“The Dumbest Thing I’ve Ever Done”: Wayne Gretzky Once Turned Down a Million-Dollar Cheque for a Petty Condition

The NHL demigod, Wayne Gretzky has graced the reverent arena of ice hockey for two decades. From playing his first NHL season for Edmonton Oilers to retiring as a New York Rangers member in the year 1999, The Great One left a tremendous mark in the ice hockey arena. Interestingly, when the White Tornado decided to retire from his beloved sport, he got a proposal worth a million dollars to postpone his retirement plans. However, Gretzky turned down the golden offer and decided to move forward with his decision of leaving the puck behind.

In his 20 glorious years of career, Gretzky bagged some of the most prestigious accolades to his name. However, when he announced his retirement, the world of hockey wasn’t prepared to bid him goodbye. Therefore, to keep him in the field for a little longer, the New York Rangers presented him with a million-dollar cheque. But, the Great One made up his mind of retiring and eventually turned down the offer. 

Wayne Gretzky declined the golden offer

In 2016, the White Tornado appeared in an interview with Graham Bensinger. Gretzky profoundly chatted about his prime days of playing ice hockey. At one point, Graham showed Gretzky a video clip from 1999, where the Canadian was addressing the media during his retirement. Forthwith watching the video, Bensinger curiously asked Gretzky about the million-dollar cheque that he got from the Rangers’s owner. “You could have kept the million dollars,” said the host.

Interestingly, Gretzky conceded with Graham and jokingly stated, “probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever done”. Expressing his admiration for the New York Rangers, the Great One further added, “there’s nothing like playing in Manhattan. It really is special. And, the rangers organization is one of the greatest organizations of all the pro sports”.

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It was the Rangers’ owner, James L. Dolan who offered Gretzky a hefty cheque for million dollars that was predicated on a condition that the mighty continues to puck for one more year. However, the Great One refused Dolan’s kind proposal, as he was sure of his retirement plans. The Canadian asserted to Dolan, “I can’t take your money because I know I’m done.”

Gretzky’s retirement plan was kept all hush-hush 

Gretzky played the final three NHL seasons of his prime with the New York Rangers. Moreover, the Great One’s winning drive paved the way for the Rangers to reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 1997. However, after reaching the highest pinnacle of the NHL, Gretzky decided to bid adieu to the sport he loves the most. And, in the year 1999, Wayne announced his retirement with a scoring total of 1072.

While The Great One knew that it was time, he came to terms with him long before he spilled the news to his father–mentor, Walter Gretzky—the simple reason being that the truth might break his father’s spirits. The inevitability of retirement hit Gretzky after a dip in his performance. It was not until a few days prior to his last game that Gretzky decided to open up about the premonition of the imminent surprise.

The White Tornado did a stupendous job of making his presence known around the globe through his extraordinary winning spree. And, even two decades after his retirement, Gretzky is still paving the way for many ice hockey enthusiasts. His influential ways and his golden bequest will always be remembered in the golden pages of history.

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