WG Authentic – the official company of Wayne Gretzky memorabilia – played host to a pair of sports luminaries as legendary icon Muhammad Ali and “Mr. Hockey” Gordie Howe each made a recent visit to the Scottsdale, Arizona office. Both Ali and Howe signed limited edition canvas photos now available at Gretzky.com/shop.

Simply known as “The Greatest,” Ali was a three-time heavyweight boxing champion, tallying 56 wins – 37 by knockout – in 61 bouts throughout a career that spanned 21 years. Also the Olympic Light Heavyweight gold medalist at the 1960 Rome Olympics, Ali transcended sports as a social and political figure during his fighting career and continues to do so today. Since retiring from the ring, he has traveled the world, assisting people in need in the areas of hunger, children’s health and Parkinson’s research.

In a piece that captures his competitive spirit, WG Authentic is honored to offer a canvas photo (limited to 65) of the famous image from Ali’s May 25, 1965 victory vs. Sonny Liston. Known as “The Phantom Punch,” this photo pictures the moment the young, toned, budding legend knocked out the former champ in the first round to retain his title.

Howe earned the title “Mr. Hockey” through blood, sweat and tears over a 32-year career at the professional level. Covering six decades, Howe tallied 2,589 career points, 1,071 goals and made 29 all-star appearances playing in both the NHL and WHA. A 7-time MVP and 6-time scoring champ, he led teams to the final championship series round in 15 of his 32 seasons – including winning six world championship cups – despite playing most of his career in the tough original six era dominated by the highest concentration of talent in history.

WG Authentic has available limited edition canvas prints (each limited to 19) signed by Howe that capture the tough yet talented essence of the man who inspired future legends of the game.

For more information on these limited edition pieces signed by Ali and Howe, please visit www.gretzky.com/shop.

Mick Kern appears courtesy of Live From Wayne Gretzky’s

Goodnight Montreal.  The Party is Over.

In truth, it ended sometime in January, but people were having too good of a time to notice it.

So much for the overblown 100th Anniversary Season.  Starting Monday morning, half price on all memorabilia.  Everything must go, including a large number of free agents.

I think I finally get what GM Bob Gainey was trying to do with goaltender Carey Price.  Unlike a lot of Montreal fans, Gainey no doubt knew that this team wasn’t deep enough to make a long run in this year’s playoffs.  His man in net is, without a doubt, young Mr. Price.  Why not throw him right in and get his feet wet, toughen him up using live ammo.

Trouble is, that strategy can backfire horribly if the goaltender’s confidence is shaken to the point he doubts the very things that carried him this far.  That has always been my worry with how Montreal has handled Carey Price.  He’s now played in three playoff series over two straight seasons, and he hasn’t looked good in any of them.

Mind you, this year’s edition of Les Canadiens were nothing to write home about, and my mother actually asked me to stop with the emails.  The real test for Montreal will be this summer:

- which unrestricted free agents do they attempt to keep?
- can they coax any key unrestricted free agents from other teams to sign here?
- is Gainey preparing to clear cap room in order to try to trade for Vincent Lecavalier?
- will this team finally get physically bigger, now that they’re been pushed around for two straight playoff years?
- who will be the head coach of this team?
- will GM Bob Gainey keep his job?  Does he still want the job?
- is this team for sale, or not?
- entering his third NHL season, it’s time for Carey Price to begin to
realize the immense potential he has.

That’s a lot of stuff for one off-season.  The best news?

It’s the 101st season for the Canadiens.  Time to forget the distractions and get down to business.

Go Bruins.  You guys look good.

- Mick Kern

Mick Kern appears courtesy of Live From Wayne Gretzky’s

A week or so has passed since the season ended for the Coyotes and I left Phoenix to continue broadcasting in the playoffs on TSN and NBC.

That wasn’t what I had in mind when the 2008-09 season started, as I felt very confident in our chances to progress and take that next step to the postseason.

Make no mistake; I enjoy doing the playoffs and being in the heat of the action. Why wouldn’t I? That’s what I came here for. I came to be part of a winning team. I came to the desert to be broadcasting Coyotes games in the playoffs.

We will.

Here are five keys to the Coyotes getting into the Stanley Cup Playoffs next year:

• It is an 82-game schedule no matter how you slice and dice it up. For the past several seasons, the Coyotes have been a pretty competitive team for 60-68 games. Not an 82-game team. When adversity hits this team, the record falls. It’s time to get playoff tough…in the regular season.

