An 11-Year-Old Wayne Gretzky Was Once Rescued by His Idol Gordie Howe Despite Achieving an Unheard Feat

The history of NHL saw the rise and fall of many stars, but legends remain. Legends remain across eras, and some meet at the cusp of the start and end of their careers. The same stands true for the NHL legends, Wayne ‘The Great One’ Gretzky and Gordie ‘Mr. Hockey’ Howe. Though their careers overlapped for a short while, the rules and approach had changed the dynamics of the game by the time The White Tornado made it to the league and puck-ed his life through “goals”. 1979 saw the two literally sticking their sticks on the same ice. However, their history goes back to when Gretzky was barely a teenager.

The event was a banquet in Ontario. Gretzky was only 11 and got cold feet. It was Gordie Howe who became his knight in shining armor. As the Sports Illustrated biography on Gretzky penned such a fond memory of an amateur Gretzky with his idol, the moment shared must have been a priceless one.

Gordie Howe shielded a young Wayne Gretzky

In the book The Great One: A Complete Wayne Gretzky Collection, Sports Illustrated detailed an incident that made Gordie Howe the hero of little Wayne’s story. This encounter of the two legends can be traced back to 1972. That year 11-year-old Wayne Gretzky had scored 378 goals in just 82 games. He did so for the sub-peewee level Brantford Steelers.

While scoring in the rink came naturally to him, attending the official banquet later gave Gretzky a fright. Looking at the frightened boy on the stage at the banquet in Brantford, Ontario, Howe decided to give a helping hand. Jumping on the stage and putting his arm around Gretzky, Howe told the onlookers, “When someone has done what this kid has done in the rink, he doesn’t have to say anything.”

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Howe was someone who Gretzky looked up to. Naturally, when the opportunity came to play against his idol, 18-year-old Wayne Gretzky couldn’t hold his excitement.

The Great One’s first game against Mr. Hockey

In 1979, Gretzky played against Howe for the first time ever in an official match. It was during a match between the Edmonton Oilers and New England Whalers. Once while recalling the moment, Gretzky revealed he felt playing opposite Howe was something “really cool.” To add to the excitement of the young star, Howe always winked at him, whenever Gretzky crossed his side during the warm-ups.

However, Gretzky did get a stern “Kid, do not ever take the puck from me again” too when he took the puck away from his idol during the game. Little did Howe know at the time that not only will the kid in front of him cross him in the match, but also cross his record. Exactly a decade later, in 1989, Wayne Gretzky broke Gordie Howe’s points record.

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Playing with their idol is like a dream come true for every fan. Gretzky got to live that dream at the age of 18. From sharing the stage at 11 to playing with him and even breaking his record, Wayne Gretzky is undoubtedly one of the luckiest Howe fan.