A Hockey Great - Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky was acknowledged as one of the all time great hockey players by nearly everyone when he broke several of Gordie Howe's records. He became the all time leading scorer with his 802nd goal, and also the all time point-getter when he got his 1852nd point.
Wayne was born and raised in Ontario, Canada, and his father built a backyard ice rink when Wayne was six years old. He practiced daily for hours, with his dad teaching him the skills of skating, shooting, and stickhandling. Even at the age of six, Wayne was playing on a team of ten year olds, far beyond the normal skill range of a six year old. One year he got 378 goals on a peewee team, and earned the nickname "The White Tornado" because of his talents and his white gloves.
Wayne moved to Toronto at the age of fourteen to have more opportunities in hockey, and at 16 played in the World Junior Championship. He was thought too small and slight to even make the Canadian team, but once there, he was named top center and was the leader in scoring for the entire competition. Wayne knew that he wanted to play professional hockey, but at 17 was too young for the minimum NHL draft age of 20, so he signed a contract with the Indianapolis Racers. That hockey team had financial troubles, and so Gretzky was moved to the Edmonton Oilers, where he became universally noticed. In his first year at Edmonton he attracted a lot of notice, but only won one hockey trophy that year, the Hart Trophy.
Those of you not familiar with the latest on hockey now have at least a basic understanding. But there's more to come.
The next year, 1980, began Wayne's march to claim many of the hockey statistics as his own. He won his first scoring title, and made a new assists record of 109, to surpass Bobby Orr. The following year, he went past Phil Esposito's record of 76 goals in one season, which many people had thought would stand forever. Gretzky scored 92 goals in one season, which many people now view as simply impossible to break. He also registered 212 points in a season, and he is the only player to ever have done that. He is the only hockey player to break 200 points in a season, and he repeated that feat for four seasons.
Gretzky had a few signature moves. He was known for not using a man skating ahead of him, but instead using the trailing man on rushes. When the team had a penalty, Gretzky did not ice the puck in a defensive role, but rather tried to surprise the other team by scoring shorthanded. He would also skate past the blue line and then curl, where he would wait for a defensemen to join him and create a real scoring chance. "Gretzky's office" was the area behind the other team's goal, because he made so many perfect passes for scoring opportunities from there.
After playing with several teams, Wayne Gretzky ended his professional hockey career with the New York Rangers in the 1998-1999 season. The National Hockey League retired his number 99, a fitting tribute to a remarkable player.
Now might be a good time to write down the main points covered above. The act of putting it down on paper will help you remember what's important about hockey.
Menu
More...
A Hockey Coach To RememberA Hockey Great - Wayne Gretzky
A Moment In Hockey History - The Face Mask
African-Americans In The NHL
Athletes Who Buy Into The NHL Franchise
Common Injuries To Hockey Players
Common Problems In Ice Hockey Skating Techniques
Equipment And Warm-ups For New Hockey Players
Hockey At The International Level
Hockey Players And Charity Causes
Hockey Players And The Groupies Who Chase Them
Hockey Players Mismanaging Their Money
How The Game Of Hockey Is Played
How The Strike Changed National Hockey League Rules
Ice Hockey In Movies, Television, And Music
Pro Hockey Games That Are Not On Television
The History Of Hockey
The Hockey Team Of The Decade
The Origin Of Ice Hockey, Skates And Rink Maintenance
The Terminology Used In Hockey
Top Attendance Records In Hockey And Number Of Registered Players
Using Your Hockey Stick Effectively
When Hockey Players Were Tough
Women In Hockey
Women's Hockey Teams
More... Hockey Players Mismanaging Their Money Athletes make a lot of money playing hockey for the NHL.. A Hockey Coach To Remember herbert Brooks coached the miracle hockey team of the Olympics of 1980... How The Game Of Hockey Is Played Hockey is a sport that is physically demanding and is popular in areas.. The Hockey Team Of The Decade Let's go back twenty years to the Olympics of Lake Placid... |
|
|
