“He Kept Hitting Me”: Hockey Legend Wayne Gretzky Once Reminisced His Adorable Conversation With His Father en route to His Final NHL Game

Wayne Gretzky is a known name in the sports community. A former professional ice hockey champion and head coach, Wayne played for 20 seasons in the National Hockey League. Regarded as one of the best hockey players, Gretzky was a prolific player and a builder.

After winning numerous cups and titles, the seasoned player bid the sport goodbye when he was 38. Leading the team from the front, he retired at a time when he was at the top. After so many years, does the GOAT miss the sport? Back in a 2021 interview with Lee Cowan, Wayne revealed.

Wayne Gretzky talked about his retirement 

He was just two-and-a-half years old when his love affair with the sport started. As days passed, he became more skillful in the sport. What Wayne accomplished for hockey was what Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan did for golf and basketball. Apart from winning four Stanley Cups, he holds numerous other records. Thus, the news was not well received when he announced that he was retiring.

The announcement shocked not only the fans but also his father. Senior Gretzky was not very keen on his son’s decision to retire. In 1999, when he drove his father to his last game, his father could not stop himself from questioning the call. Talking about it, Gretzky confessed that his father said to him, “It was the worst decision I’ve ever made in my life,”

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Though he laughed off his father’s words, he could not avoid getting hit. He recalled, “The whole way there, he kept hitting me on the leg saying,‘ You know, you could play one more year!'” Unable to get out of the situation, he could only manage to remark, “‘Oh my gosh. Dad, I’m done.” It’s been decades since Wayne played his last game, but the legacy that he has left behind remains to date.

Wayne’s relationship with his father

For Wayner, his father was his biggest mentor and support. Through thick and thin, he knew there was one person on who he could fall back. Throughout his professional days, Wayne’s dad stood beside his son rock solid. For fans, he was “Canada’s Hockey Dad.”

Thus, when he lost his father last year at the age of 82 to Parkinson’s disease, there was a hole in his life that was pretty hard to fill. The skills and determination that Senior Gretzky taught his son helped the latter sail through the tough times. Along with his father’s support and his passion, he eventually secured his spot amongst the greatest.

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