The Hockey News Archive
It’s been a little more than 25 years since Wayne Gretzky played his final NHL game. And in this cover story from The Hockey News’ Dec. 10, 1999, edition (Volume 53, Issue 14), then-associate editor Bob McKenzie wrote about the aftermath of Gretzky’s retirement – specifically, Gretzky’s induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame less than a year after he hung up his skates.
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The Hockey Hall of Fame rarely makes exceptions to its three-year waiting period before players are eligible for induction. But as we all know, Gretzky was as exceptional as it gets. And the HHOF honors brought out the grateful young man he’s always been.
“I feel right now like tonight is the greatest night of my life,” Gretzky said in his acceptance speech. “For me, this was the icing on the cake, different from the other celebrations because in my last game in Canada, in Ottawa, and again in New York, I knew I wanted to retire, but I had people around me trying to convince me I shouldn’t. Here, all my emotions and everyone else’s are on the same page.”
For all his talents – and there were many – Gretzky’s greatest attribute as an elite athlete may well have been his burning urge to win and grow. Sure, his on-ice instincts and creativity were reasons he was so special, but that desire to succeed and improve was what pushed Gretzky into a new and rare strata. And he recognized that element in the weeks and months following his final NHL match.
Here’s the full story from 1999. But before you read, take a guess: how much did it cost just to watch Gretzky’s ceremony in the lobby of the building that hosts the Hall of Fame, separated from the HHOF itself?
THE KID’S IN THE HALL
Vol. 53, No. 14, Dec. 10, 1999
By Bob McKenzie
On the night of Wayne Gretzky’s induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, there was evidence to suggest he was but a shadow of his former self, that his vaunted vision had finally failed him.
The Great One had to be rescued by the Mounties.
It was late evening on Nov. 22, the formal induction ceremonies were over and Gretzky had retreated to the confines of the Hall of Fame to unwind and enjoy the final minutes of a very special day with family, friends and fans.
Accessible superstar that he is, though, Gretzky was inundated with autograph requests and well-wishers. Hall of Fame calendars and souvenir tickets were thrust in his direction as the crowd continued to build around him.
Gretzky forged his splendid career on his elusiveness. He rarely got himself into a spot he couldn’t get out of and always kept moving to avoid being hit. But on this night, he let down his guard.
And so there he was, trapped. Backed into a corner, a wall on one side, a bar on the other and a growing throng in front of him, presenting items far faster than he could possibly sign. As the crowd gained momentum, it was obvious the situation was becoming unmanageable. There was no way out.
Enter the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in their bright red tunics and trademark hats. Six of them, three on each side, flanked Gretzky and hustled The Great One through the crowd and to a safe haven.
The look on Gretzky’s face reflected equal parts relief, embarrassment and bemusement. Relief, because he was no longer being smothered. Embarrassment, because he tries so valiantly to be an ordinary superstar. And bemusement, because, well, you had to be there to fully appreciate a phalanx of red-clad Mounties literally double-timing The Great One out of the Hall. All that was missing were their horses.
Just another day in the life and times of Wayne Douglas Gretzky?
Not quite. If Gretzky seemed to have lost his touch on crowd control, his magic was evident throughout what is being hailed as the greatest induction ceremonies in the history of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
But then, what else would you expect from The Great One?
“I feel right now like tonight is the greatest night of my life,” said Gretzky during his acceptance speech in the HHOF’s Great Hall. “For me, this was the icing on the cake, different from the other celebrations because in my last game in Canada, in Ottawa, and again in New York, I knew I wanted to retire, but I had people around me trying to convince me I shouldn’t. Here, all my emotions and everyone else’s are on the same page.”
Gretzky, with his incredible statistical dominance – not to mention 10 Art Ross Trophies, nine Hart Trophies, four Stanley Cups, two Conn Smythe Trophies, three Canada Cups and 61 NHL records – lifted the game to new heights. He did the same for the induction ceremonies.
Since the new Hall opened in 1993 – after being relocated from Toronto’s Canadian National Exhibition grounds – inductions have taken place strictly within its confines. The actual ceremony, as it was for Gretzky, referee Andy van Hellemond and builder Ian ‘Scotty’ Morrison, took place in the Great Hall with only Honored Members, family and friends witnessing it live. All other guests – hockey dignitaries and fans with paid admission – watched the ceremony on closed circuit throughout the rest of the HHOF.
