This article first appeared in RedMatchday Magazine, Aberdeen Football Club's award-winning publication, on December 8, 2007.Jose Mourinho, the former Chelsea manager, may famously have referred to himself as “a special one”, but for Wayne Gretzky, the legendary Canadian ice hockey player, no such self-gratification was ever required.
Nicknamed “The Great One”, Gretzky dominated a team sport in a manner that no other individual, with the possible exception of Michael Jordan, has achieved. Since his retirement in 1999, Gretzky remains firmly in the game as Managing Partner and Alternate Governor of Phoenix Coyotes. This season is also his third as Head Coach with the formidable challenge of building one of NHL’s elite teams.
Success has been way off for this organisation since their predecessor, Winnipeg Jets, gained entry to NHL in 1979 after a merger of rival hockey leagues. Faced with spiralling costs and strong divisional opposition from Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, the ailing franchise was purchased by two Arizona businessmen in 1996 and relocated to the desert city.
After an auspicious start which saw five post-season appearances in six years, Phoenix has failed to reach the play-offs since 2002 finishing bottom of the Pacific Division on all but one occasion. Ownership has changed, a new arena has been built and this season sees a new General Manager. The job is exacting, but Gretzky has experience in developing hockey away from its northern heartlands.
During an unparalleled playing career, Gretzky won four Stanley Cups with Edmonton, received a record nine Hart Memorial Trophy awards as NHL MVP (including eight consecutively from 1980-87), and a record ten Art Ross Trophy awards (as top regular season points scorer). He is the only player ever to score 200 points (combined goals and assists) in a season, a feat which he achieved four times, and finished his career with a phenomenal 2,857 points (894 goals, 1,963 assists in 1,487 games). Countryman and former Oilers team-mate Mark Messier sits a distant second on 1,887. Fittingly, the NHL has retired his “99” jersey meaning that no player will ever wear his number again.
The grandson of Polish immigrants, Gretzky’s pre-eminence was attributed to his prodigious childhood ability married with his dedication to practice. Aged 6, he would compete at Under 10 level, and at 16 he became the youngest player to compete in the World Junior Championships, ending the tournament as top scorer.
In 1978, aged 17, he signed his first professional contract with Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association (WHA). With the league fading and the Racers struggling financially, Gretzky was soon sold to Edmonton who gained entry to NHL following WHA’s demise in 1979. With Gretzky and Messier on board they became one of hockey’s most storied teams.
By 1983, Edmonton were threatening New York Islanders’ dynasty, but after suffering a whitewash in that year’s Stanley Cup Final, Gretzky had to wait another season to gain revenge and end the Islanders’ hopes of a fifth consecutive title. Further successes arrived for him at Edmonton in 1985, 1987 and 1988, after which the NHL landscape would change forever.
In the summer of 1988, Gretzky was sensationally transferred to Los Angeles Kings in a move so astounding that it became known simply as “The Trade”. The Kings, mediocre since their 1967 inception, suddenly became a major talking point amongst Angelinos and attendances at the Inglewood Forum quickly matched those of their more illustrious NBA co-tenants, the Lakers.
Despite a lack of team success, Gretzky picked up one further Hart Memorial Trophy and three Art Ross awards during eight seasons in LA. The early years brought classic play-off battles against his former Oilers, with the Kings ousting the defending champions in 1989 only to fall to eventual winners Calgary Flames. Edmonton avenged that loss by ending the Kings’ campaigns in each of the next three seasons before the Kings reached new heights in 1993. Despite being underdogs, Gretzky inspired them to the Stanley Cup Finals with play-off victories over Calgary, Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs. However, another Canadian team, Montreal Canadiens, ensured that the impressive trophy remained in the North, as it had done since its inauguration in 1918.
With age and injuries catching up, Gretzky left California in 1996 for a brief stint at St. Louis Blues before settling with New York Rangers for three final seasons. Defeat by Philadelphia Flyers in the 1997 Eastern Conference Final marked his last post-season appearance, with the curtain falling on a glittering playing career in Madison Square Garden on 18 April 1999.
Despite his playing abilities waning throughout the 1990’s, Gretzky’s impact in Los Angeles continued to reverberate around NHL. He stimulated such interest in the sport that California received two further franchises – San Jose Sharks in 1991 and Anaheim Ducks in 1993 – as hockey expanded away from its traditional markets. Four new teams began in Southern cities (Tampa Bay, Fort Lauderdale, Nashville and Atlanta), Minnesota and Quebec moved to Dallas and Denver respectively, and of course, Winnipeg Jets became Phoenix Coyotes.
A decade on, the Coyotes still have much work ahead. Phoenix continues to grow rapidly with its population almost doubling since 1980. With re-settlement from America’s Mid-West increasingly popular, they face a battle to win over new fans from family allegiances to the likes of Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings.
Since 1996, championships for Colorado (twice), Dallas, Tampa, Carolina and Anaheim have shattered the North’s stranglehold on the Stanley Cup. However, the only shining light to be provided on ice at Phoenix’s Glendale Arena has come from the innovative Pack Dance Team, courtesy of their modified footwear.
