Wayne Skilled At Stickhandling Through Hectic Lifestyle
By TERRY JONES, Sun Media

PHOENIX — You’d think Trevor Gretzky would look at grandpa Walter and his dad, Wayne, and wonder.

But he doesn’t. Despite the schedule his dad keeps and the fact he spends the hockey season in Phoenix with the Coyotes while mom Janet and the family live in Los Angeles, 15-year-old Trevor figures it’s not so much different being Wayne’s son as it was for his dad being Walter’s.

“It’s kinda the same, I think, as with him and his dad,” he said.

Uncle Glen said that’s true. Well, sort of.

“As a family, we did everything together. It’s the same with Wayne,” Wayne’s younger brother Glen said.

“When we went on a holiday, we all climbed in the old station wagon. It’s like that with them, but when they go it’s in his private jet.

“He makes it work. Every time I’m here, some of the kids are here. It’s not too often that there isn’t somebody from the family at his house. Wayne is the most committed guy with anything he does. It’s the same with his kids as it was for dad with us kids.”

“It doesn’t make much sense to some people with the kids living in L.A. with their mom. But it works fine,” Walter said. “Their dad is their dad. They’re all happy. Even though Wayne is busy and Janet is busy, they have time for their kids and get involved in what their kids get involved in, like we did with ours.”

It was a family scene at last year’s Wayne Gretzky Fantasy Camp as Trevor, a tall, slender kid, suited up as a goalie.

“I told him he’s so tall, he reminded me of Ken Dryden standing in goal,” Wayne said. “He said ‘who’s Ken Dryden?’”

After his dad coached the Coyotes to a win during the camp, Trevor had brother Tristan, 7, putting on his pads so he could take shots at his kid brother.

“Does your dad know you’re a goalie?” I asked young Tristan.

“Not yet,” the cute kid said with a giggle.

Last year, brother Ty, 17, played in the camp. He went to play hockey last year at Shattuck-St. Mary’s high school in Minnesota, but stayed home this year.

“He’s serious about golf,” said Trevor, who describes himself as mostly a baseball player and a football tight end.

“Ty was going to go live with my mom and dad in Brantford, but then my mom got sick,” Wayne said. “He didn’t play a lot. He realized he was not going to be a player. But it was all good. He lived away from home and he loved the year. He’s not going to look back when he’s 25 wishing he’d given it a try.”

Gretzky’s oldest, Paulina, who was such a hit singing the national anthem at the Heritage Classic outdoor game in Edmonton, is now 19.

Paulina is working on her singing and acting career. She chose not to go to college, but rather to work with a singing coach and take acting lessons.

His youngest, Emma, is four.

“I work the schedule so I can leave here after a game and grab a couple days at home. And they come here every second weekend. It works out,” Wayne said.

Trevor said the cool part of the Fantasy Camp week was having Grandpa Gretzky involved as well. Walter makes only two or three trips here a year.

“Grandpa has taught me a lot about life. Grandpa taught dad well,” Trevor said.

Walter was recently informed he’d won the Order of Canada.

“I don’t know anybody who does more in his life than my father, running coast to coast for the blind kids, going to hospitals at Christmas time, being honorary chairman of the Heart and Stroke Foundation and everything else he does,” said Wayne, an Order of Canada winner himself.

“He was always a charitable person, but when he went through his aneurism, he really placed a huge emphasis on helping a lot of people. He really is special that way. If anybody is deserving of the award it’s my dad.”

Walter is blown away by it.

“My parents were White Russians from Belarus. They wouldn’t be able to comprehend. When the Governor General called, I was stunned. I still can’t get over it. It’s such an honour. It’s incredible. It’s crazy. Canada is the best country in the world. I can say it. I can prove it,” said the man who is also the Lord Mayor of Brantford now, too.

Walter just wished his wife Phyllis would have lived to see him receive the Order. Losing Phyllis, in December 2005, obviously, had a major impact on both Walter and Wayne.

“When my mother passed away, it was 10:30 at night,” Wayne said. “I went back and had a bunch of people come to our house that night. By 1:30 in the morning, my dad still wasn’t back. I was getting worried. Finally he showed up. I asked his friend Charlie Henry ‘Where have you guys been?’

“Charlie said dad wouldn’t leave the hospital bed. He said he sang to my mom for two hours. He always sang to her. And he couldn’t carry a tune. I said that’s probably what killed her.”

