Friday, January 07, 2005
Wayne Gretzky - captain for the Oilers Megastar
Gretzky excited to wear No. 99 again
WebPosted Fri Nov 21 10:59:35 2003
CBC SPORTS ONLINE - It just makes sense: Wayne Gretzky in an Edmonton Oilers jersey.
On Saturday, Gretzky will slip on his famous No. 99 jersey, tuck it deep into his hockey pants, and lead his Oiler pals onto the ice for a game of outdoor shinny.
"It's going to be a lot of fun and it will be great to see a lot of old faces and a lot of old friends and old teammates," said Gretzky.
Oilers greats like Gretzky, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri, Grant Fuhr and Mark Messier will face off against a team of former Montreal Canadiens stars including Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt, Guy Lapointe, Claude Lemieux and Larry Robinson in the Heritage Classic alumni game (CBC 4:30 pm ET).
"We have been talking about it, we are all looking forward to playing the game."
Retired for nearly five years, the NHL's all-time assist leader has always taken a pass when asked to participate in old-timers games.
But when Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe called and described what was being planned, Gretzky felt compelled to suspend his long-standing policy.
"It's just such a unique situation," said Gretzky of the game, which will be played outdoors on a rink constructed in the middle of Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium before close to 60,000 fans.
"I really think this is something the city of Edmonton is going to be very proud of and something that's going to be talked about for a lot of years."
The idea of playing outdoors also appealed to the boy that learned the game on a backyard rink built by his father in Brantford, Ont.
"We all kind of grew up outdoors," said Gretzky.
"Kids who grew up dreaming of one day playing in the NHL," he said," now you have an opportunity where guys that played in Edmonton, guys that played in Montreal, are actually going to be out on the ice outdoors."
Another factor motivating Gretzky to take to the ice is family.
"My youngest guy never even saw me play hockey. It'll be outside and being this kind of a thing, it'll be pretty cool," he explained.
"My family and my friends, a lot of people that I know, never saw me in an Oiler uniform."
The last time fans in Edmonton witnessed that was 15 years ago. Gretzky had just led the Oilers to their fourth Stanley Cup championship. He sat at centre ice cradling the Cup as his teammates celebrated around him.
That summer, then-Oilers owner Peter Pocklington did the unthinkable -- he traded Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings.
The trade proved to be a watershed for No. 99 and the NHL. No longer was Gretzky the skinny kid from Brantford playing Canada's game. Instead, he became a symbol for the growth of hockey in the United States.
He broke Gordie Howe's all-time scoring record while wearing a Kings' jersey. His emotional farewell to the game came in a New York Rangers' blueshirt.
In fact, some argue Gretzky accomplished so much while in playing in the United States that those early seasons with the Oilers, when he was most productive, have been obscured.
"I just thought that probably it was only fitting that I play one more game and my kids had an opportunity to see me in an Oiler uniform," said Gretzky.
Gretzky retired from hockey following the 1998-99 season, but has never strayed too far from the game.
He's part owner of the Phoenix Coyotes. Gretzky built the Canadian team that won gold at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. And now he's been charged with assembling Team Canada for the World Cup of Hockey next September.
To keep in shape, Gretzky says he runs and lifts weights. It was only recently that he started playing hockey again.
"I didn't play for a couple of years. Actually, I just started skating in the last 10 to 12 months."
When asked how his game is, the nine-time NHL MVP said bluntly: "I'm no good.
"I'm 42 and I hope the people of Edmonton aren't expecting me to play with the hands and legs of a 22-year-old because it isn't going to happen.
"I'm not going to embarrass myself out there but, trust me, I'm not very good."
Fans will also notice that Gretzky won't be sporting his famous, and flimsy, Jofa helmet.
"I'm not going to wear a helmet," Gretzky said. "I don't think any of our guys are. I don't need a helmet for this game, I don't anticipate getting hit."
And don't expect to ever see No. 99 play an old-timers game again.
