Posted on 04/05/2025 2:58:01 AM PDT by Libloather
Gretzky was a very creative player; sometimes I was in awe of his advanced passing, moves, etc..
When playing the Black Hawks once, Edmonton had a penalty and was a man short, but they ruled the ice in the next two minutes. Wayne scored a short-handed goal, then nearly assisted in another one. The announcer said jokingly that he bet that Chicago was happy their power play had ended.
I still laugh at that remark.
His sense of the game was incredible. Combined with probably the best puck handling in the history of the sport. Of course he did provide the quote that, through no fault of his own, ruined American business for a decade. “Skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.” So many bad corporate decisions were excused with that. We’re not going to where the market is, we’re going where it will be... are you sure about that? Do you really think you have Wayne Gretzky level understanding of your market sector? CEO of the company I worked for spewed that for why he kept canceling products right before we could ship it to put dev on his new “puck”. The company ceased to exist by the end of the year. I’d gotten out already.
But that was Gretz, he wasn’t fast, he wasn’t strong, he didn’t have a fast slapper. He just understood everything about the game, from how the other team will play all the way down to exactly the puck will do with any movement of his hand. Good times.
All that plus he really really worked hard.... first into the arena and last out all his life.
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