In a recent interview during the 2021 Music Awards, Wayne Gretzky spoke about an interesting incident. The Ice hockey legend hails from Canada and is famous for his incredible career which earned him the title of The Great One.
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While receiving his award with his wife by his side, he spoke to the show’s host and had a hilarious message for his grandchildren.
Wayne Gretzky wants his kids to play hockey
“We are back here now, we go to games” Gretzky told the audience. “I went to a youth game the other day and I had my two grandboys.” Wayne’s daughter married Dustin Johnson who is a golfer by profession and quite naturally, his children have been to more golf games than hockey matches.
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“They’re like poppa these guys they play hard right?” said Gretzky. “Yeah, it’s hockey! It’s not that golf that your dad plays”
Regardless of how legendary Gretzky was in his sport, his protective side took over while advising his grandchildren. The retired athlete added, “Although then I did tell them, you guys should play golf. Don’t play hockey!”
Gretzky received global recognition at a very young age
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The former professional ice hockey player was a youthful sensation. He played in 20 NHL seasons with six clubs between 1979 and 1999. They are the Indianapolis Racers, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, and New York Rangers.
Wayne explained the background behind his nickname, “The Great One,” in an interview with Stephen Colbert. On a 2016 edition of The Late Show, the author and hockey legend discussed how he dealt with expectations beginning at the age of 10. The monikers include, among others, “Gretz,” “The Great Gretzky,” and “The White Tornado.” The one that truly resonated with his followers, though, was “The Great One.”
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“I scored 400 goals when I was 10…I played with some great players” said the retired athlete, “This guy wrote in a paper, ‘everybody should have their own nickname, a player of that caliber should have a name, he said, we’ll call you the great one!”