"2005 Ice Hockey World Championships, but declined due to his mother's poor health. Gretzky also served as an ambassador and contributor in Vancouver winning the bidding process to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. He went to Prague, Czech Republic and was part of the presentation team. Gretzky was the final Olympic torchbearer at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He was one of four who lit the cauldron at BC Place Stadium during the opening ceremony (although one did not due to technical difficulties with one of the cauldron's ""arms"" which failed to rise) and then jogged out of the stadium, where"
"he became part-owner of the Phoenix Coyotes, and following the 2004–05 NHL lockout, he became the team's head coach. In 2004, Gretzky was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. In September 2009, following the Phoenix Coyotes' bankruptcy, Gretzky resigned as head coach and relinquished his ownership share. In October 2016, he became partner and vice-chairman of Oilers Entertainment Group. Wayne Gretzky was born on January 26, 1961 in Brantford, Ontario, the son of Phyllis Leone (Hockin) and Walter Gretzky. The couple had married in 1960, and lived in an apartment in Brantford, where Walter worked for Bell Telephone"
"By the final round … it was Wayne Gretzky who assumed the leadership both on and off the ice. He passed and shot with prodigious skill. Hall of Fame defenceman Bobby Orr said of Gretzky, ""He passes better than anybody I've ever seen."" In his first two seasons in the NHL, his deft passing skills helped earn him a reputation as an ace playmaker, and so opposing defencemen focused their efforts on foiling his attempts to pass the puck to other scorers. In response, Gretzky started shooting on goal himself—and with exceptional effectiveness. He had a fast and accurate shot."
"one season – a feat he accomplished four times. In addition, Gretzky tallied over 100 points in 16 professional seasons, 14 of them consecutive. At the time of his retirement in 1999 and persisting through 2017, he holds 61 NHL records: 40 regular season records, 15 playoff records, and six All-Star records. Born and raised in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, Gretzky honed his skills at a backyard rink and regularly played minor hockey at a level far above his peers. Despite his unimpressive stature, strength and speed, Gretzky's intelligence and reading of the game were unrivaled. He was adept at dodging"
"renaming the North Park Recreation Centre to The Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre. Brantford further inducted Gretzky into its ""Walk of Fame"" in 2004. On May 10, 2010, he was awarded The Ambassador Award of Excellence by the LA Sports & Entertainment Commission. Gretzky was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017. Almost immediately after retirement, several NHL teams approached him about an ownership role. In May 2000, he agreed to buy a 10% stake in the Phoenix Coyotes in a partnership with majority owner Steve Ellman, taking on the roles of alternate governor, managing partner and head"
"Sports heroes include, among many others, the legendary Wayne Gretzky from Ontario who led the Edmonton Oilers to successive Stanley Cup victories in the 1980s; the women's Olympic hockey team that won the Gold Medal in the 1992 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and Team Canada that won the famed Canada-Russia hockey series in 1972. Rodeo is a popular sport in Canada. One of the great legends of Canadian rodeo is Ray Knight, known as the ""Father of Canadian Professional Rodeo"" having produced Canada's first professional rodeo in 1903. Another Canadian rodeo legend is Earl Bascom. Bascom, is known"
"Nelson Skalbania Nelson Mathew Skalbania (born February 12, 1938) is an engineer and businessman from Vancouver, British Columbia who is best known for signing a then 17-year-old Wayne Gretzky to the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association, and for his high-profile real estate flipping. In 1961, Skalbania earned his Bachelor of Applied Science degree from the University of British Columbia, then received a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) designation in 1962, followed by a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering, in 1964, from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). During his career, Skalbania earned notoriety for flipping properties, both real and"
"famous for instructing Wayne and his brothers to “Go to where the puck is going, not where it has been."" The elder Gretzky is well known in his own right for his contributions to minor hockey in Canada, and for his dedication to helping many local, provincial, and national charities, for which he has been honoured and recognized. The Gretzky family were landowners in the Russian Empire, and supporters of Tsar Nicholas II originally from Grodno/Hrodna (now in the Republic of Belarus). Prior to the outbreak of the Russian Revolution, Gretzky's father Anton (""Tony"") Gretzky (; pronounced ""Hretskyy""), a white"