But because the demand for tickets to Gretzky’s induction was so great, only 1,000 VIPs were permitted in the HHOF itself. A huge crowd beyond that, numbering more than 2,000, bought tickets at $299 each to watch from Heritage Square, effectively the lobby of the BCE Place office tower that houses the HHOF. A few ticketholders expressed dismay and/or disappointment they paid $300 and were segregated from hockey’s elite, but most enjoyed the festivities.
Gretzky and other hockey luminaries arrived Academy Awards-style outside BCE Place. They strolled through Heritage Square and past the many ticket-holders en route to the HHOF. While the dignitaries then mingled in the Hall, public ticket-holders gathered in the cavernous Heritage Square, watching the ceremony on televisions and monitors and enjoying musical entertainment that included Stompin’ Tom Connors singing “The Hockey Song,” (though the Canadian legend forgot the words at one point).
When the ceremony was over, the Honored Members in attendance – more than 40, including Jean Beliveau, Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Scotty Bowman, Milt Schmidt, Tony Esposito and Ken Dryden – were brought on stage at Heritage Square to thunderous applause. But the biggest cheer of the night was saved for Gretzky, van Hellemond and Morrison, who were piped onto the stage and escorted by the RCMP contingent that later came to Gretzky’s rescue. There, they signed the HHOF Honored Members’ register – it had all the feel of a wedding celebration – and the party raged on.
Gretzky is the 10th inductee to be fast-tracked without the three-year retirement waiting period. The Hall of Fame board of directors has already decreed he will be the last.
The entire day was nothing if not an episode of Wayne Gretzky, This is Your Life.
Along with Morrison and van Hellemond, Gretzky arrived at a morning news conference at the Hall of Fame, where they were presented with their Honored Members’ sports jackets and Hall of Fame rings.
Gretzky showed up at the Hall wearing a blue shirt and tie, but no sports coat. His agent, Mike Barnett, asked Gretzky where his jacket was.
“I told Mike, ‘I don’t need one because they’re going to give me one,’” said Gretzky after the ceremony. “Mike said I was supposed to wear one anyway, that you’re supposed to take off your own jacket and put on the new one. I told him, ‘Well, I’m starting a new tradition.’”
Gretzky put on his new jacket and new ring, which he admired throughout the 90-minute session with the media.
Much of the news conference focused on how much Gretzky misses playing in the NHL, especially since he said in an earlier interview with TSN’s Dave Hodge he would likely still be playing for the New York Rangers had they acquired Pavel Bure last season. Bure ended up with the Florida Panthers.
A sampling of Gretzky’s thoughts on his big day:
❑ I wish I still could play. I miss it tremendously…I enjoy working, I enjoy staying busy, but nothing can replace hockey.”
❑ What I miss the most is the interaction with my teammates, being at practice, on the bus, being there after a big win. I miss the game more than the game misses Wayne Gretzky.”
❑ I miss the game days, I miss every day. It’s a special bond when you’re part of that. When you’re not part of a team, you’re on the outside looking in.”
❑ Thirty-six years of my life, all I’ve done is play hockey. It’s going to be a change.”
Asked if he had any regrets, he cited not winning the 1993 Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings and wishing he “could come back and play the game like I was 20.”
But as difficult as his transition to civilian life has been, Gretzky insisted he’s “at peace” with his decision and there’s no turning back.
“I felt I gave everything,” he said. “I was physically and mentally ready to step back. I’ve said before I was going to retire one time officially and I’m officially retired.”
He doesn’t even go on the ice with his sons, Trevor and Ty. “I don’t even own a pair of skates,” Gretzky said. “I gave them to the Hall of Fame.”
And yet no one could be more comfortable with his place in the game and what he has meant to it than Gretzky.
“I think what separated me in my time was I had a passion for the game,” he said. “I was dedicated to it. I prepared myself for each and every game. I really felt like I had never done enough. If I had three goals, I wanted it to be five goals. If I had seven points, I wanted to get the eighth point. So I never stopped playing, approaching each game like it was a Stanley Cup playoff game. Maybe that’s why I have the records I did eventually get.”
Gretzky deflected any credit for having changed the game, though he did suggest he was a role model for young players who feel the odds are stacked against them.
“What I think I did do is pave the way for a lot of other people, in the sense that I was told I was not big enough, maybe not fast enough or not strong enough (to play in the NHL),” Gretzky said. “I’m someone the kids can look to and say, ‘Well, he made it, so I can, too.’ Hopefully, my name will change thoughts kids and parents have, that if you put your mind to it, you can change this sport.”
Where Gretzky goes from here is difficult to say, even for him.
