Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Douglas Gretzky, OC is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He is the current part-owner, head of hockey operations and head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League. Born and raised in Brantford, Ontario, Gretzky regularly played minor hockey at a level far above his peers. In 1978, he signed with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association, where he briefly played before being signed by the Edmonton Oilers. When the WHA folded, the Oilers joined the NHL, where Gretzky won four Stanley Cups, nine Hart Trophies as the most valuable player, and ten Art Ross Trophies for most points in a season.

Nicknamed "The Great One", Gretzky was called "the greatest player of all time" in Total Hockey: The Official Encyclopedia of the NHL. He is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the NHL, and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters players, and coaches. Upon his retirement on April 18, 1999, he held forty regular-season records, fifteen playoff records, and six All-Star records. He is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season—a feat he accomplished four times. In addition, he tallied over 100 points in 15 NHL seasons, 13 of them consecutively. He is the only player to have his number officially retired by the NHL for all teams. Despite his notoriety as an offensive player, and subsequentially his attempts at avoiding fighting in hockey, Gretzky fought a few times in the earlier years of his career.