“There Was a Battle Physically, Mentally”: Wayne Gretzky Gets Candid on His ‘Emotional’ Series Against Devils in Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Stanley Cup playoffs are in motion, and the NHL world is in a frenzy right now. Every fan is rooting for their favorite team, waiting with bated breath to see who will take home the trophy- and the glory. the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, while retired, has a newfound place in the middle of the action as an analyst with TNT.

The New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils have been pitted against each other since the last two games, and the Rangers have dominated the ice rink till now. Gretzky shared a short sequence from an interview he did with TNT. In the interview, the hockey legend talked about the Devils, the Rangers, and the playoffs.

Wayne Gretzky recalls playing against the Devils

Recently, Gretzky took to Instagram to share a sneak peek from one of his interviews that were conducted at his home by the NHL on TNT team. The interview is called At Home with 99 and started out with Gretzky welcoming everyone and saying, “Wayne Gretzky here, welcome to our home. We’re gonna talk a little bit about Hockey, and of course, the Stanley Cup playoffs.”

Wayne Gretzky played against the Devils when he played for the Edmonton Oilers. Gretzky recalled, “I was fortunate enough to play one series against the Devils when they played in the old arena.” During that season, the Devils got destroyed by the Oilers as they lost by a big margin. Gretzky added, “Every game was really close. It was a battle physically and mentally.” The New Jersey Devils lost the game to the Oilers by a margin of 13-4.

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The hockey icon, fondly recalled the great times he had while playing against the team, and said, “Such an emotional series for everyone. I can just sense it. It’s electric. It really is something unique and really special.. we were fortunate enough to prevail.” The Devils, just as they were defeated by the Oilers, are now on the cusp of being eliminated by the Rangers. Gretzky also expressed his opinion about the teams.

The Great One gives a forecast for the Stanley Cup playoffs

Even though the Devils have lost two games in a row, Gretzky praised them by saying, “They are a really fine and unique team to watch and play. Kind of reminds me a little bit of the older teams of the 80s.” In particular, he had something impressive to say about Jack Hughes, the center for the New Jersey Devils.

“Jack Hughes has been mad good and so electric and so dynamic. He reminds me a little bit of myself in the sense that he sees the ice really well,” Gretzky said. This is the highest form of praise coming from a legend such as Wayne Gretzky. About the Rangers, Gretzky had to say this, “The Rangers have way more playoff experience, and the additions of Tarasenko and Kane are gonna be positive for them.”

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While all the teams are toiling hard to get ahead, Gretzky recognized the fact that this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs were going to be “a tough series.” Who do you have your money on, to take the Cup home? Let us know in the comments.