“What I’m going to do, I’m not sure,” he said. “I’m going to sit back and clear my mind and then we’ll see.”
It’s widely believed he will one day be a part-owner and/or top executive with an NHL franchise. In the meantime, Gretzky plans on doing what he has been doing since retirement – expanding his corporate portfolio and maintaining his public presence and income level, too.
Gretzky earned $5 million in his final season with the Rangers. He’ll make more than that in endorsements in first full season as a non-player.
When one inquirer suggested, somewhat obliquely, that Gretzky was over-exposed and would he be cutting back on his profile and business endeavors, No. 99 said: “That’s who I am now. That’s my life. Unfortunately, you’re going to see me a few more times.”
Gretzky’s corporate clients include Goodyear tires, Folger’s coffee, Tylenol, Upper Deck trading cards, McDonald’s, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Esso and TransAlpha, an Alberta energy company that will use Gretzky as the host of three television specials on the environment.
In many cases, Gretzky isn’t simply lending his name and image to a company for cash. His involvement is also tied to charitable and/or educational programs. Esso and McDonald’s will use Gretzky to promote minor hockey programs and he will continue to be involved in Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities.
Gretzky also has equity ownership positions in World Wide Roller Hockey, which has built nine Wayne Gretzky Roller Hockey Centers in the U.S.; restaurants (Wayne Gretzky’s in Toronto, All-Star Cafe in New York); and Hespeler hockey equipment.
If part of the population feels Gretzky is overexposed, there are many more who simply can’t get enough. And on his induction day, it was an opportunity for many of the game’s biggest names to pay homage.
Old rival Mario Lemieux, now majority owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, said Gretzky “turned around my career” after they were teammates in the 1987 Canada Cup.
Hall-of-Famer Peter Stastny, who recorded the second-most points (behind only Gretzky) in the 1980s, said he was constantly amazed at how Gretzky so seldom disappointed anyone.
“The expectations on him were so high, they were out of this world and he always seemed to exceed them, on and off the ice,” Stastny said. “I don’t like to finish second in anything, but to be second to Wayne Gretzky, that’s okay.”
Edmonton Oilers’ GM-president Glen Sather, who credits Gretzky for all his success, said his only regret was The Great One had to leave Edmonton for Los Angeles.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think he ever reached his peak,” Sather said. “I always wonder how many Stanley Cups he would have won if he had stayed in Edmonton.. The was just starting to mature as a player.”
Gordie Howe, who first met Gretzky as a 10-year-old attending a sports celebrity dinner in Brantford, Ont., said he’s always impressed at how well Gretzky handles attention and scrutiny.
“He was born for it,” Howe said.
The Hall of Fame, in co-operation with Wayne’s father Walter, has put together a spectacular display that chronicles Gretzky’s career from his first days on skates as a toddler to his last game as a New York Ranger.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman lauded Gretzky for all he has done for the game. “There are always great players coming into the league to replace the ones leaving,” Bettman said, “but there will never be another Gretzky.”
The city of Toronto got in on the act, too. A giant “Thanks Wayne” sign was hung midway up the CN Tower, the famous landmark.
More honors are in store for Gretzky. His No. 99 will be formally retired at the NHL All-Star Game in Toronto in February and Gretzky will be a focal point for the all-star weekend.
There has also been talk of creating or renaming a trophy for him. Gretzky plays down that talk, suggesting he’s “way down the totem pole” and Gordie Howe and Bobby Orr should be honored ahead of him. And Bettman has hinted trophy talk is premature at this time, that the induction and all-star honors are the first order of business.
The induction ceremony’s highlight was a career retrospective on video, followed by Gretzky’s acceptance speech, which was one long thank you to all who had helped from his days as a prodigy in Brantford to Jr. B in Toronto to major junior in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., to the World Hockey Association to the NHL and international hockey fame and fortune.
He thanked Bettman and the NHL for allowing him to play the game he loved and “feel like a kid every single day.” He thanked Howe for showing him the way of a superstar. And, of course, he thanked his family – Walter, mother Phyllis, wife Janet and children Paulina, Ty and Trevor. He also paid tribute to three departed media members – long-time Brantford radio sports broadcaster Arnold Anderson, ESPN broadcaster Tom Mees and play-by-play man Dan Kelly.
It was so like Gretzky to not forget anyone.
It was a night to remember, a career to remember.
It was a night when the Hall got its man, just like the Mounties.
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News Summary:
- 25 Years Ago, Wayne Gretzky Got His Due In Fast-Tracked Hall of Fame Induction
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