Ice hockey player Gretzky Wayne: biography, sports career

Hockey in Canada is rightfully considered to be the number one sport. Each city, even the smallest, has its own indoor ice rink. Each educational institution is represented by a hockey team. Accordingly, such a rabid popularity of this sport gives birth to its idols. In Canada, so deservedly became the incredible Wayne Gretzky. Legend of the National Hockey League, hockey player, on account of which 61 personal record for his professional career. The nickname of the hockey player, received from the fans, speaks volumes. Great.

First steps

Born future hockey player Wayne Gretzky January 26, 1961 in the small Canadian town of Brantford in the southwest of Ontario. Wayne's parents were far from sports, but the hockey boom that seized Canada in the 1960s could not pass by his family. In addition to popularity, hockey gave a very good earning opportunity. Professional hockey players of that time for the season received around 100 000 dollars. And often parents tried to connect the lives of their children with professional sports.

The first hockey ground in the life of little Wayne was in the backyard of her own house. And from the age of three the pope began to put his son on skates. At the age of five Gretzky Wayne played for the children's team of his city. And by the time ten years came the first popularity. That performance, with which the young hockey player acted, forced Canadian newspapers to write about the ascent of a new hockey star. As time showed, they were right.

Hockey Canada needed a new hero. Time Gordie Howe and Bobby Ora were leaving. The only season, held at the junior level, confirmed the advances that Gretzky generously distributed. In the junior team of "Su Greyhounds", who played in the hockey league of Ontario, Wayne scored 70 goals. It was obvious that the Junior level of Gretzky had already outgrown. It remained to prove its consistency at the adult level.

Professional career

In 1978, hockey North America was torn between two leagues: the World Hockey Association (WBA) and the National Hockey League (NHL). It was clear that his further career hockey player Wayne Gretzky will continue in one of them. With a choice to some extent helped to determine the point of age limit when entering the ice. The NHL had an age limit, play was allowed only after the performance of 18 years. So there was no special choice, and the first professional contract was signed with the BCA Club - "Indianapolis Raysers". The amount of the contract was striking. 17-year-old hockey club promised to pay the amount in the region of 100 thousand dollars a month.

In May 1978, Wayne Gretzky made his debut in adult hockey. And at the end of the month Gretzky found himself in another club. "Edmonton Oilers" became the very club in which the transformation of the young player into the world hockey star took place.
In 1979, there was a landmark event in the life of North American hockey. Of the two big leagues, only NHL remains afloat. Several clubs from the VAA, including Edmonton, are transferred to the NHL.

Hockey experts at first were skeptical enough about the prospect of Gretzky in the NHL. The League propagandized the power style of the game, and the leading players had quite impressive dimensions. Gretzky, with a height of 182 centimeters and weighing 80 kilograms, looked quite subtile against their background. But already the first season in the NHL disgraced all the skeptics. The prize to the most valuable player of the season is 51 thrown washer. Already in the first season of Gretzky Wayne became the youngest sniper, who scored 50 goals. At that time he turned 19 and 2 months old.

Years spent by Gretzky in the "Edmonton", were the best for the player himself, and for the club. Four victories in the Stanley Cup, 6 years in a row the team scored more than 100 points in the regular championship. And a huge number of individual prizes. But everything comes to an end ...

The career after "Edmonton"

In August 1988, the hockey world shook the news of the sale of Wayne Gretzky. The next club of the great hockey player was "Los Angeles Kings", an outsider of the league. This transfer put an end to Gretzky's hopes of winning another Stanley Cup. The composition of the "kings", even with the acquisition of Gretzky, did not allow this to count.

The transition to another club did not affect the personal effectiveness of the hockey player. He still scored a lot and assisted his partners. But the maximum that the "kings" managed to achieve is to reach the final. Realizing that in "Los Angeles" will have to forget about the championship ambitions, Gretzky Wayne asks for an exchange. And on February 27, 1996, he becomes a player of the St. Louis Blues. But in the semifinal, the team loses to Detroit, and immediately after the end of the season Wayne signs a contract with the "New York Rangers". This club is the last in a successful career as a hockey player.

Gretzky Wayne: number 99

Wayne Gretzky began his hockey career as number 19. As a child, Wayne was the idol of the legendary Gordie Howe, who performed at number 9. In the first club this number was occupied, and the hockey player chose 19 numbers for himself. But at the insistence of the general manager of the "Grainhound", after a while he changed it to 99.

In the NHL there is a tradition of withdrawing from circulation numbers of players who have left a visible mark in the history of the team. Wayne Gretzky's number was withdrawn from circulation by two teams: Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings. Already later, it was decided to completely remove the 99 number from circulation.

Wayne Gretzky: Statistics

The effectiveness of Wayne Gretzky from the first season struck everyone. In his career, Wayne scored 894 goals in the regular part of the championship and 122 goals in the playoff series. This result is a record in the NHL. Among the active players, too, you can not see anyone who could approach the result of Gretzky. In addition to goals scored, on his account 1963 assists, which is also the best result in the history of the league. These indicators, coupled with the won titles, give an answer to the question of why it is Wayne Gretzky who is called "Great".