“He Was So Special”: Wayne Gretzky Once Reminisced His Unbreakable Bond With Father Walter

Receiving hockey coaching from his father from an early age, Wayne Gretzky shared a unique relationship with his father. In a 2022 interview, the hockey champion also disclosed lesser-known details of this very special relationship. 

Wayne Gretzky finally tells everything about his memorable bond with his father 

“He was…so special”, Gretzky spoke, adding that his father Walter loved hockey and kids. Later, Gretzky implied how Walter helped in organizing two minor tournaments in his hometown Brantford, Ontario. Recalling that the tournament was three days long, Gretzky told his father would watch the entire tournament. “He would sit in the arena from 8 o’clock in the morning until 8 o’clock at night.” This reflects Gretzky’s father’s tremendous passion for hockey. 

Afterwards, Wayne narrated how he made the team for playing house league hockey when he was five years old. However, when the coach came to Gretzky’s house and told his father that Wayne couldn’t play, his dad had a shocking reaction. “My dad was in a sort of frenzy”, Wayne admitted. Adding, Wayne explained how his father deliberated whether to wait for Wayne to become eligible to play or take him to Paris. At that time, Walter told Wayne a hard truth about going to Paris. “You know what if you go there, you’re going to be stuck there forever.”  Then, both Wayne and his father decided not to go to Paris and Gretzky made the junior hockey team the next year. 

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Along with this, Gretzky fondly remembered, “My dad started taking me to these local parks that had outside rinks.” This helped Gretzky to skate smoothly on the ice from an early age. Adding to this, he also stated how his father built a rink in the backyard so that he could watch his son skating on the ice without freezing. Needless to say, Gretzky’s father played a strong role in Wayne’s amazing success. 

Wayne Gretzky discloses one of his career’s biggest transitions and how his father influenced his major decision 

‘The Great One’ told about the fact that he got sold to the Los Angeles Kings. Talking about the incident, he expressed that other than moving to Los Angeles, his other options were moving to Detroit or New York. 

Further, Gretzky revealed how his dad influenced him to play for L.A Kings. “It was my dad who called me and said, you should play in L.A.” After this, Gretzky played for L.A. kings from 1988-1996.

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Gretzky’s statements about his father reflect his huge contribution in steering Gretzky towards playing hockey on the ice. As fans, we hope to know more about Wayne and his father’s special relationship. What do you think of Gretzky and his father’s special bond? Share in the comments section.