"& Spa. Nelson Skalbania Nelson Mathew Skalbania (born February 12, 1938) is an engineer and businessman from Vancouver, British Columbia who is best known for signing a then 17-year-old Wayne Gretzky to the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association, and for his high-profile real estate flipping. In 1961, Skalbania earned his Bachelor of Applied Science degree from the University of British Columbia, then received a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) designation in 1962, followed by a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering, in 1964, from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). During his career, Skalbania earned notoriety for flipping properties, both"
"thee"", Bryan Adams ad-libbed, ""We're going to miss you, Wayne Gretzky"". ""The Star-Spangled Banner"", as sung by John Amirante, was altered to include the words ""in the land of Wayne Gretzky"". Gretzky ended his career with a final point, assisting on the lone New York goal scored by Brian Leetch. At the time of his retirement, Gretzky was the second-to-last WHA player still active in professional hockey. Mark Messier, who attended the game along with other representatives of the Edmonton Oilers' dynasty, was the last. Gretzky told journalist Scott Morrison that the final game of his career was his greatest"
"Wayne Gretzky, chosen partly because it was flat enough to make an ice rink on every winter. The couple would later have a daughter, Kim (b. 1963), and three more sons, Keith, Glen (b. 1969), and Brent. Unlike Walter, who did Sharp ViewCam commercials with Wayne and Wayne's son, Ty, Phyllis Gretzky mostly refused to embrace the celebrity that sprang from their son's exploits, although she did a commercial with Wayne for ProStars Cereal in the 1980s, and appeared in the video ""Wayne Gretzky: Above and Beyond"" (1990). Walter was an excellent athlete in high school. He excelled in track,"
"was older Gretzky shows young Gretzky how to play hockey."" Together, Wayne and Brent hold the NHL record for most combined points by two brothers (2,857 for Wayne and 4 for Brent). Gretzky was a career minor leaguer, floating between the International Hockey League, the American Hockey League, and the United Hockey League. He played for EC Graz Austria in 1997-98. On June 6, 2006, the Elmira Jackals announced they had acquired his rights from the Motor City Mechanics, but he never played with Elmira; his season with the Mechanics was his last as a professional. He and four other"
"Wayne Gretzky Trophy The Wayne Gretzky Trophy is awarded annually to the champion of the Western conference playoffs in the Ontario Hockey League. It was first awarded in 1999. The winning team competes for the J. Ross Robertson Cup in the OHL finals versus the Bobby Orr Trophy winner. It is named in honour of Wayne Gretzky. He played for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the 1977–78 OHL season, scoring 70 goals as a rookie, establishing an OHL record for most goals by a 16-year-old that stood until 2007. Gretzky also had 112 assists, and 182 points that season,"
"Gretzky (surname) Gretzky (Belarusian: Грэцкі, Russian: Грецкий) is a Belarusian and Russian family name. In Poland the surname is Grecki. The name is best known in English speaking countries as the surname of Canada's most famous hockey player - Wayne Gretzky. His father Walter Gretzky reports that his own father, an immigrant to Canada, was of consciously Belarusian landowner stock. The origin of the name is the Polish aristocratic surname Grecki, or specifically Grecki h. Prawdzic - Grecki of the Prawdzic coat of arms. The Russian form of name, following the Polish, is an old variant spelling of the Russian"
"The Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets then began play in 2000. On April 16, 1999, Wayne Gretzky played his final NHL game, retiring as the league's all-time scoring leader and holding 61 NHL records. His number, 99, was retired league-wide the following season. The usual three-year waiting period between a player's retirement and his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame was waived, and he was inducted in 1999. For marketing reasons, the NHL agreed to participate in the Winter Olympics starting in 1998. NHL players first competed at the Nagano Games. Led by goaltender Dominik Hašek, the tournament"
"the average NHL player""—he set the all-time goal-scoring record, putting 92 pucks in the net. He weighed ""about 170 pounds"" for the better part of his career. He consistently scored last in strength tests among the Edmonton Oilers, bench pressing only 140 pounds (64 kg). However, he had remarkable physical stamina. Like his hero, Gordie Howe, Gretzky possessed ""an exceptional capacity to renew his energy resources quickly."" In 1980, when an exercise physiologist tested the recuperative abilities of all of the Edmonton Oilers, Gretzky scored so high the tester said that he ""thought the machine had broken."" His stamina is"