"This will be my last game," Gretzky said.
- with files from Canadian Press
WebPosted Fri Nov 21 10:59:35 2003
CBC SPORTS ONLINE - It just makes sense: Wayne Gretzky in an Edmonton Oilers jersey.
On Saturday, Gretzky will slip on his famous No. 99 jersey, tuck it deep into his hockey pants, and lead his Oiler pals onto the ice for a game of outdoor shinny.
"It's going to be a lot of fun and it will be great to see a lot of old faces and a lot of old friends and old teammates," said Gretzky.
Oilers greats like Gretzky, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri, Grant Fuhr and Mark Messier will face off against a team of former Montreal Canadiens stars including Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt, Guy Lapointe, Claude Lemieux and Larry Robinson in the Heritage Classic alumni game (CBC 4:30 pm ET).
"We have been talking about it, we are all looking forward to playing the game."
Retired for nearly five years, the NHL's all-time assist leader has always taken a pass when asked to participate in old-timers games.
But when Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe called and described what was being planned, Gretzky felt compelled to suspend his long-standing policy.
"It's just such a unique situation," said Gretzky of the game, which will be played outdoors on a rink constructed in the middle of Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium before close to 60,000 fans.
"I really think this is something the city of Edmonton is going to be very proud of and something that's going to be talked about for a lot of years."
The idea of playing outdoors also appealed to the boy that learned the game on a backyard rink built by his father in Brantford, Ont.
"We all kind of grew up outdoors," said Gretzky.
"Kids who grew up dreaming of one day playing in the NHL," he said," now you have an opportunity where guys that played in Edmonton, guys that played in Montreal, are actually going to be out on the ice outdoors."
Another factor motivating Gretzky to take to the ice is family.
"My youngest guy never even saw me play hockey. It'll be outside and being this kind of a thing, it'll be pretty cool," he explained.
"My family and my friends, a lot of people that I know, never saw me in an Oiler uniform."
The last time fans in Edmonton witnessed that was 15 years ago. Gretzky had just led the Oilers to their fourth Stanley Cup championship. He sat at centre ice cradling the Cup as his teammates celebrated around him.
That summer, then-Oilers owner Peter Pocklington did the unthinkable -- he traded Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings.
The trade proved to be a watershed for No. 99 and the NHL. No longer was Gretzky the skinny kid from Brantford playing Canada's game. Instead, he became a symbol for the growth of hockey in the United States.
He broke Gordie Howe's all-time scoring record while wearing a Kings' jersey. His emotional farewell to the game came in a New York Rangers' blueshirt.
In fact, some argue Gretzky accomplished so much while in playing in the United States that those early seasons with the Oilers, when he was most productive, have been obscured.
"I just thought that probably it was only fitting that I play one more game and my kids had an opportunity to see me in an Oiler uniform," said Gretzky.
Gretzky retired from hockey following the 1998-99 season, but has never strayed too far from the game.
He's part owner of the Phoenix Coyotes. Gretzky built the Canadian team that won gold at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. And now he's been charged with assembling Team Canada for the World Cup of Hockey next September.
To keep in shape, Gretzky says he runs and lifts weights. It was only recently that he started playing hockey again.
"I didn't play for a couple of years. Actually, I just started skating in the last 10 to 12 months."
When asked how his game is, the nine-time NHL MVP said bluntly: "I'm no good.
"I'm 42 and I hope the people of Edmonton aren't expecting me to play with the hands and legs of a 22-year-old because it isn't going to happen.
"I'm not going to embarrass myself out there but, trust me, I'm not very good."
Fans will also notice that Gretzky won't be sporting his famous, and flimsy, Jofa helmet.
"I'm not going to wear a helmet," Gretzky said. "I don't think any of our guys are. I don't need a helmet for this game, I don't anticipate getting hit."
And don't expect to ever see No. 99 play an old-timers game again.
"This will be my last game," Gretzky said.
- with files from Canadian Press
