Category: Hall of Famers, Hockey
Highlights: Wayne Gretzky spent 20 seasons playing in the NHL from 1979-1999 and is best remembered for his time with the Edmonton Oilers and LA Kings. The 9-time MVP helped the Oilers to four Stanley Cups.
Travels From: California
Fee Range: $50,001 and above
Appropriately nicknamed “The Great One”, Wayne Gretzky is considered the greatest player to ever play in the National Hockey League. His career spanned 20 years from 1979-1999 with the Edmonton Oilers (1979-1988), Los Angeles Kings (1988-1995), St. Louis Blues (1995-1996) and New York Rangers (1996-1999).
Gretzky made an immediate impact upon his arrival in Edmonton, winning the Hart Trophy as league MVP during his first season - the only player to ever win the award his rookie year. Serving as captain from 1983-1988 and playing alongside Hall of Fame teammates Mark Messier, Grant Fuhr, Paul Coffey, Glenn Anderson and Jari Kurri, Gretzky helped the Oilers become the most dominating team of the latter part of 1980’s with four Stanley Cup titles in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988. A summary of Gretzky’s accolades include…
Gretzky was traded to the Kings in 1988, where he played for eight seasons, and is credited for helping popularize the sport of hockey in Southern California. Gretzky helped the Kings to its first appearance ever in the Stanley Cup Finals during the 1992-1993 season. Gretzky went on to spend part of one season with the Blues and three seasons with the Rangers. After the 1999 season. Gretzky retired with 61 league records, including the all-time mark in goals, points and assists. He became a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999 after the NHL waived its waiting period of three years and became the first player ever to have his jersey number retired league-wide when the NHL did so with his jersey #99 the same year. Gretzky was honored by both the Kings and Oilers with statues at their respective arenas. In 2002, Gretzky was honored with a star on the Walk of Fame in Canada and, in 2009, he was named a Companion of the Order of Canada.
In international play, Gretzky helped Team Canada to three Canada Cup tournament championships. Away from the ice, Gretzky founded the Wayne Gretzky Foundation and has been involved with many other philanthropic causes. He served as Honorary Chairman in Canada of Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities and an Honorary Member of the Board of Trustees and Athlete Ambassador for Right to Play. Gretzky remained active in hockey after retiring. Behind his leadership as executive director of Team Canada, the team captured a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics. He also served as Director of Operations and head coach from 2005-2009 of the Phoenix Coyotes. In 2016, Gretzky became vice chairman and partner of Oilers Entertainment Group. Gretzky has authored several books, including “Gretzky”, “99: My Life in Pictures” and “99: Stories of the Game”.
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