Growing up, everyone has an idol – someone they look up to. Often, these idols are public figures, musicians, actors and, for many, athletes. These extraordinary people perform feats most can only dream of. In Australia, names like Sir Don Bradman, Tony Lockett, Dawn Fraser, Cathy Freeman and Rod Laver spring to mind as great athletes who would have been idols to thousands if not millions of people. These athletes reached the pinnacle of their sports and in doing so are embraced by their countrymen and women.
No doubt the debate surrounding "Who is Australia's greatest ever athlete?" has been rehashed many times in the school yard, at the water cooler and whilst cooking up a sausage sizzle. As a naturalised Australian citizen, the required study material for the citizenship test hints that Sir Donald Bradman is the most agreeable answer, however others could certainly stake a claim.
If we were to transpose this question to Canada, we would find there was no question, only an answer. He is known as 'The Great One" and he is the greatest hockey player of all time. No debate here, just fact. He is the greatest hockey player that will ever be. Hockey will be played in hell before The Great One's scoring records are broken as his records are unbreakable.
Looking back on my childhood, many hours were spent playing some form of hockey, and most of those moments climaxed whilst being The Great One – making the game winning assist (from his office) or taking the game winning shot (in overtime with one second to go). It would be safe to say that all Canadian hockey players at some stage also imagined themselves as The Great One – notwithstanding the odd Mario Lemieux fan.
To Canadians during the ‘80s & ‘90s, Wayne Douglas Gretzky (#99) wasn't a part of their memories, he was part of their lives. But don't think that The Great One's exploits or influence was contained within Canadian borders. Sports Illustrated named Gretzky the fifth Greatest North American Athlete of the 20th Century which seems strange given it’s difficult to recall a list that Gretzky doesn’t sit atop. The National Hockey League (NHL) has retired his jersey on league-wide basis (i.e. the number 99 will never be worn again in the NHL). The Great One also provided inspiration to former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who once said, "There's an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love. 'I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.' And we've always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very beginning. And we always will." Personally, my favourite Wayne Gretzky quote is "You miss every shot you don't take" – true to more than just sport.
One would imagine that a nickname like "The Great One" would be bestowed upon a player after years of prowess in the big leagues. However, this was not the case. Logic always led me to believe that Glen Suter (Oilers coach during #99's tenure in Edmonton), a teammate or perhaps an opponent had dubbed Gretzky with the synonymous nickname. However, Wayne was given The Great One moniker as a 10-year-old by a local Branford, Ontario (his home town) hockey journalist. According to Gretzky, the nickname stuck from the moment it was printed although he recalls on the rare occasions when he had an off game, people would call him "The Good One". His off games must have been terrible!
Canadians' obsession with The Great One extends beyond his gifts as a hockey player. He was known in Canada as one of the good guys (great guys even), a player that always took time out for fans or stuck around for one last media question. If fact, in the moments following Gretzky’s retirement announcement, in front of a throng of international media, he beelined directly to Canada’s largest sports broadcaster, TSN. A clear message to all of Canada, whom would have been watching, that he wanted to help them come to terms with his retirement. A small but memorable nod to his beloved home country.
Wayne Gretzky will always be known as the greatest hockey player that ever lived. However, his legacy as a Canadian will be his humbleness and inclusive characteristics which make him a great role model for generations.
Gretzky's stats...
- Most career points: 2,857
- Most career goals: 894 (if you subtract career goals from his career points list he would still be the all-time point leader!)
- Most career assists: 1,963
- Most goals in a season: 92
- Fewest games needed to score 50 goals: 39
- Most goals in the first 50 games of a season: 61
- Longest point-scoring streak: 51 games
- Most points in a season: 215
- Most assists in a season: 163
- Most consecutive 40-goal seasons: 12
- Most 100-point seasons: 15
- Most consecutive 100-point seasons: 13
- Highest points-per-game average (50 or more points) in one season: 2.77
- Most career games with three or more goals: 50
- Most playoff points in a career: 382
- Most playoff goals in a career: 122
- Most playoff assists in a career: 260
- Most points in one playoff season: 47
- Most playoff games with three or more goals: 10
- Most consecutive scoring titles: 7
- Most consecutive MVP awards: 8
- Only Player To Reach 2000 Career Points
- Only Player To Reach 3000 Career Points, Regular Season and Playoffs combined
- Only Player To Reach 1000 Career Goals, Regular Season and Playoffs combined
- Only Player To Reach 2000 Career Assists, Regular Season and Playoffs combined
- Mike Pyke