Walter said it was a thing they had.

“I always sang to Phyllis. I sang to her a lot. She used to tell me ‘Walter be quiet. You’re giving me a headache.’”

Wayne made it to the hospital in time.

“He was the last person she stared at before she left us,” Walter said.

“He was at the foot of the bed. Iím at the side of the bed holding her hands. Suddenly, her eyes started flickering. She tried to lift her head to see Wayne. I put my hand on the back of her head to help her. Then her eyes stopped flickering and she stared at Wayne for a full 10 seconds. Then she reached her arm out above his head for another 10 seconds. Then she was gone.

“Wayne said ‘I felt her take me in her arms.’ That sounds silly. But he said he felt him take her in her arms and physically felt her leave. She held on just to see Wayne. I know that for sure. Then she was gone.”

Wayne’s World Reaches Far Beyond The Rink

By Terry Jones, SUN MEDIA

PHOENIX — Wayne Gretzky hasn’t scored a goal in nine years, but he’s still dishing out the assists. Indeed, he’s having a record-setting season, business-wise. “The level of business he is at right now is higher than at any point of his playing career,” said Darren Blake, executive director of WDG Enterprises.

For most of his career, Wayne Gretzky was both the spokesman and the pitchman for the sport. Nobody has come close to replacing him in either capacity, especially the latter.

“Everything is really going well,” Gretzky said at his fantasy camp, presented by Pepsi. “My relationship with Ford and Samsung are very strong and solid. My restaurant in Toronto, my wine estates, Gretzky.com, all of it, is solid.”

Blake said No. 99 is easier to schedule now that he has the uniform off.

“He’s not at the mercy of the team like he was as a player,” he said.

Blake came into Wayne’s world in what you might call an entry-level position.

“I knew Gretz when he first came to the Rangers. I found him a place to live and schools for the kids, Broadway tickets, dinner reservations. That was my job then and we hit it off.

“When he decided to coach, he called and said he was looking to make some changes to the face of and scope of the business. He wanted me to take over the day-to-day running of his business with Ford, Samsung, a huge new emphasis on his foundation, Roots of Canada, Pepsi, his wine company, the Breitling watch company, Wayne Gretzky Authentics and Gretzky.com.”

WDG Enterprises now employs seven full-time people, including an accountant and an in-house lawyer. With Canadian Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns joining up, there will probably be 10 full-time employees soon.

“Wayne always had the idea he had to put in an honest day of work and with most of his partnerships he does,” Blake said of the time the Great One gives of himself.

“I’d like to see him get into more things where he can relax and let his name earn the money. I’d been telling Wayne that he’s at the point where he should be earning money in his sleep. The wine business is a good example of that.”

In Calgary, Gretzky was often referred to as “The Whiner” during his Oiler days. Who knew he’d end up being a winer, joining Peter Jensen in a wine partnership.

“Mike Weir had a hobby brand that sold about 12,000 cases.

Wayne passed that on Day 1. It’s kinda neat lately. Instead of signing sticks, Wayne’s signing a lot of bottles of wine,” Blake said. Jensen is a big part of that enterprise.

“A mutual acquaintance let us know Wayne was interested in the wine business. We did a presentation and he liked it, liked us and we bought a small winery and named it Wayne Gretzky Estates,” said Jensen, who was involved in the business with Creekside Estate Winery in the Niagara region.

“We’re looking at becoming one of the top 10 in Canada, a 100,000 to 200,000 case-a-year brand and making a major initiative into the U.S.

“The thing I find most remarkable about being involved in a business with Wayne is that he’s exactly the same as he was on the ice when it was obvious that the key to his success was that he saw everything.

It’s the same with him off the ice. He sees more than an average observer would see.”

David Greenberg, the VP of marketing for Ford of Canada, said the relationship with Gretzky began six years ago when Ford was in a down period.

“At the time, we were having our challenges. When we came out and announced at an annual dealers meeting in Las Vegas that Wayne had joined the Ford team there were literally tears in the eyes of a lot of our dealers. It was a unifying event for our dealers. Canada is a hockey country and there are plenty of good hockey players, past and present, but there is only one Wayne Gretzky.”

With the business now, it’s personal.

“Wayne is now way more into partnerships and relationship.

