Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky is regarded as the greatest hockey player of all time, and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Gretzky played 22 seasons in the NHL, winning the Stanley Cup four times as well as setting 61 personal NHL records. In addition to his incredible playing talent, Gretzky's legacy can be directly attributed to the growth of the sport in therms of the number of franchise expansions and relocation into the United States following his trade to the Los Angeles Kings from Edmonton in 1988.

Wayne Gretzky lit the torch to kick off the Winter Olympics in Vancouver February 12th. Hockey is the main part of life and Canada and it made sense that one of the greatest Canadian hockey players of all time would light the torch for the games in Canada. Other possibilites included Betty Fox, mother of Terry Fox and maybe Trevor Linden.

Gretzky learned to skate at just three years old, joining his first team at the age of six. In 1971, he scored 378 goals in one season. In 1975, he joined the Toronto Nationals of the Metro Junior A Hockey League in Ontario. During the 1976-77 season he joined the Ontario Hockey League with the Peterborough Petes. He then joined the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for his final season in the OHL. On June 12, 1978, Gretzky was drafted by the Indianapolis Racers in the World Hockey Association. On November 2, 1978 he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers, which at that time was part of the WHA as well. The Oilers joined the National Hockey League the following year as the WHA dissolved.

Gretzky earned several honors his rookie season in the NHL, including his first of eight Hart Trophies as the Most Valuable Player of the league. In the following years with the Oilers, he set several NHL records including the first player to score 50 goals the fastest, in 39 games and also the broke other scoring and single point records. He helped the Oilers win four Stanley Cup Championships, in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988.

In what has come to be known as "The Trade", Gretzky was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings on August 9, 1988. The move stunned Oiler fans, because the move was largely predicated on the fact that Oilers owner Peter Pocklington was having financial difficulties, which was the reason for the move. Gretzky played with the Kings for eight seasons, where he also served as the team captain. The trade also helped usher a new era of popularity for the sport in the United States. During the 1995-96 season, he requested to be traded and was sent to the St. Louis Blues on February 27, 1996. He played just five months with the Blues before signing as a free agent with the New York Rangers on July 21, 1996. Following three seasons with the Rangers, Gretzky retired from the NHL, playing his last game on April 18, 1999.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 22, 1999, bypassing the regular three year waiting period. Gretzky's #99 jersey was retired by the entire NHL on February 6, 2000. Shortly after his retirement he began negotiations to become part owner of the Phoenix Coyotes, which were finalized in 2001. Additionally, he was named their head coach on August 8, 2005.