And so, he brought me right along with his career. "But he made me feel like I was beside him, not behind him. His in-studio matchup with friend (and now fellow host) NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley almost broke the internet this month. He even has a wine label.Īnd now, at the age of 60, he's trying something entirely new: He's joined TNT as an on-air analyst. But retirement is a relative term for superstars. Dad, I'm done.'" Walter Gretzky talks with his son before the 1984 NHL All Star Game, January 31, 1984, at the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.įew would have blamed him if he did nothing after hanging up his skates. "The whole way there, he kept hitting me on the leg saying, 'You know, you could play one more year!' And I said, 'Oh my gosh. "It was the worst decision I've ever made in my life," Gretzky laughed. Gretzky drove his dad to his last game, just as his dad has driven him to his first. For 20 seasons, number 99 thrilled fans, until he finally retired in 1999. Gretzky helped grow the sport, even in places that hadn't seen ice since the Ice Age. Gretzky himself was in tears.īut the skill and determination his dad taught him followed him to Los Angeles, where he truly became a king. Canada practically went into national mourning. His dad was there through his entire career, including the tough moments, like when the Edmonton Oilers traded Gretzky away, in 1988. He was Canada's Hockey Dad, and when Wayne lost him this year to Parkinson's at the age of 82, there was a hole that was pretty hard to fill: "Money didn't really matter to him friendships did. "He taught me so much more than just being a hockey player." He started figuring that out on an ice rink in his backyard in Brantford, Ontario, one his father, Walter Gretzky, built for him. I was always the smallest guy, right? So, I had to figure out a way to be able to be more successful than those bigger, stronger, faster guys." "Well, I played to my strength," Gretzky said. I mean, some people say that's what makes you even more of an athlete." Wayne Gretzky. "Yeah, you just were! Which is remarkable.
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