The Grace of Wayne Gretzky
The Grace of Wayne Gretzky
Hockey’s living legend shows how to lose with class.
Alex Ovechkin finally did it. On Sunday afternoon, the Russian left winger found himself in open ice during a power play, reached back to collect a pass, and slotted a wrist-shot into the top right hand corner to net his 895th goal, a new record in the NHL. In New York on Sunday, Wayne Gretzky, the Great One, stood with a smile and applauded his record falling.
“I said I’d be the first one to shake your hand when you broke the record,” Gretzky said before hugging the towering Russian at center ice in the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. Then Gretzky made good on his promise. From one era to the next, the gregarious Gretzky provided a fitting bridge from past to present on one of hockey’s greatest days.
I caught the tail end of Gretzky’s transcendent career. He was playing for the New York Rangers when I got to watch him. Even then, in his twilight, Gretzky sparkled unlike any other. But for all the successes that Gretzky found on the ice, it’s what he did off the ice this weekend that speaks most earnestly to the unique legend he has crafted.
It’s not easy to watch your greatest successes pass by, but Gretzky has done so with great honor and respect for Ovechkin and the game. Gretzky was in attendance at the Capitol One Arena in Washington D.C. to witness Ovechkin tie his record of 894 goals, a feat that many believed would never occur. Gretzky was spotted cheering on Ovechkin and the two shared a brief, special moment following the Russian’s 894th goal as Ovechkin skated over to the benches and saluted Gretzky in the stands.
“When I was breaking the record,” Gretzky recounted recently. “I said to my dad the night before, ‘I’m so embarrassed, Gordie Howe was the greatest hockey player to ever live and he always will be in my eyes, it will never change. I’m so embarrassed to break his record.’ And he says, ‘Are you out of your mind? Don’t even think that way. You have the same dignity and respect when the guy breaks your record. You make sure you have the same respect for the guy that breaks your record.’”
These past few days, Gretzky lived up to his father’s wishes. Gretzky’s goal record has long stood as one of the most insurmountable achievements in the history of all sport, a stunning tally accumulated over 20 years of consistent, immaculate play. Instead of dismay, Gretzky displayed humility, honor, and dignity as his lofty achievement was torn from the record books.
It hasn’t been an easy year for Gretzky, who has found himself in the middle of an intercontinental war of words and trade deficits. Gretzky, who lives in America, is married to an American wife, and attended an election night party for President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, has been the target of ire by angry Canadians who despise all things Trump. The 47th president of the United States has called on Gretzky to run for “Governor” of Canada, and the NHL legend was photographed with FBI Director Kash Patel at Friday night’s game in DC.
When Gretzky was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the LA Kings in 1988, The Great One wept in front of cameras and the city of Edmonton wept along with him. Such was the shared love Gretzky felt for the city of Edmonton and his country of Canada. But times have changed. This March, his statue in downtown Edmonton was smeared with feces. Petitions circulated to rename Wayne Gretzky Drive in the city. Gretzky’s wife took to Instagram to defend her husband, arguing that she had “never met anyone who is more Proud to be a Canadian.” But such is the heated political climate between America and the Great North at the moment that any perceived slight has, for some, wiped away the daunting achievements Gretzky manufactured on the ice.
And yet, through it all, Gretzky has not hit out at detractors. Unlike Trump, the Great One has not lashed out at his critics online or threatened to render revenge on those who have mocked him from afar. Gretzky has been focused on something he knows much better than politics—the game he loves and the generation of fans and players to come. When Ovechkin got within striking distance of a record many of us believed might never fall, Gretzky jumped on the bandwagon and cheered along for the good of the game. “They say records are made to be broken but I’m not sure who is going to get more goals than that,” Gretzky said with a smirk following Ovechkin’s record-breaking affair on Sunday.
Gretzky continues to hold over 50 NHL records, including the remarkable tally of 1,016 goals, including playoffs—a mark that Ovechkin still trails by 50. While it is likely that Ovechkin will eventually surpass this record, Gretzky’s legacy as The Great One was further solidified this weekend by his graciousness as the torch was passed.
On Sunday, Gretzky joined Ovechkin on the ice, wearing a #9 pin on his blazer to honor the legendary Gordie Howe, known as “Mr. Hockey.” From one generation to the next. Gretzky promised Ovechkin a new car, a gesture reminiscent of the one he himself received in 1994 when he broke the scoring record. A touch of class. The sign of a real ambassador. A part of what makes hockey special in its own special way. And from the man who carried the game for so many years, a reminder that in an era defined by money and fame, some grace still exists.
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