The 2007/08 season has started promisingly for Phoenix. But for a woeful overtime record, they would be occupying a play-off spot as the first quarter concludes. Come next April when the post-season begins, Gretzky will be hoping his influence on the southward shift of success will again be hands-on.
Nicknamed “The Great One”, Gretzky dominated a team sport in a manner that no other individual, with the possible exception of Michael Jordan, has achieved. Since his retirement in 1999, Gretzky remains firmly in the game as Managing Partner and Alternate Governor of Phoenix Coyotes. This season is also his third as Head Coach with the formidable challenge of building one of NHL’s elite teams.
Success has been way off for this organisation since their predecessor, Winnipeg Jets, gained entry to NHL in 1979 after a merger of rival hockey leagues. Faced with spiralling costs and strong divisional opposition from Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, the ailing franchise was purchased by two Arizona businessmen in 1996 and relocated to the desert city.
After an auspicious start which saw five post-season appearances in six years, Phoenix has failed to reach the play-offs since 2002 finishing bottom of the Pacific Division on all but one occasion. Ownership has changed, a new arena has been built and this season sees a new General Manager. The job is exacting, but Gretzky has experience in developing hockey away from its northern heartlands.
During an unparalleled playing career, Gretzky won four Stanley Cups with Edmonton, received a record nine Hart Memorial Trophy awards as NHL MVP (including eight consecutively from 1980-87), and a record ten Art Ross Trophy awards (as top regular season points scorer). He is the only player ever to score 200 points (combined goals and assists) in a season, a feat which he achieved four times, and finished his career with a phenomenal 2,857 points (894 goals, 1,963 assists in 1,487 games). Countryman and former Oilers team-mate Mark Messier sits a distant second on 1,887. Fittingly, the NHL has retired his “99” jersey meaning that no player will ever wear his number again.
The grandson of Polish immigrants, Gretzky’s pre-eminence was attributed to his prodigious childhood ability married with his dedication to practice. Aged 6, he would compete at Under 10 level, and at 16 he became the youngest player to compete in the World Junior Championships, ending the tournament as top scorer.
In 1978, aged 17, he signed his first professional contract with Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association (WHA). With the league fading and the Racers struggling financially, Gretzky was soon sold to Edmonton who gained entry to NHL following WHA’s demise in 1979. With Gretzky and Messier on board they became one of hockey’s most storied teams.
By 1983, Edmonton were threatening New York Islanders’ dynasty, but after suffering a whitewash in that year’s Stanley Cup Final, Gretzky had to wait another season to gain revenge and end the Islanders’ hopes of a fifth consecutive title. Further successes arrived for him at Edmonton in 1985, 1987 and 1988, after which the NHL landscape would change forever.
In the summer of 1988, Gretzky was sensationally transferred to Los Angeles Kings in a move so astounding that it became known simply as “The Trade”. The Kings, mediocre since their 1967 inception, suddenly became a major talking point amongst Angelinos and attendances at the Inglewood Forum quickly matched those of their more illustrious NBA co-tenants, the Lakers.
Despite a lack of team success, Gretzky picked up one further Hart Memorial Trophy and three Art Ross awards during eight seasons in LA. The early years brought classic play-off battles against his former Oilers, with the Kings ousting the defending champions in 1989 only to fall to eventual winners Calgary Flames. Edmonton avenged that loss by ending the Kings’ campaigns in each of the next three seasons before the Kings reached new heights in 1993. Despite being underdogs, Gretzky inspired them to the Stanley Cup Finals with play-off victories over Calgary, Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs. However, another Canadian team, Montreal Canadiens, ensured that the impressive trophy remained in the North, as it had done since its inauguration in 1918.
With age and injuries catching up, Gretzky left California in 1996 for a brief stint at St. Louis Blues before settling with New York Rangers for three final seasons. Defeat by Philadelphia Flyers in the 1997 Eastern Conference Final marked his last post-season appearance, with the curtain falling on a glittering playing career in Madison Square Garden on 18 April 1999.
Despite his playing abilities waning throughout the 1990’s, Gretzky’s impact in Los Angeles continued to reverberate around NHL. He stimulated such interest in the sport that California received two further franchises – San Jose Sharks in 1991 and Anaheim Ducks in 1993 – as hockey expanded away from its traditional markets. Four new teams began in Southern cities (Tampa Bay, Fort Lauderdale, Nashville and Atlanta), Minnesota and Quebec moved to Dallas and Denver respectively, and of course, Winnipeg Jets became Phoenix Coyotes.
A decade on, the Coyotes still have much work ahead. Phoenix continues to grow rapidly with its population almost doubling since 1980. With re-settlement from America’s Mid-West increasingly popular, they face a battle to win over new fans from family allegiances to the likes of Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings.
Since 1996, championships for Colorado (twice), Dallas, Tampa, Carolina and Anaheim have shattered the North’s stranglehold on the Stanley Cup. However, the only shining light to be provided on ice at Phoenix’s Glendale Arena has come from the innovative Pack Dance Team, courtesy of their modified footwear.
The 2007/08 season has started promisingly for Phoenix. But for a woeful overtime record, they would be occupying a play-off spot as the first quarter concludes. Come next April when the post-season begins, Gretzky will be hoping his influence on the southward shift of success will again be hands-on.
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