“We Were Quite Worried”: Wayne Gretzky Became a Victim of Unruly Crowd Behavior During Childhood, Revealed His Coach in 1974

Wayne Gretzky went on in his career to become one of the greatest NHL players of all time. However, the class and skill of this legend didn’t begin after he displayed his talent in NHL. Gretzky was long before accredited with love and respect among his team and city even before he turned teen. But the same love can turn into trouble sometimes. The story dates back to 1974, when ‘The Great One’ was 13 years old. While talking with CBC radio, Gretzky’s coach revealed about this troublesome incident happened in Quebec.

When Wayne Gretzky’s popularity backfired 

The NHL legend has hit thousands of goals even before making his debut for Edmonton Oilers. His coach and the people who witnessed his game were extremely confident of him making big on the international level. However, when Gretzky, along with his team, went to Quebec for an exhibition game, things got pretty out of hand. The crowds were so passionate about him that they took his sticks. 

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According to Hockey Beast, Gretzky’s coach revealed the story while talking with CBC radio in 1974. He said, “Wayne had a lot of people on him during our first game. I looked down at the bench, and all of a sudden, Wayne doesn’t have any sticks. The crowd had reached over, and bang, there was his sticks gone. This type of things didn’t seem to throw him.”

He continued, “Oh yeah. We were quite worried that we wouldn’t be able to buy the sticks that he likes to use. Of course, the souvenirs we had were gone after two days. I know my boy, he plays on the team to, and not being aware of the behavior, he asked a guy to hold his stick for him, and he comes back, and it was gone. Because it belonged to a teammate to Gretzky.”

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Despite the assumption of seeing that 13-year-old kid doing great in hockey, no one would have imagined that he will be called The Great One someday.

From getting his sticks stolen to be a reason a thief to getting trapped with his rare collectible cards, Wayne Gretzky has come a long way. What do you think about his childhood stardom? Let us know in the comments section.