Wayne Gretzky “The Great One” Born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, January 26, 1961. Wayne began skating at the age of three on a backyard rink built by his father,Walter. He began playing organized hockey in grade school and was soon such a dominant scorer that he was moved out of his age bracket to play with players several years older. In the book “On the ice with Wayne Gretzky,” Matt Christopher (pg.3) One of Wayne Gretzky’s idols as a young hockey player were his father and Hall of Fame forward Gordie Howe. After playing in several local and regional leagues, Gretzky advanced to play junior hockey with the Sault Sainte Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League, a developmental league for young players.
He was an NHL Hall of Famer. Wayne Gretzky started skating at age 2 and by the time he was 6 he was regularly playing with the older boys. He played his first full NHL season in 1979-80 for the Edmonton Oilers. Over the next two decades, he dominated the sport of hockey, setting a host of league records. Wayne Gretzky retired in 1999 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame that same year.
There have been several dynasties in the NHL: the Toronto Maple Leafs of the 1940’s, the Red Wings and Canadians of the 1950’s then again the Leafs of the 1960’s, the Canadians and Islanders of the 1970’s and finally the Oilers of the 1980’s. These are the teams that are remembered as the greatest to ever play in the NH: but it was the Oilers who re wrote the NHL record books. On May 19, 1984, the Edmonton Oilers won their first Stanley cup, and it was the beginning of their dynasty years. In 1983–84, the Oilers finished first overall in the NHL, winning a franchise record fifty-seven games and earning 119 points. They scored 446 goals, and NHL record which still stands today.
Crosby vs. Gretzky Canada’s own Wayne Gretzky is undoubtedly considered the greatest player ever in the fast-paced game of hockey since he dominated the game in the 1980’s. However, the tables have been turning in the last a few years as Sidney Crosby, another young Canadian, has emerged as a dominant player and taken the professional league by storm. Comparing the two players isn't easy. The game of hockey looks drastically different than 35 years ago; it has been constantly evolving and technology has helped players move faster, become physically stronger and has made them better equipped to deal with injuries than ever before. Wayne Gretzky’s accomplishments are well known; he still holds many records in many different categories and is considered to be the best player in modern hockey.
When he was six years old, his father, Walter, built a rink in the family's backyard, and it was there that Wayne skated for hours on end, every day, practising his skating, shooting and stick handling and learning everything about the game from his dad (Wayne Gretzky Biography). This shows that ever since Gretzky was a kid, he was committed and devoted to hockey which resulted in such a successful NHL career. Secondly, Despite Gretzky’s unimpressive stature, strength and speed, Gretzky's intelligence and reading of the game were unrivalled. He was adept at dodging checks from opposing
Jonathan Gold Susan Yingling Engl1113_W02_079138 2 April 2012 The New Face of Hockey Hockey is a sport that has been believed to have been played as far back as 2000 B.C. There are 4,000 year old carvings found of teams playing a game that extremely resembles hockey with the use of sticks and an unknown type of projectile. Since then, we have seen signs of hockey being played throughout the times all over the globe. Over time, the sport has gotten more organized, but progressively more dangerous as the new rules and styles have developed. Hockey has taken many shapes, from field hockey to ice hockey, even to underwater hockey.
The National Hockey League is one of the most premiere and elite sports leagues in the world, and one of the most misunderstood. The NHL was founded in 1917 and was comprised of teams from Ontario, Quebec, the Great Lakes region, and the Northeastern United States. The league was still being established up until the year 1942, when the era of the Original Six began. This era is when the NHL first started to get recognized, and the same time that the most prestigious award in hockey, the Stanley Cup, was brought into the sport. Since forming, the league has seen 43 teams, become an Olympic sport, and has been the stage for some of the most famous moments in sports history.
Therefore, Gretzky was able to have an outstanding hockey career and be a role model off the ice, leading to the creation of the Wayne Gretzky Foundation and the active role he plays in charity. First off, Gretzky’s father was a constant motivating role throughout his childhood and pressured him to work hard. Always being there for him helped Gretzky put in the extremely hard work it takes to become a professional hockey player. For example, at age 2 he learned how to skate from his dad and his dad even built a rink in their backyard so that he could practice everyday. His father was even known to have invented special drills for his son to work on specific hockey skills.
Growing up he played sports at a high level. He played hockey on a junior Olympic team and got second place for the little league baseball state title 3 years in a row. Since he had me at a young age he had to hold off on his dream of becoming a police officer and focus on me. So he had
Football, basketball, ice hockey, baseball, and soccer the list could go on on the sports they could play. The kids will enjoy the sport they are playing and at the same time they get their exercise. According to get fit.com-playing sports at a early age strengthens the bones and muscles and tones one body. According to sports illustrated.com Sydney Crosby is one of the best examples. He started playing ice hockey at the age of 5 stuck with it and as he grew and matured on the ice he became the youngest player to be a professional captain of any team sport and he won Canada a gold medal in the past winter