That’s why his business partnerships are so carefully selected,” said Lauri Holomis, who started in the business with the Edmonton Trappers and now works for the Young & Rubicam ad agency out of Toronto, dealing directly with the Ford and wine accounts.

Re-launched four months ago, there has been a major initiative toward revamping the more-or-less stagnant Gretzky.com website into something far more substantial, aided by a partnership with Canada’s Insight Sports. The project is headed by Kevin Albrecht and features Coyotes colourman Darren Pang, former Ottawa and Edmonton radio morning man and comedian Jim Jerome and Canadian women’s hockey team member Jennifer Botterill as online hosts.

“Our goal is to make it a main resource for covering all things hockey,” said producer Craig Johnson, who grew up in Gretzky’s home town of Brantford, Ont., and previously worked with the Toronto Blue Jays.

“We’re attempting to grow it into a broader hockey destination — the hockey version of Oprah.com and Marthastewart.com, not just a flashback site.”

In business, Wayne’s world has become a whole new world.

I remember the trade like it was yesterday.

I remember the feeling I had, like there was no way this just happened.

Wayne Gretzky. Traded. Wayne Gretzky? Traded? Traded? I had this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I am getting it again right now, just thinking of that day. August 9th, 1988.

I was in the family room of my in-laws house in Nepean, Ontario. There were plenty of rumours floating around about the possibility that the Oiler’s could trade Wayne. It seemed so very unthinkable. There wasn’t anything real about it. It just couldn’t happen. Couldn’t they trade a couple of other great players from that team? Wasn’t there any other possibilities?

I was heading into my 2^nd season in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks. I finally made it to the NHL after 3 years in the IHL and AHL.

I wasn’t just a hockey fan anymore, in fact I wasn’t just a minor league pro anymore. I had 1 full season under my belt and actually played against the Edmonton Oiler’s and Wayne Gretzky.

I had met and known Wayne from my 2nd season of Major Jr. A hockey in Belleville, as he co-owned the team. He skated with us as, he was getting ready for the Oilers training camp.

He took several of us, including future 1st round pick of Calgary’s, Dan Quinn, out to dinners and social gatherings. We were also recruiting our 1st pick at the time, Pat Lafontaine. he was drafted by both us and the Laval Titans of the QMJHL.

It was such a great experience to be around him and see the way he handled himself at such a young age. He was Wayne Gretzky. He was the captain of the Edmonton Oilers and we all assumed he was going to win 6-10 Stanley Cups with them. Forever an Oiler. How would it not work out that way?

The Oiler’s, under the tutelage of Glen Sather and Ted Green, were an incredible group of players. They had speed, finesse, moxy, courage and grit when they needed it. They had that “killer instinct” and it all started and ended with Wayne. If he scored 4 and they were leading by 3 goals with 3 minutes to go, he wanted his 5th and put the dagger in even deeper.

Was this a trade? Was it a sell?

Wayne said in his DVD, “Ultimate Gretzky” that it was a “weird time”. I would say so.

He understood the business side of it. He knew that at the end of the 1988-89 season, he would be 28 years old and an unrestricted Free Agent. He told the Oilers he wouldn’t sign a deal until the season was over and he was just newly married to Janet. She was still in the prime of her acting career, so maybe they would end up in California at some point anyway? Who knew? Peter Pocklington and King’s new owner, Bruce McNall knew, that is for sure!

It must have been something for Wayne.

Think about the sadness, emotion and heavy tears leaving Edmonton, the City that he really grew up in and adored. Think back to the press conference. Midway through, his very good friend and agent at the time, Mike Barnett, had to lean over his left shoulder and tell him to step away from the microphone, so he could regain composure. It must have been the 1st time in a long time that Wayne wasn’t in control of the situation. It wasn’t a sign of weakness . It seemed it was a time and moment of just shear out of control emotion. He just won his 4th Stanley Cup. He was 27 years old. he was just traded…and sold to a City that has never experienced winning in hockey before.

Holy jumpin.

The plane ride must have been some gamut of emotions. The sadness of leaving the City of Champions to the bright lights and excitement of Los Angeles. It went from a funeral to a celebration as far as the LA fans were concerned, for sure.

I remember watching his 1st game at home as a King. the new black and silver sweaters. gone were the Rogie Vachon and Marcel Dionne gold and purple.

