Wayne Gretzky’s Father Uplifted the Hockey Legend Following an Emotional Setback in Childhood Once: “We’re Not Going to Have Room for Them All”

Walter Gretzky was his son, Wayne Gretzky‘s rock. Even legends need someone to comfort them every now and then, and Walter Gretzky did an amazing job of that. Gretzky went on to break a plethora of records in his embellished career, something he is known for worldwide. However, even Gretzky was an amateur at some point in distant history, new blood looking to make his name in the game.

But during all of Gretzky’s ups and downs, his father was there to comfort him and lift his spirits. And this one particular incident in Wayne Gretzky’s childhood was no exception when Walter Gretzky proved to be a loving and supportive father.

Walter Gretzky helped Wayne Gretzky get over this hurdle

Through thick and thin, Walter Gretzky supported his son and in doing so, forged an athlete that made his undeniable mark, not only in Ice Hockey but in the world of sports. On the sorrowful occasion of the passing of his father, Wayne Gretzky shared one such incident from his childhood with New York Post.

After the first year of Gretzky’s organized hockey career, he did not receive any trophy at the year-end banquet. Needless to say, Gretzky was disheartened. However, Walter Gretzky was there to pick up the pieces. He told his son, “Wayne, keep practicing and one day you’re going have so many trophies we’re not going to have room for them all.”

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And boy was he right, as Gretzky went on to break innumerable records. Even his father had not imagined how far his son would actually be able to go. Walter Gretzky once said, “You knew he was good at his age at what he was doing. But to say that one day he’d do what he did, you couldn’t say that. Nobody could.” 

Walter Gretzky was one of the biggest reasons why hockey became so important to Wayne Gretzky.

Gretzky credits his interest in hockey to his Father

According to Gretzky, “For me, he was the reason I fell in love with the game of hockey. He inspired me to be the best I could be not just in the game of hockey, but in life.” Walter Gretzky was the reason his son started skating in the first place.

When Gretzky was merely 4 years old, his father turned their backyard into a rink where Gretzky used to practice in. Walter Gretzky fueled his son’s passion for hockey from a young age. When Gretzky was 6 years old, he found a place for him in a team comprising 10-year-olds.

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Gretzky’s father was always intermingled with his professional life, and he never missed an opportunity to honor him for it. In the 2010 winter Olympics held in Vancouver, Walter Gretzky carried the Olympic torch while Wayne Gretzky lit it. Have you ever seen a stronger father-son duo?