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About Who Is Wayne
Product Description After breaking or tying more than sixty records in hockey, it's no wonder that Wayne Gretzky is known as "The Great One." Born in Brantford, Ontario, on January 26, 1961, in a nation obsessed with the sport, he threw himself into the game practically from the time he first laced up a pair of skates. When he retired from the NHL in 1999, he had led several teams to Stanley Cup victories, competed in the Olympics, and changed the way hockey was played forever. Known for his love for family and as a truly decent human being, Wayne Gretzky is revealed as more than a sports legend in this easy-to-read biography. About the Author Gail Herman has written several biographies for young readers, including Who Was Davy Crockett? and Who Was Jackie Robinson? Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Who Is Wayne Gretzky? Fifty in fifty. That means scoring fifty goals in fifty hockey games. Maurice “The Rocket” Richard, of the Montreal Canadiens, was the first National Hockey League player to do it, in the 1944–1945 season. Ten years passed. Twenty. Thirty. It seemed no other hockey player could pull off the feat. Finally New York Islander Mike Bossy tied the record thirty-six years later. How much time would pass before someone else scored fifty goals in fifty games? One season later, Wayne Gretzky, just twenty years old, skated onto the ice. The place: Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Canada. The date: December 30, 1981. Wayne was the center for the Edmonton Oilers. He was about to face off against the Philadelphia Flyers. It had been an amazing season for Wayne. By the thirteenth game, he had thirteen goals. After thirty-five games, he had thirty-eight goals. And after thirty-eight games? He had a whopping forty-five. Now he was ready for game thirty-nine. No one—ever—had scored fifty goals in less than fifty games. Just five more goals and Wayne would do it. On this gusty winter day, Wayne felt lucky. Somehow he knew he’d score—and score big. In the first period he scored two goals, one right after the other. By the end of the second period, he scored again for a hat trick: three goals altogether. Five minutes into the third period, Wayne slid the puck around a rushing defender. He shot, lifting the puck high in the air. He scored! His fourth goal of the game! Now Wayne had forty-nine goals. Could he make it fifty? With ten minutes left, Wayne shot and shot again. Each one was stopped by the Flyers’ goalie. Only seconds remained. The game was close: Oilers, 6; Flyers, 5. Philadelphia pulled its goalie off the ice. An offensive player skated out, to try to tie the game. It was a risk. Philadelphia left their net wide open. Wayne took off down the ice. Grant Fuhr, the Oilers’ goalie, pushed the puck to right wing Glenn Anderson. “Pass it to me!” Wayne shouted from the Flyers’ zone. Three seconds were left on the clock. Wayne got the puck. A defender charged. Two seconds left. Wayne zipped around the Flyer. He shot. Goal! Wayne had done it. Fifty goals in only thirty-nine games. Teammates mobbed Wayne. The hometown crowd went crazy. Wayne Gretzky didn’t just break the record. He destroyed it! By game fifty, he had sixty-one goals. And by the end of the season, Wayne scored ninety-two goals in eighty games for another record. Wayne would go on to break or tie more than sixty records. Most goals in a season and most goals in a career. Most assists in a season and most assists in a career. Most career points. (In hockey, players earn a point for each goal or assist.) If you only counted Wayne’s assists, he’d still have the most points of any player. Ever. Wayne retired in 1999. He hasn’t played for years. Yet many of his records still stand—including fifty goals in thirty-nine games. He probably holds the record for holding the most records of any professional athlete. Wayne wasn’t the