"of awards and trophies have been created under his name. 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. The Wayne Gretzky 99 Award is awarded annually to the Most Valuable Player in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. The Wayne Gretzky Trophy is awarded annually to the playoff champion of the OHL's Western Conference. The Edmonton Minor Hockey Association also has an award named for Gretzky. Figures in boldface italics are NHL records. Source:"
"Darren Zack Darren Zack (born in 1960 in Garden River, Ontario, Canada), also known by his nickname ""Z-MAN"", Darren Zack is a legend in the world of Fastpitch Softball. Zack is a Ojibwa softball player and he has set records at every level, pitching the most wins, strikeouts and consecutive scoreless innings, and capturing three gold medals at the Pan Am Games. Zack has been described by teammates and opponents as ""unhittable"", ""the greatest pitcher of all time"", the ""Babe Ruth of Fastpitch softball"", and the ""nicest man/person you will ever meet"". Others refer to him as the Wayne Gretzky"
"privileged and mentally handicapped kids the chance to skate with Gretzky and other stars. In 1989, Gretzky appeared in a Coca-Cola commercial that aired during Super Bowl XXIII. It was the first ever US network commercial to air in 3D. In 1988, Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings. With Barnett's relocation to Los Angeles, Gretzky's arrival in a major US market took his profile to another level. Hockey itself established a whole new foothold in Southern California. Barnett recognized this growing popularity, along with an absence of ice arenas. Soon, multimillion-dollar Wayne Gretzky Roller Hockey Center's began to"
"when Wayne Gretzky scored his 802nd career goal to become the NHL's all-time scoring leader and officiated the gold medal game at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. the 2015–16 NHL season is the 29th and final season of his career; Cvic's final game as an official was on January 6, 2016 in a game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Calgary Flames. Cvik was honoured by the Flames and their fans with a tribute and standing ovation during the game, while the players lined up to shake his hand at its conclusion. He was also named one"
"home country; his motivation was widely rumoured to be the furtherance of his wife's acting career. Others believe it was Pocklington who instigated the trade, seeking to benefit personally from the transaction. On October 6, 1988, Wayne Gretzky made his debut as a member of the Los Angeles Kings in a game against the Detroit Red Wings. Gretzky scored on his first shot, and contributed 3 assists in an 8-2 victory. In Gretzky's first season with the Kings, he led the team in scoring with 168 points on 54 goals and 114 assists, and won his ninth Hart Memorial Trophy"
"Mary's, but quit the sport, and attended Arizona State University. Trevor is a former minor league baseball player. Wayne Gretzky's uncle, Al Gretzky, ran as a Conservative candidate in London West in the 2006 federal election and for the libertarian Freedom Party of Ontario in the 2013 provincial by-election for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He was unsuccessful both times. Gretzky has owned or partnered in the ownership of two sports teams before becoming a partner in the Phoenix Coyotes. In 1985, Gretzky bought the Hull Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for $175,000 CA. During his ownership,"
"the World Hockey Association, joined the National Hockey League in 1979. They quickly became one of the best teams in the league, winning five Stanley Cup Championships in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990. Wayne Gretzky, considered by many to be the greatest hockey player ever, played with the Edmonton Oilers from 1979 to 1988. The Edmonton Oilers fell in the Stanley Cup Finals playing the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games in the Stanley Cup Final in 2006. Despite losing, they were the first eighth-seeded team to make it that far, and nearly came back to win from deficits of"
"in his right ear. Five days after his 53rd birthday in 1991, he suffered a near-fatal brain aneurysm which destroyed his short-term memory. His physical therapist, Ian Kohler, married his daughter Kim in 1995. His ordeal is the basis of the CBC movie ""Waking Up Wally: The Walter Gretzky Story"". He spends his time helping charities and fundraisers and coaching at his summer youth hockey camp in California. In his book Walter recounts that during his recovery from his brain aneurysm, the only language he could speak was Ukrainian. Some said that his son Wayne, lauded by most sportswriters and"
"the second highest point total in an OHL season. Gretzky was awarded the Emms Family Award as the rookie of the year, and the William Hanley Trophy as most gentlemanly player. List of winners of the Wayne Gretzky Trophy. Wayne Gretzky Trophy The Wayne Gretzky Trophy is awarded annually to the champion of the Western conference playoffs in the Ontario Hockey League. It was first awarded in 1999. The winning team competes for the J. Ross Robertson Cup in the OHL finals versus the Bobby Orr Trophy winner. It is named in honour of Wayne Gretzky. He played for the"
