Book 13: Wayne Gretzky - 99 Stories of the Game

99 Stories of the Game

Wayne Gretzky

 Released: October 18th, 2016

 (Was originally written March 25th, 2023)

 Book 13 complete for the year.

I’m a big fan of Wayne Gretzky as a person.  I haven’t seen much of his play, and I hope to remedy that as I find out what big games to go back and watch.

I remember watching reruns of him hosting SNL May 13th, 1989.  It’s arguably my favorite episode of the show.  That was one of the first DVD movies I ever made.  I have enjoyed the person he is, as well as his character and good hearted nature.

This was less a biography, and more of a history of hockey as a sport from Gretzky’s own personal point of view.  The result is just as amazing as one would expect.

Things I took away (I would say 99, but would be a stretch):

- “But being faster and tougher doesn’t necessarily make you better.  I have been on a team that came out on top in a game even though we knew that the guys in the other room were more skilled.  It happens.”

- The first professional hockey league was founded in the US by a Canadian dentist named Jack Gibson 

- [The first pro hockey players] didn’t love the game because they were professionals —they became professionals because they loved the game.

- All Gretzky game-used hockey sticks have the date written on it in Sharpie

- Howie Morenz was the NHL’s first superstar

- Morenz fractured his leg in 4 places during his final hockey game, and died shortly after in the hospital.  They claim he died of a broken heart

- The Montreal Canadians are the only team older than the NHL

- “It’s funny how memories are so closely tied to the places where they were formed. I doubt anyone will ever forget the unique rafter inside Maple Leaf Gardens, the famous escalators at the front of the Montreal Forum, or the portrait of Queen Elizabeth that hung in the old Winnipeg Arena. For me, the Northlands Coliseum will always be a special place. But I am lucky that I got to play at the Olympia, where those Red Wings teams I dreamt about as a kid won all those Stanley Cups.“

- “Just about the biggest compliment I can offer to a hockey player is to compare him to Gordie Howe.”

- “Standing up and yelling in the dressing room before the game doesn’t make you a leader.  Being unselfish does.”

- “The stories about how intimidating [Gordie Howe] could be. One of his mottos was "Do unto others before they do unto you," but he could be counted on to do unto others after as well. In fact, he was known for his long memory. If you ever crossed Gordie Howe, your punishment was coming — it was just a question of when. Before he was known as Mr. Hockey, he was Mr. Elbows. He left a trail of broken noses, missing teeth, and stitches through the league.

- Hockey evokes a sense of nationalism.  You play for teams as a career, but your loyalty is to your country first.

On to Book 14: …undecided…