Wayne Gretzky
Hockey Athlete - Inducted 2000
Known as "The Great One", Wayne Gretzky dominated the National Hockey League unlike any other player in the league's 82-year history. Wayne Gretzky holds virtually every offensive record in the NHL and has revolutionized how the game of hockey is played today. The most productive portion of Wayne Gretzky's career was the nine years he spent with the Edmonton Oilers where he broke numerous scoring records and won all four of his Stanley Cups. On August 22, 1988, after the Edmonton Oilers had won their fourth Stanley Cup in five years, Wayne Gretzky was dealt from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings in the biggest trade in NHL history. Wayne Gretzky ended his amazing 20-year career as the all-time career point leader with 2,967 points. Wayne Gretzky's tireless support of the game, on and off the ice, has contributed significantly to the popularity the game of hockey enjoys today.
After Induction
Wayne Gretzky was named the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Male Athlete of the (20th) Century.
He remained involved in hockey and became a managing partner of the Phoenix Coyote Hockey Team from 2000 to 2009. A minority owner, he also served as director of hockey operations and was the head coach from 2005 to 2009.
Gretzky was named Head of the Canadian Men’s Olympic Hockey Team in 2002 and 2006. The 2002 team won the gold medal at the Salt Lake City Olympic Games. Wayne had played on the Canadian Olympic Hockey Team at the 1998 Nagano, Olympic Games. Wayne was also the final torchbearer for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games.
The 2016/17 hockey season was a busy one for Wayne. In October 2016, he joined the Edmonton Oilers Entertainment Group as a partner and vice-chairman. Prior to that, in September 2016, Wayne was named the official ambassador for the NHL's Centennial in 2017. The celebrations took place from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017 and included outdoor games that he played in – in Winnipeg (Oiler Alumni vs Jets alumni) and St. Louis (Blues Alumni vs Blackhawks Alumni). He was also a major presence at the NHL All-Star Weekend in February 2017 where the NHL had a ceremony for their Top 100 players in the past 100 years.
Wayne led the group of five Edmonton Oilers to be voted to the list. For Canada’s 150th anniversary, The Toronto Star showcased “150 of the quintessential Canadian sporting characters and moments of the last 150 years”. Wayne was featured in Part 1 – Memorable People and Memorable Moments.
In April 2020, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Wayne partnered with Alex Ovechkin to play EA Sports NHL 20 on XBOX against each other on the Washington Capitals’ Twitch channel. Gretzky raised funds for the Edmonton Food Bank, while Ovechkin’s went to the MSE Foundation’s Feeding the Frontlines fund (provides meals to the medical community). Matching the fans donations, the two raised more than $40,000 to be split between the two charities.
After his retirement, Wayne received numerous awards and recognitions. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999, and the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2000. At the 2000 NHL All-Star Game, the NHL retired his jersey number 99 league-wide. He received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2002, and onto Brantford’s Walk of Fame in 2004. The LA Sports & Entertainment Commission awarded him The Ambassador Award of Excellence on May 10, 2010. In Brantford, Ontario, they renamed a road “The Wayne Gretzky Parkway”, and a facility “The Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre”. In Edmonton (1999) they renamed Capilano Drive “Wayne Gretzky Drive”. He has had life-size statues raised in his honour outside of the arenas in both the cities of Edmonton and Los Angeles. Wayne has had a number of business ventures throughout the years. In 2017, he partnered to open a winery and distillery (Wayne Gretzky Estates). He has a number of restaurants including Studio 99 at Rogers Place in Edmonton. He has also been the author/cowriter of a number of books throughout the years. In 2016, 99 Stories of the Game was published and it became the best-selling Canadian book that year.
