Wayne Gretzky for Dummies: My Guide To Understanding The Great One

With hockey season thankfully fast approaching I felt it was my duty as a hockey nerd to enlighten anyone who thinks there will ever be another Wayne Gretzky. Spoiler alert: there never ever will be. I understand how players like Crosby, and more recently McDavid have drawn comparisons to the "Great One", and to an extent they're true. Crosby has cemented himself firmly as the greatest of his generation, and while it's early, McDavid is making a strong push to do the same. With that said neither of these players will ever get remotely close to touching Gretzky's records. Nor will they ever be able to have as great an impact on the game. That's the beautiful thing about Gretzky's story, not only did he have the numbers, but history followed him wherever he went.

Lets first start with the easy to digest stuff, the sheer numbers he put up. Gretzky's first full professional season was the year before the WHA and NHL merger in 1978-79. That season he scored 104 points in the WHA. The next season, the first with the unified NHL, he posted 137 points, and he was only 18 years old. That year he shared the scoring title with non-other than Marcel Dionne, who was already very well established in pro hockey at the time. For the next seven straight years, Gretzky held sole possession of the scoring title. In four of those seven years, he totaled over 200 points. The most prolific year coming in 1985-86 when he scored the most points in an NHL season at 215, a mark that will stand forever. Beyond his year to year numbers his career numbers are even more absurd. Gretzky played 1487 games for four different teams. He scored 894 goals and had 1963 assists adding up to 2857 points. All of those numbers rank at the top of NHL record books, and could very well stay there forever. The most interesting part of all those numbers is the assists, which he has more of than anyone else has points. Beyond his statistics, Gretzky certainly has the awards to back it all up.

Before I get to the awards I need to explain them.

First the Hart, which is given to the player who is "judged to be most valuable his team", its the NHL equivalent to the MVP. Next is the Lady Byng, the "player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability". The Art Ross is given to the player who accumulates the most points during the regular season. Next the Ted Lindsay, which was called the Lester B. Pearson during Gretzky's tenure. It is given to the player who the NHL Players Association deems the best player during that season, kind of the players MVP. Lastly the Conn Smythe, which is awarded to the MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now I can take a look at how many Gretzky has won.

Hart (8): 79-80, 80-81, 82-83, 83-84, 84-85, 85-86, 86-87, 88-89 Lady Byng (5): 79-80, 90-91, 91-92, 93-94, 98-99 Art Ross (10): 80-81, 81-82, 82-83, 83-84, 84-85, 85-86, 86-87, 89-90, 90-91, 93-94 Conn Smythe (2): 84-85, 87-88

No one, I repeat NO ONE can even sniff those kinds of accomplishments. Gretzky didn't just dominate the league, he owned it for over a decade. On top of all this, he can also call on four Stanley Cups, in 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1988. Gretzky's on-ice accomplishments are all well and good, and most people have some idea of how outstanding his numbers are, but off the ice, his impact has been massive as well.

Gretzky's off-ice impact really started with what many refer to as "The Trade". On August 9th, 1988 he was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings. It was an unprecedented move at the time because it became known later that he moved because he wanted to be the highest paid player in hockey, and for good reason. If you're looking for more info on this ESPN did a phenomenal 30 for 30 on it. Gretzky played eight seasons for the Kings before moving on to St Louis and New York, but the impact stayed relevant. Since Gretzky's move west the NHL has added seven different teams west of Minnesota. San Jose, Anaheim, Dallas, Colorado, Arizona, Minnesota, and most recently Vegas. Many of those came around due to the fact that Gretzky's presence alone in the west brought fans. The NHL realized that fans in the west were dying for hockey and if it weren't for Gretzky it may well have taken much longer for the expansion to reach the west. Beyond the NHL expansion, Gretzky brought in more youth programs as well, most notably in Arizona. In 2005-06 Arizona brought in Gretzky as the head coach, mostly as a PR grab, but he lasted four seasons. He missed the playoffs every year and never finished above 4th in the Pacific division, but I digress. Gretzky's time in Arizona was the true start of youth hockey in the state. He made it cool to play hockey in a state that never really had a support system for young players, and thank god he did. Without Gretzky, there may not be any Auston Matthews. Matthews was really the first top prospect to ever come out of Arizona and his development coincides perfectly with Gretzky's time in the state. As a USA hockey fan, I can comfortably say thank god for Gretzky. Matthews is and will be a star in the NHL for some time.

Clearly, Gretzky's impact reaches far and wide, and he continues to impact the league today as he still owns part of the Coyotes franchise. This is a huge part of what will forever separate Gretzky from any great players past, present, or future.

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