“There’s Only 20 Million People Watching You Live”: NHL Legend Wayne Gretzky Was Left Nervous After Disastrous Dress Rehearsal for Saturday Night Live in 1989

For Wayne Gretzky, dominating the field was perhaps simpler than dominating the stage. The NHL star player hardly faced difficulties proving his authority in the hockey ring, but his wife had the better grip when it came to acting. Wayne may not have been the only athlete who turned host for the famous NBC sketch. In 1991, Michael Jordan was a part of it, but for Wayne, the transition was not easy.

In 1989, SNL started to find its legs after years of turmoil. And for the host’s role, Wayne was far from an experienced showman. However, ‘The Great One’ did a stellar performance and eventually went down as one of the most famous hockey players to host the show.

The dress rehearsal that horrified Wayne Gretzky

Not sure what to do, Wayne went to the office of Lorne 20 minutes before they were to go live. Screenwriter Lorne Michaels advised him to “don’t worry about dress rehearsal.” Though Wayne initially felt happy upon learning that most of his sketches were talk-show-oriented, the nervousness kicked in soon.

Lorne’s assurance helped Wayne a bit, but the advice from the director’s end did no good. As Wayne stepped on stage, the director straight away shot, “Now don’t be nervous, there’s only 20 million people watching you live.” Wayne could not say more than, “Oh my god, thanks!”

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That’s when nervousness hit him hard. He confessed, “And so, for a split second, I was a little bit nervous.” However, when the time came to deliver, he gave his best. Not just he rocked his monologue. But he also did some of the show’s best sketches, including “Wayne’s World,” “The Anal Retentive Fisherman,” and “Celebrity Hockey Ideas.”

Was doing SNL Gretzky’s idea?

Wayne appeared on SNL right after his season with the Los Angeles Kings concluded. For the unversed, this was his first season playing for an American team. Though he was initially skeptical about his positive image getting affected by doing sketch comedy shows, his wife Janet had differing views.

An actress herself, Janet was supportive of Wayne doing the show. She even persuaded her husband to go for it. According to Forbes, Janet reportedly called the SNL team and made the arrangements without him knowing. She was confident and said, “This is something you’re going to be so happy that you did and so excited that you did.” Although he was initially anxious, his wife’s pep talk made him realize everything would be alright.

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