Wayne Gretzky was born on January 26, 1961 in Brantford,Ontario. He is a retired professional hockey player and a former hockey coach and his nickname is "The Great One". He is known as the greatest hockey player ever by sportswriters, players and even NHL itself. He retired on April 18,1999. In 1978, he signed with the Indianapolis racers of the World Hockey Association where he played before being traded to the Edmoton Oilers. During his years of hockey he has been in multiple teams. The teams he has been in are the Edmonton oilers from 1979-1988, the Los Angeles Kings from 1988-1996, the St Louis Blues in 1996, and the New York Ranger from 1996-1999. He made his first apperance as a member of the Canadian national junior hockey team at the 1978 World Junior Championships in Montreal, Quebec. In 1981, he debuted with the Team Canada's men's team at the Canada Cup. He led the tournament in scoring with 12 points to a second- place finish to the Soviet Union losing 8-1 in the final. Before he played hockey his athletic abilites were not that impressive. As a 18-year old NHL rookie, many critics said that he was too small and weak to be a NHL player. His skills were developed on a backyard rink at his home, with extraordinary dedication and the encouragement and the teachings of his Father Walter. Later he got married to a women named Janet Jones and they had five kids. He has also made several tv appearances, including a Dance Fever Celebrity judge. In 1984, he travelled to the Soviet Union to film a television program on Russian goaltender Vladislav Tretiak. Gretzky hosted the Saturday Night Live comedy program in 1989. He has made over 40 movies, network television and video appearances as himself. On February 7, 2006, Gretzkys assistant coach Rick Tocchet was charged for operating an illegal New Jersey-based gambling. Bets were taken from NHL players, Janet Gretzky and Michael Barnett who confirmed to police he placed a bet on Super Bowl Xl with Tocchet.
Awards
Wayne Gretzky has won many awards during his years of Hockey. Upon his retirement on April 18, 1999, he held fourty regular-season records, fifteen playoff records and six All-Star records. He is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season, a feat that he has accomplished four times. In addition he tallied over 100 points in 16 NHL seasons. After his retirement in 1999 he was immediately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and is the most recent player to have the waiting period waived. He became Exceutive Director for the Canadian national men's hockey team during the 2002 Winter Olympics, in which the team won a gold metal. In the year 2000 he became part owner of the Pheonix Coyotes and following the 2004-05 NHL lockout he became the teams head coach.
Here is a link to my newspaper article.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/648055-nhl-history-wayne-gretzky-mario-lemieux-and-the-top-100-players-of-all-time
Early Life
Wayne Gretzky was born on January 26, 1961 in Brantford,Ontario. He is a retired professional hockey player and a former hockey coach and his nickname is "The Great One". He is known as the greatest hockey player ever by sportswriters, players and even NHL itself. He retired on April 18,1999. In 1978, he signed with the Indianapolis racers of the World Hockey Association where he played before being traded to the Edmoton Oilers. During his years of hockey he has been in multiple teams. The teams he has been in are the Edmonton oilers from 1979-1988, the Los Angeles Kings from 1988-1996, the St Louis Blues in 1996, and the New York Ranger from 1996-1999. He made his first apperance as a member of the Canadian national junior hockey team at the 1978 World Junior Championships in Montreal, Quebec. In 1981, he debuted with the Team Canada's men's team at the Canada Cup. He led the tournament in scoring with 12 points to a second- place finish to the Soviet Union losing 8-1 in the final. Before he played hockey his athletic abilites were not that impressive. As a 18-year old NHL rookie, many critics said that he was too small and weak to be a NHL player. His skills were developed on a backyard rink at his home, with extraordinary dedication and the encouragement and the teachings of his Father Walter. Later he got married to a women named Janet Jones and they had five kids. He has also made several tv appearances, including a Dance Fever Celebrity judge. In 1984, he travelled to the Soviet Union to film a television program on Russian goaltender Vladislav Tretiak. Gretzky hosted the Saturday Night Live comedy program in 1989. He has made over 40 movies, network television and video appearances as himself. On February 7, 2006, Gretzkys assistant coach Rick Tocchet was charged for operating an illegal New Jersey-based gambling. Bets were taken from NHL players, Janet Gretzky and Michael Barnett who confirmed to police he placed a bet on Super Bowl Xl with Tocchet.
Awards
Wayne Gretzky has won many awards during his years of Hockey. Upon his retirement on April 18, 1999, he held fourty regular-season records, fifteen playoff records and six All-Star records. He is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season, a feat that he has accomplished four times. In addition he tallied over 100 points in 16 NHL seasons. After his retirement in 1999 he was immediately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and is the most recent player to have the waiting period waived. He became Exceutive Director for the Canadian national men's hockey team during the 2002 Winter Olympics, in which the team won a gold metal. In the year 2000 he became part owner of the Pheonix Coyotes and following the 2004-05 NHL lockout he became the teams head coach.