It's going to sound a little strange, but I was just a bit young for his major exploits in Edm, but as a member of the Rangers, a Sunday afternoon game against the Habs, he set up every Ranger goal, a 3-2 OT Win, from behind the net, or "in his office"
For me it wasn't just that he was able to set up there or that he set up the goals, it's the domination with the puck and the vision that was simply amazing.
Edit: That and 50 in 39, not just the number of games, but he did it before the END OF THE CALENDER YEAR.
It's going to sound a little strange, but I was just a bit young for his major exploits in Edm, but as a member of the Rangers, a Sunday afternoon game against the Habs, he set up every Ranger goal, a 3-2 OT Win, from behind the net, or "in his office"
For me it wasn't just that he was able to set up there or that he set up the goals, it's the domination with the puck and the vision that was simply amazing.
Edit: That and 50 in 39, not just the number of games, but he did it before the END OF THE CALENDER YEAR.
I don't think it needs to be a first hand memory. I don't remember watching anything myself during the 80s, I was just a baby, but I know that I did see some of his achievments. I think there is a lot to choose from is the problem.
Too many to start, but I did get a puck that he shot and was deflected over the glass when they beat Montreal 4-3. His behind the net(gretzky's office) plays were pretty cool back in the day.
My favorite memory is playing in a pick up game near west edmonton mall and getting my balls busted by a few people in the stands after missing an empty net--I turned around to give them a piece of my mind and it was gretz and a few other oilers--there was some PR thing going on at the time--they left before anyone on the ice for to get their autographs
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50 goals in 39 games against Philly was at that game also when he dominated detroit with the puck for like 3min he never scored but made everybody on Detroit look like peewee players was at that game as well, Those tickets best money I ever spent
as a 24 year-old, I just missed the Gretzky Oiler years. I only ever remember watching live Gretzky in a kings jersey. Threads like this make me wish I were 30
I was also too young to see him in an Oilers jersey, but my favorite memory is meeting him a few years ago at the LPGA event here. There were a bunch of us there as patients of the Stollery and he made sure to come over to us first and ask us how we were doing and sign autographs.
I remember him as an Oiler but only very vaguely (the day he was traded is legitimately the first time I ever realized EXTREMELY WRONG THINGS could happen in the world and no one would come along and make them right like they should be - naive but true).
So my two favourites are his joy during the 2002 Olympic gold medal game, and when he came back for the Heritage Classic, which I was at.
I was too young to see him in the glory years but in Salt Lake in '02 was pretty sweet the emotion Gretz showed and I'll never forget the press conference when he said "how the everyone wants Canada to loose but we'll be standing in the end" something along those lines. That was sweet.
Gretzky wasn't a flashy player at all. None of his goals or plays were all that memorable. He just seemed to score a ridiculous number of them.
I can't think of a single game where Gretzky seemed like a dominant player. He just seemed to always score or setup a play that lead to goals.
Even something as memorable as the Canada Cup assist to Mario... to the average onlooker, it just seems like he made a simple pass to Lemieux on a 3 on 1.
But to anyone that actually saw Gretzky live, you would notice that he was staring at Brian Propp the ENTIRE length of the ice, and when he dished off the pass, the defender went down to block the pass to Propp, only to see it on Lemieux's stick in the slot to score the winner.
I vaguely remember the Bossy-Trottier vs Kurri Gretzky Hoopla... very very vaguely, but if I were to pinpoint my BEST Gretzky Memory. It's holding up the cup that last time in 1988. He held it like he owned it, and that it belonged to him, but it was the last time he would ever hold it again.
The only live game I ever saw with Gretzky was during his brief stint with St. Louis... I was probably about nine years old. I remember him taking a faceoff against Doug Weight, my favourite Oiler at the time. Gretz won the draw, but knocked down Weight in the process. While the play was still ongoing, Gretzky extended his arm and helped Weight get back to his feet without missing a beat. That really stood out for me.
I think the same game he ended up elbowing Kelly Buchberger in the face accidentally... he may have got suspended for a game or two, but I don't recall.
One "recent" memory, was when team Canada won the gold in 2002 at Salt Lake City and when the camera showed Gretzky he yelled a "******* YA!" I then realized Saints swear as well.
as a 24 year-old, I just missed the Gretzky Oiler years. I only ever remember watching live Gretzky in a kings jersey. Threads like this make me wish I were 30
I am 30 and barely remember Gretzky as an Oilers. I wish I was still 24
One thing that isn't so much a memory of something that happened on ice, but what he said in an interview.
When the Islanders smoked the Oilers in a 4 game sweep, Gretzky and the boys were humbled, and were walking back to their dressing room as usual. As he walked by the Islanders dressing room, he noticed they were all in pain from nursing some injuries, completely drained, and completely out of breath, ice packs, ointments for bruises, and taking off tape from broken bones.
They left absolutely nothing in the tank. They gave it their all.
He said "that's what it will take to win the Stanley Cup".
I was too young to see him in the glory years but in Salt Lake in '02 was pretty sweet the emotion Gretz showed and I'll never forget the press conference when he said "how the everyone wants Canada to loose but we'll be standing in the end" something along those lines. That was sweet.
The best part about that was how the media from every other country reacted. I mean, people complain about Crosby being bland, Wayne Gretzky never said a controversial thing in his life! (Okay, besides the Mickey Mouse comment.) Wayne knew what he was doing, and it worked.