The building was crazy. Celebrities everywhere. Bob Miller, the legendary voice of the Kings, making the player introductions. He gets to the last player and says, welcome #99, Wayne Gretzky…….

He looks humble and modest, again, as always. The capacity crowd goes nuts. He skates to the Kings blueline and nods. The crowd gets louder. They have just met the real game of hockey. This was the beginning of a new generation of hockey fans. This was the start for many 8 year old kids that needed a sport to latch onto. It was called ice hockey. It was called inline hockey. It was because of Wayne Gretzky and THE trade.

He scored on his 1st shot that night. It was against the Detroit Red Wings, his childhood team. The same team he tied Phil Esposito’s record for goals in a season with his 76th at Detroit, and then broke the record the next game in Buffalo.

That was the night he met Goldie Hawn and Burt Reynolds. Little did Wayne know he was Hollywood before he actually went to Hollywood.

It was strange facing Wayne as a King that season. He still had the Jofa helmet and the tucked in sweater. He still used the heavy Titan stick with very little curve. But he was in black and silver, not the blue and orange. There was a different look, but the same killer instinct.

The rink wasn’t Northlands Coliseum. It was the LA Forum. Both looked similar on the outside, but the ice wasn’t nearly as good on the inside. It was amazing what he accomplished on that LA ice, no doubt.

Wayne then came into Chicago Stadium as a King. I had to face him that 1st night . Normally when the King’s came to town, it was just another game. It wasn’t a rivalry. It wasn’t the Norris Division. It was just the King’s in their purple jersey’s. Not anymore.

There was such a buzz.

He gave them belief that they could win. You could sense it playing against them. It was just a matter of time and a matter of weeding out some players that were too used to losing. There was no way that he could accept that. He changed their whole mindset.

He scored a goal against me that year in Chicago that still makes my head spin. You can see it in the Ultimate Gretzky DVD. He is skating in….looks like he wants to go quickly to his right, from his forehand to his backhand. He is in this cool black and silver…..never mind…

I come out with the quick pokecheck….I have done this a hundred times ….only to see him quickly change directions to stay on the forehand and slip it by me, as he darts to his left.

I have the picture in a workout room in my house. We recently had a little get together in Phoenix, and Wayne and Janet and the kids were all there. Someone at the party took the picture off the wall, went over to Wayne and asked him if this one went in on me, or not.

Wayne looked it over…..leans over to the kid and says it just loud enough for me to hear….

“This is Panger’s party….lets not go there “

and then he says, just loud enough for me to hear….” I think that was the 3rd of the night!”…and lets out a huge laugh. It was perfect. He remembered the night.

It was roughly 19 years ago and he knew what happened. I was not surprised. He never ceases to amaze me. He changed the game. He always thinks about the game.

We now have 1st round picks in the NHL that are from California. They remembered the day Wayne was traded to the King’s like it was yesterday. They will be NHL players because of him and his influence in the non hockey markets. They are now called hockey markets. Pretty amazing stuff.

Wayne could have chosen any team he wanted when that trade went through. he could have gone to Detroit for one. His childhood team. But he knew that franchise was in good shape and it would be for a long time. But LA. The King’s. He could change everything there. And he did. They were the 1st team in LA to sell out their season tickets. They did so before the Rams, Dodgers and Lakers. Amazing.

All because of Wayne Douglas Gretzky.

This season is a celebration. If not for that trade, where would hockey be in these so called non traditional hockey markets? Let alone Cup’s. There would be no Stanley Cup in Tampa Bay. None in Carolina. San Jose wouldn’t be knocking on the door. Dallas wouldn’t have had theirs in 1999. Anaheim? Not a chance if not for Wayne.

I was far too naive when Wayne was traded to LA. I didn’t quite see the future of hockey. I never envisioned the sharp, aluminum shafted Easton stick. I certainly did not think of celebrities watching our great game and not for a minute did I think he could carry the King’s to the Finals in only his 4th season their, only to lose to Montreal in 5 games.

What a great ride that was. These are phenomenal memories.

When you see Wayne Gretzky behind the bench of one of the NHL’s most exciting young teams, the Phoenix Coyotes, think of what this trade meant for your hockey market. your memories as a kid and maybe your child’s as well. Stand up and clap. No one could have done what Wayne did. Not in any sport.

For Gretzky.com, I’m Darren Pang.