Wayne Gretzky was born in Ontario,
Canada, in 1961. He grew up
skating on a rink in his backyard.
At five, he played hockey with kids
twice his age. By 13, he had scored
more than 1,000 goals.
Gretzky started playing for the
Edmonton Oilers when he was 18.
For nine years, he and the Oilers
seemed unstoppable. In
1988, they won the league
playoffs. It was their fourth Stanley
Cup win in five years.
The Oilers stunned the hockey world
that August. They traded Gretzky
to the Los Angeles Kings. Gretzky
had just married American actress
Janet Jones. He wanted to support
his wife, her career, and their family.
That meant moving to California.
Hockey was not yet popular in
America. Signing the world’s greatest
hockey player to a US team changed
that. In 1989, Gretzky earned the
NHL (National Hockey League) MVP
trophy for the ninth time. He spent
seven years with the Kings. He led
them to the playoffs five times. In
1993, they made it to the finals.
They lost to the Canadiens.
Gretzky played his last three years
with the New York Rangers. On April
18, 1999, he played his 1,487th
and final NHL game. The NHL retired
Wayne Gretzky
Brings Hockey Greatness
to America
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