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Wayne Gretzky - Retires In 1999

Gretzky was traded late in the 1995-96 season to the St. Louis Blues and jumped to the New York Rangers the following year. He stayed with the Rangers for the final three seasons of his twenty-year NHL career and surprised many fans by announcing his retirement in 1999. When he concluded his career, Gretzky was the holder or co-holder of sixty NHL records. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999.

Although his achievements as an athlete were legendary, Gretzky made a smooth transition into a career as a business owner in the years after his retirement as a player. As part-owner of the Phoenix Coyotes, he took an active role in rebuilding the team and popularizing hockey in another Sunbelt city. He also remained a national hero in Canada by helping the men's Olympic hockey team win a Gold Medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games.

Career Statistic

Yr Team GP G AST PTS +/− PIM SOG SPCT PPG SHG
Blues: St. Louis Blues (NHL); Kings: Los Angeles Kings (NHL); Oilers: Edmonton Oilers (NHL); Rangers: New York Rangers (NHL).
1979-80 Oilers 79 51 86 137 +15 21 284 18.0 13 1
1980-81 Oilers 80 55 109 164 +41 28 261 21.1 15 4
1981-82 Oilers 80 92 120 212 +81 26 369 24.9 18 6
1982-83 Oilers 80 71 125 196 +60 59 348 20.4 18 6
1983-84 Oilers 74 87 118 295 +76 39 324 26.9 20 12
1984-85 Oilers 80 73 135 208 +98 52 358 20.4 8 11
1985-86 Oilers 80 52 163 215 +71 46 350 14.9 11 3
1986-87 Oilers 79 62 121 183 +70 28 288 21.5 13 7
1987-88 Oilers 64 40 109 149 +39 24 211 19.0 9 5
1988-89 Kings 78 54 114 168 +15 26 303 17.8 11 5
1989-90 Kings 73 40 102 142 +8 42 236 16.9 10 4
1990-91 Kings 78 41 122 163 +30 16 212 19.3 8 0
1991-92 Kings 74 31 90 121 +12 34 215 14.4 12 2
1992-93 Kings 45 16 49 65 +6 6 141 11.3 0 2
1993-94 Kings 81 38 92 130 +25 20 233 16.3 14 4
1994-95 Kings 48 11 37 48 +20 6 142 7.7 3 0
1995-96 Kings 62 15 66 81 +7 32 144 10.4 5 0
Blues 18 8 13 21 +6 2 51 15.7 1 1
1996-97 Rangers 82 25 72 97 +12 28 286 8.7 6 0
1997-98 Rangers 82 23 67 90 +11 28 201 11.4 6 0
1998-99 Rangers 70 9 53 62 — 14 — — — —
TOTAL 1487 894 1963 2857 — 577 — — — —

A dynamic competitor on the ice, Gretzky's self-effacing attitude in public made him into one of the most respected and even beloved figures in the sport's history. Without peers in terms of his achievements, he nevertheless retained an almost personal connection with hockey fans. The dominant player of his generation, Gretzky also helped to expand the NHL's popularity into markets that had not previously supported winter sports. It was this accomplishment that Gretzky focused on in his retirement, as he told Ashley Jude Collie of Hockey Digest in January

Wayne Gretzky

2002. "From my point of view, hockey's on the upsurge. It's heading in the right direction and I expect big things. It's always going to be extremely strong in the traditional U.S. cities and Canada. But our popularity is also extremely strong in Europe…. Over the next ten years, I think you'll find more and more kids in the U.S. will become hockey players. It's a wonderful sport and I just see more kids wanting to participate in the NHL."

Where Is He Now?

In early 2001 Gretzky became an owner of the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes franchise. With his management team he worked to stem the Coyotes' massive financial losses in the previous season and began trading players to come up with a younger, more aggressive lineup. He emphatically denied any rumors that he himself might return to active play. As he told Ashley Jude Collie of Hockey Digest in January 2002, "I miss [hockey] tremendously. But I don't even have a pair of skates at home, and that's OK. When it's time to retire, it's time to move on. I may skate a little bit with the guys during the season. But my playing days are behind me. Believe me, I'm done."

In 2001 Gretzky agreed to serve as the executive director of the Canadian men's hockey team at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. The challenge put him squarely back in the public eye in Canada, which had not won a Gold Medal in the event in fifty years. In a country that considered hockey its national sport, the pressure was intense on the team to sweep the event. After an early round loss, the Canadians rebounded to make it to the final medal round against the United States and came away with the victory. Gretzky was given much of the credit for keeping the team focused throughout the competition.

Gretzky has been married since 1988 to actress Janet Jones, who continues to make film and television appearances. After being knocked out by a pane of plexiglass during a New York Rangers game in 1997, Jones offered the memorable and widely reported quote: "I kind of stopped the impact with my face." The Gretzkys are the parents of three children, Paulina, Ty, and Trevor.

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