Wayne Gretzky

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.