In his final year of peewee hockey he scored an improbable 378 goals. By the time Wayne was a teenager he was making waves across Canada with his play. At the age of 15 he started playing for the Peterborough Pete’s of the Ontario Hockey Association, where his dominance continued. Wayne’s future status as an NHL star was furthered at the 1978 World Junior Championships in Quebec City, where Wayne played for his home country and led the entire tournament in scoring. Wayne Gretzky was eager to turn professional but barred from leaping to the NHL because of the league's age restrictions, Gretzky signed with the Indianapolis Racers of the fledgling World Hockey Association
The NHL has seen its share of magical moments since 1917, when the league was founded. It was clear that these moments were going to make history as they were happening, whether we're talking about a team that won the Stanley Cup after several decades or about Wayne Gretzky's pass to Gordie Howe to achieve the most scored goals. Some of these events didn't seem big at their time, but as history sowed us, they were moments that changed the game in important ways. Here is a look at the 5 best moments in NHL history, the ones that remind us why we love hockey. 5.
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.
It was obvious at a young age that Wayne was no ordinary athlete. When he was six, Wayne was already playing against 10-year-olds. And as stated in the book “On the ice with Wayne Gretzky,” Matt Christopher, (pg.7) talks about When Wayne was just 11, he scored over 300 goals in his hockey league. Gretzky turned pro at 17 and played briefly in the World Hockey Association for the Edmonton Oilers. When the Oilers moved up to the NHL the following year,
According to Gladwell’s theory; success comes with the right circumstances and opportunities. In the book “outliers”, Gladwell writes about the Canadian hockey players who were born in the earlier part of the year will be more successful than the rest. The research and the experience show that the best hockey players were not born with their innate athletic ability. For example, here is the roster of the 2007 Czech Junior hockey team at the world championships shows that 50% of the hockey players were born in January, February, and March; the best hockey players based on the month which they were born. Kids who are born in the early part of the year will get more opportunities to work on their athletic skills.
Ultimately, the team that scores the most goals in the allotted amount of time wins the game. As the sport became more and more popular different leagues sprouted up across the globe, but the National Hockey League, or NHL, has become the most prestigious of leagues and attracts players from all over the world. The NHL was organized in 1917 in Montreal, Canada during World War 1. Since then, the sport has been on an incline in popularity due to its fast paced play and lenient rules towards fouling the other team. This sufficed for the true hockey fans that loved to watch the game for what it is, but to bring in more spectators, the league implemented new versions of the rules to make the game more exciting to the viewers.
He’s also a competitor and leader for Canada internationally by winning multiple medals in the World Championship, Canada Cup, and World Cup. Even after retirement, Gretzky continues to be a great Canadian by launching The Wayne Gretzky Foundation as well as giving his time to countless other charitable endeavours. Wayne Gretzky should be considered a great Canadian because many has regarded Gretzky as the greatest hockey player ever in the NHL which made lots of people proud to be Canadian and changed hockey into a Canadian sport. Firstly, ever since Wayne Gretzky was a kid, he played minor hockey at a level far above his peers (Larry Schwartz). 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).
My first experience playing organized basketball began when I was in the fifth grade on an after school program in the old armory. We played every Saturday morning and I remember that this is where I became the best point guard ever. At least that was the mentality I had because I thought I knew where my basketball career was headed. Little did I know at that time, the odds of me becoming a professional NBA star were not in my favor. Nevertheless, I continued on with my dad’s support and mentoring to be the best player the Arkansas River Valley had ever laid eyes on.
Where as the 2012 team, won four MVP awards, seven NBA titles and were included in 43 All Star games. The Dream Team was much more experienced then, than the 2012 team is today. However, Duhaime, in my opinion, contradicts himself in his article too. “I agree that today’s NBA player tends to be physically stronger, quicker, and more explosive” (Duhaime 3). “The 2012 team possesses great young talent and will likely rout their competition in London” (Duhaime 3).