“They’re Shipping Me Out of the City”: NHL Star, Who Was Involved in Wayne Gretzky’s Wife’s Horrifying Injury, Got ‘Scared’ Following the Incident in 1997

October 22nd of 1997, was a memorable night in ice hockey’s history. The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, can never forget the date as it was the night he had to make a tough decision. The whole world witnessed the crashing of Plexiglas pane on the head of Gretzky’s wife, Janet Jones, head. The injury was serious, and hence she got admitted to a hospital. However, very few people have heard Ulf Samuelsson’s, side of the story. 

Ulf Samuelsson was playing for the Rangers that night, and it was his counter on the opponent player that caused the falling of the pane of Jones. 

Samuelsson went to meet Wayne Gretzky and his wife at the hospital.

Wayne Gretzky went straight to the hospital to meet his wife as soon as the match ended. According to The New York Times report, the teammates stopped by the hospital late at night. Samuelsson was also among them. He wanted to make sure that Gretzky gets every assistance.

However, the Swedish-American player was scared before facing Gretzky and Jones. ”I got scared. She was laying there, pretty white in her face,” he said. Samuelsson was stunned after seeing the state of Gretzky’s better half. The rangers player joked to lighten up the mood and said he should have brought Tylenol instead of flowers. 

Read More: “One of Those Can’t-Win Situations”: A Bizarre Injury Resulted in Wayne Gretzky’s Wife Bleeding From Her Mouth During an NHL Game in 1997

Samuelsson bid goodbye to Gretzky and said with a smile, ”I’m just going to say goodbye now. They’re shipping me out of the city.” Gretzky informed him he selected the seats and that his wife was supposed to sit in some other seat, but somehow landed up, at the wrong place at the wrong time. 

The dilemma that followed afterward

After being in a tough spot and making a choice that he did, Gretzky faced a lot of criticism because he decided to resume the game and play for whatever time was left. His fans were critical of his choice, and he had to face their wrath. And not just the fans but some famous media houses also took it upon themselves to question Gretzky’s actions.

Despite everything said and done, Janet Jones defended Gretzky’s decision and supported his choices. She added that his husband is a great man and a great father and should not take lessons from anyone else.

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While it has been more than two decades since this event, debates still arise from time to time. What do you think of this incident? Let us know in the comments.