"appeal as a product endorser far surpassed that of other hockey players of his era. By 1995, he was among the five highest-paid athlete endorsers in North America, with deals from The Coca-Cola Company, Domino's Pizza, Sharp Corporation, and Upper Deck Company among others. ""Forbes"" estimates that Gretzky made US$93.8 million from 1990 to 1998. He has endorsed and launched a wide variety of products, from pillow cases to insurance. Gretzky is a partner in First Team Sports, a maker of sports equipment and Worldwide Roller Hockey, Inc., an operator of roller hockey rinks. The video game brand EA Sports"
"Wayne Gretzky Drive Wayne Gretzky Drive is a freeway in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Originally Capilano Drive, it was officially renamed October 1, 1999 after NHL hockey player Wayne Gretzky, as a tribute to his years with the Edmonton Oilers. The same day, Wayne Gretzky's number 99 jersey was retired at the Skyreach Centre, which lies just west of Wayne Gretzky Drive, at 118 Avenue. 66/75 Street is a major arterial road in east Edmonton which serves residential and industrial areas. Wayne Gretzky Drive and 75 Street, both located between Whitemud Drive and Yellowhead Trail, is part of Edmonton's eastern leg"
"José Theodore, every eligible player who won the Hart Trophy (and retired) has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Wayne Gretzky won the award a record nine times during his career, eight consecutively. He has been named MVP more times than any other player in the history of the other three North American major professional leagues (Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association, and National Football League). Barry Bonds is second, having won the MVP award seven times in the MLB. Gretzky and his Edmonton Oilers teammate Mark Messier are the only players to win the Hart Trophy with"
"Greg Stefan Gregory Steven Stefan (born February 11, 1961 in Brantford, Ontario) is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender in the National Hockey League and currently serves as goaltending coach for the Flint Firebirds in the Ontario Hockey League. Drafted in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, Greg Stefan became known for using his stick to clear skaters in front of the net, many times receiving penalties, and sometimes suspensions. He is also known for having played Pee Wee level hockey on the same team as Wayne Gretzky. He played in 299 games, winning 115 of"
"were with the UHL Asheville Smoke). Kim was an exceptional track and field star, but broke her foot at the age of 15 and never ran again. He has written two books: ""On Family, Hockey and Healing"" (2003), and ""Gretzky: From Backyard Rink to the Stanley Cup"" (1985), in which he recounted how he recognized Wayne's prodigious skills and shaped him into the most prolific scorer in hockey history. In an unusually frank 1990 interview with the ""Los Angeles Times"", Wayne recounted how Walter would build him up one minute and tear him down the next, reminding him constantly that"
"three-time defending champion New York Islanders. The following season, the Oilers met the Islanders in the Final again, this time winning the Stanley Cup, their first of five in seven years. Gretzky was named an officer of the Order of Canada on June 25, 1984, for outstanding contribution to the sport of hockey. Since the Order ceremonies are always held during the hockey season, it took 13 years and 7 months—and two Governors General—before he could accept the honour. He was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in 2009 ""for his continued contributions to the world of hockey,"
"checks from opposing players, and consistently anticipated where the puck was going to be and executed the right move at the right time. Gretzky became known for setting up behind his opponent's net, an area that was nicknamed ""Gretzky's office"". In 1978, Gretzky signed with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association (WHA), where he briefly played before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers. When the WHA folded, the Oilers joined the NHL, where he established many scoring records and led his team to four Stanley Cup championships. Gretzky's trade to the Los Angeles Kings on August 9, 1988,"
"end of 66 Street. Wayne Gretzky Drive Wayne Gretzky Drive is a freeway in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Originally Capilano Drive, it was officially renamed October 1, 1999 after NHL hockey player Wayne Gretzky, as a tribute to his years with the Edmonton Oilers. The same day, Wayne Gretzky's number 99 jersey was retired at the Skyreach Centre, which lies just west of Wayne Gretzky Drive, at 118 Avenue. 66/75 Street is a major arterial road in east Edmonton which serves residential and industrial areas. Wayne Gretzky Drive and 75 Street, both located between Whitemud Drive and Yellowhead Trail, is part"