“This Is the End of the End”: Wayne Gretzky’s Wife Once Thought the Hockey Legend Was ‘Kidding’ With His Retirement Plans

Wayne Gretzky is one of the greatest ice hockey players to play in the NHL. During his time, no other player could match up to his level. He played for nearly 20 seasons with four different teams in the sport. During his run with Los Angeles Kings in 1988, Wayne Gretzky noticed a significant dip in his performance. Due to this, he thought of retiring from the sport and even shared it which his wife, who was shocked to hear it.

Wayne Gretzky’s wife could not believe his retirement decision

Things were great with Wayne Gretzky till he played with the Oilers for nine years. However, he encountered a shudder after playing some time with Los Angeles Kings. In his memorabilia, The Wayne Gretzky Collection revealed that he analyzed the dip in his performance during the 1988-89 NHL season. It provoked him to think of retirement. Day and night, Gretzky thought about his it before sharing it with his close ones. After seeing a string of poor performances in the prevailing seasons, he disclosed his decision to his wife.

He told his wife, “This is the end, this is the end of the end. I never, ever dreamed I could play this bad.”

Gretzky’s wife, Janet Jones, could not believe his radical decision. For a moment, she thought her husband was kidding. So did Gretzky’s coach and former teammate Mark Messier. However, he was serious and told Los Angeles Kings assistant coach Cap Raeder, “I hate mediocrity, If there’s one thing I can’t accept, it’s mediocrity.”

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However, Wayne Gretzky did not quit until 1999. He announced his retirement at the age of 38 after playing with New York Rangers for four seasons.

Looking at Gretzky’s 20-year career, he has played the longest with Edmonton Oilers for nine years. He led Oilers to four Stanley Cup victories in seasons; 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, and 1987–88. In the following seasons, he was traded to Los Angeles Kings, where he played from 1988 to 1996. After playing for a year with his third team St. Louis Blues, he went to New York Rangers playing his last few years from 1996–1999.

Wayne Gretzky discovered something new with Los Angeles Kings

For a sportsperson, the biggest treasure is to be able to spend time in public with their loved ones. When Wayne Gretzky moved to LA Kings after his controversial trade in 1988, the NHL community around the world were in disbelief. Although Wayne was not happy with the trade initially, he realized an advantage in Los Angeles that he could never enjoy in Edmonton.

In Los Angeles, Gretzky was only limited to the sports section. It made his popularity in the new city very restricted. People there did not know his children and wife. So he was able to enjoy quality time with his family in public which could have never been possible in Canada.

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