outstanding records that still exist are: most goals, most assists, most points and my personal favorite, the fastest player to score 50 goals from the start of the season- 39 games. (Statistics from- Famous Canadians). When "The Great One" retired in 1999 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame, and he was considered "the greatest player of all time" by many sports writers. After his playing career, Wayne could not stay away from the game he loved. In 2000, he was introduced as the Managing Partner of the Phoenix Coyotes, where he also spent four years as the head coach. Wayne Gretzky is not only a professional on the ice but off the ice as well. He is actively involved with Hockey Canada and holds many charity events to support the Wayne Gretzky Foundation which is dedicated to support and give disadvantaged children in North America the opportunity to play hockey. Wayne is a Canadian icon and has affected many people not only in Canada but around the world. He singlehandedly changed the game of hockey, and the way it is played; the game now allows for smaller and skilled players, the player that Wayne Gretzky was. He has had a major impact on Canadian hockey and how Canadians always strive to be the best at what they do. He has personally impacted me in multiple ways; I have looked up to him and how he plays on the ice and how he handles himself off the ice. He is extremely professional, caring of others and worked hard for everything he has earned. In the sporting world there are many legends such as Muhammad Ali, Micheal Jordan and Babe Ruth. The small Canadian hockey player from Brantford, Ontario is mentioned with these names and some say Wayne Gretzky is the greatest athlete of the 20th century.

References
-Canadaka.net. (2012). Wayne Gretzky Biography. In Famous Canadians. Sept 3, 2012, from http://www.canadaka.net/modules.php?name=Famous_Canadians&action=viewperson&person=27
-Hockey Hall Of Fame. (Unknown). Wayne Gretzky Biography. In Gretzky.com. Sept 3, 2012, from http://www.gretzky.com/hockey/bio.php.