Gretzky, Wayne

Gretzky, Wayne, 1961–, Canadian ice hockey player, b. Brantford, Ont. He played with the Edmonton Oilers (1978–88), Los Angeles Kings (1988–96), St. Louis Blues (1996), and New York Rangers (1997–99). Gretzky is considered the most influential player in professional hockey history; when he retired, he held or shared 61 National Hockey League (NHL) records. In 1981–82, the “Great One” set single-season NHL marks for goals (92), assists (120), and points (212), becoming the first player to achieve more than 200 points, and in 1985–86 he set new single-season assists (163) and points (215) records. He retired in 1999 with the lifetime goal (894), assist (1,963), and point (2,857) records, and was NHL scoring champion ten times and most valuable player nine times. In 2001, Gretzky became the managing partner of the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes; he also became the team's coach in 2005.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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