“Don’t Want That”: Wayne Gretzky Once Shied Away From Sharing an Honor With Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali

Fans know the NHL G.O.A.T Wayne Gretzky as the Great One. But did you know that he unknowingly contended with another legend for the name? Before Gretzky, Mohammed Ali was proclaimed The Great One by many. Ali even tried to know more about the hockey legend and visited Gretzky’s locker room after being curious about his acumen. What is even more surprising is that Gretzky did not like to get a nickname.

The hockey legend shared how the name stuck with him all through his life even though he did not expect it to. Let’s dig deeper to know what did he say about it.

Did Wayne Gretzky share the name with Mohammed Ali?

As a prodigy, Gretzky was a tremendous hockey player from his childhood. He scored 400 goals when he was 10 and was named “The Great One”. But when asked about it he said, “Oh, my goodness, I don’t want that name. And it stuck with me my whole life.” He revealed how it almost felt like a burden to hold the name by scoring well every time.

On the other hand, Mohammed Ali, the boxing legend, gave himself the same nickname – The Great One. As Ali believed nothing in the world could beat him, he was protective of his name and tried to chase Gretzky for that. As the latter shared, “He came in the locker room and he said he was looking for the great one because I’m not a great one because he’s the greatest of all time. So we just let him say okay that’s fair enough by me and good for you. Then sat back in my chair and slumped in the corner. You know what it was very intimidating and I’ll tell you because he was such a huge figure not just in sports world but worldwide,”

The Great One

Gretzky owns 894 goals to his name; a number which is still unbeatable. He won four Stanley Cups and holds the record for most goals of all time, and most assists of all time. Not to forget the first number ever to retire league-wide for the NHL, and 10 trophies for most points in a season. Indeed a worthy holder of that nickname.

He also shared how he felt embarrassed being compared with Ali and reluctantly carried over the value of the name for years. Gretzky was humble enough that he let Ali use the title and felt happy about it. It was the first impression of Ali that excited him more than anything.

Read More – Wayne Gretzky Proved Why He Is ‘The Great One’ With Honest Take on Alexander Ovechkin in 2021: “Be One of the First Guys to Shake His Hand”

With two legends in their own rights sharing the same honor, who do you think deserved this nickname the best? Let us know below.

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