Born on 26 January 1961 in Ontario, Canada, Gretzky is widely considered the best hockey player of all time. His paternal grandmother was from the West Ukrainian region of Ternopil. His father's father had immigrated to Canada from Belarus at the beginning of the last century.
At a height of 6 ft and weighing 185 lb, the left shooting center wasn't physically exceptional. But from an early age, it was clear that Gretzky was a classic prodigy. Taught originally by his father, Walter, Gretzky was skating with 10-year-olds at the age of six. At age 10, he'd scored 378 goals with 120 assists in 85 games.
When he was only 14 years old, he signed with his first agent. By 16, he was already playing in the regional Canadian leagues. At 17, he had signed on to the World Hockey Association as an underaged player on a $1.5-million contract for several years. But only a few games into the season, Gretzky was snatched up by the Edmonton Oilers. A Year later, both Gretsky and the Oilers were in the NHL, bonded by a $4.5 million contract for 21 years - the longest in hockey history.
Hockey commentators predicted that the wonder boy would fail in the big leagues, but Gretzky won rookie of the year and came in third for scoring in his first season. He would go on to be picked as the league's most valuable player eight years in a row and its leading scorer seven years in a row.
In his third season, Gretzky surpassed the NHL record of 50 goals in 50 games, then the most goals in one season. Gretzky was made the Oilers' captain, and in 1983 the team made it to the Stanley Cup finals. The next year, the Oilers beat the four-time defending champions, the New York Islanders. Over the next four years, Gretzky's team would win three more Stanley Cups.
By the time he'd finished with the Oilers, "The Great One" held or shared 49 NHL records - a record in itself. Often he would break his own records.
Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988 - the same year he married actress Janet Jones. Canadian fans were indignant, labeling him a traitor to his homeland. It was said that the move was meant to help his wife's acting career.
The couple now has five children.
By 1993, Gretzky had taken the Kings to the Stanley Cup finals, greatly popularizing the sport in California along the way. Later Gretzky would move on to the St. Louis Blues, where he reportedly didn't click with his teammates, and finally the New York Rangers. Upon his retirement on the 18th of April 1999, Gretzky held or shared 61 NHL records, plus 40 regular-season records, 15 playoff records and six all-star records.
During his last professional game, the words to the Canadian and American national anthems, usually sung before each game, were changed to salute him.
The same year he retired, "The Great One" was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, becoming the tenth player to by-pass the three-year waiting period. His number, 99, has been retired as well. Points scored, including regular season and playoffs, total an impressive 3,239. In fact, Gretzky holds the record for the most MVP awards of any player in American professional sports.
In 2002, Gretzky was appointed Executive Director of the Canadian men's hockey team at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Canadians beat the US for the gold. Two years earlier, Gretzky had become Alternate Governor and Managing Partner of the Phoenix Coyotes NHL team, which he owns 17% of. In August of this year, Gretzky agreed to become the new coach of the Coyotes.
But ever since the beginning of his career, Gretzky has earned more than his salary would indicate. Forbes estimates that Gretzky made $93.8 million from hockey and endorsements from 1990 to 1998. He now owns a restaurant and a chain of roller-hockey rinks. "Everything I have in my life I owe to hockey," he was once quoted as saying.
In 1999, ESPN named Gretzky the fifth greatest athlete of the 20th century, beat out only by Michael Jordon, Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali and Jim Brown. "A good hockey player plays where the puck is.
A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be," once said The Great One.
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