The regular season is about preparing for the grind of winning the Stanley Cup. The Coyotes can’t fall in love with 5- and 10-game segments, and then fall out of love with the same group of players after a few losses. There has to be consistency. There has to be belief. It starts now.

• Accountability is a prominent word when talking about the good to great teams. There is character on the team when there is accountability in the room. Check your egos at the door when the first day of training camp begins. This is not about individual accomplishments. This is about winning as many 10-game segments as you can, especially in February, March and April. This is about believing in the dream and in the process of accomplishing the dream. It will be about not accepting poor play, from the players in the room to the coaches on the bench.

• Specialty teams win hockey games. Period. The Coyotes can not be in the bottom five in both the PP and the PK. There is no excuse for that. Wayne Gretzky has said it many times about key moments in games when the PP has to step up. Too many one-goal games were lost because of it. The PP needs structure, as it had late in the season with the likes of Matthew Lombardi, Scottie Upshall, Keith Yandle and Shane Doan on the ice. The trades brought hockey sense and chemistry, and now we have to add to the skill level.

• There has to be no negotiation when it comes to mistakes that get made, no matter who the player. I was between the benches for NBC for Game 2 between Washington and the N.Y. Rangers and the phrases you hear from players and coaches are all the same. Here they are:

“Get the puck deep”
“Chip it in and chip it out”
“No one-on-one late in the period, don’t turn the puck over”
“Take a hit to make a play”
“Close the gaps, hold the line”

There are many more, but these are staples in our game. If you can’t follow these simple sayings as an NHL player, you shouldn’t be in this league.

• There is NO entitlement. With the movement the Coyotes have made toward the draft picks and the youth, there appears to be entitlement. That can not be the case. The message at the exit meetings for all the young players was simple: Here is what you have to do in the off-season to be on the team next September. If you don’t do that and get better in these areas, then the AHL is waiting for you.

There are ZERO guarantees to be on the big squad. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Simple enough. We need an extra layer of skin if we are going to be known as a tough team to play against and a team that will compete for the Stanley Cup, not just the playoffs.

Do me a favor and watch as many playoff games as you can. Check the phrases that I have listed above. You will see them all. When the season starts, see how we are doing. Remember that in October, November and December, the teams that have gone a long way in the playoffs don’t quite have that intensity just yet. It will be in the later months that the Coyotes will have to play like men. That’s when the little things will be the biggest of all things.

Enjoy the playoffs.

- Panger

Mick Kern appears courtesy of Live From Wayne Gretzky’s

Sorry, I don’t have all the stats in front of me, though no doubt they’re out there lurking on the internet somewhere.

But let’s forgo the statistical evidence for now, and rely on your gut feeling in response to the question.  Which game is the most important in a seven-game NHL playoff series?

Obviously, the fourth win by a team is crucial, for that is the drop-dead point of the entire affair.

Putting the obvious aside, at what point does a team get to that threshold, the earliest juncture in a series where they statistically hold the upper hand?

How crucial is it to win Game One?  What percentage of NHL teams that take Game One of a seven-game series go on to win three more games?

My gut tells me that, while getting off to a good start is nice, Game Two is where it really begins to matter.

For instance, let’s say your team wins Game One AND Game Two.  Many times in NHL history, a team has rebounded from a two-game deficit, but I’d venture that the majority of teams that get in that two-game hole to begin a series fail to climb all the way out of it.  It only makes statistical sense.

If your team is down two games, heading into game three, then you have to win four of the next five games.  Not impossible, but difficult, particularly since you’ve just lost two games in-a-row, so you’re not that hot to begin with.

Some will advance the theory that Game Three is the real litmus test, and they may be right.  This theory holds more water when teams are tied at 1 game apiece, but then again, once could say Game Five is the key game, if both teams are tied at 2 games apiece.

Hey, what about Game Six???  Okay, suddenly every game in a series is crucial, but you know what, they are.  Midway through the second period of Game One, it may look like a long series looms ahead, but the clock advances very quickly in the post-season, in some sort of warped Space Time Hockey Continuum.

Until convinced otherwise, I still postulate that Game Two is usually the turning point of a seven-game series.  Let’s use a current example.

The eighth seeded Anaheim Ducks took Game One over the powerhouse San Jose Sharks.  A road win in Game One automatically hands the home-ice advantage to the road team, erasing six months of hard work by the higher seed.

Suddenly, all the pressure is on the Sharks, who can’t afford to go to Southern California down by two games.  If they win Game Two, the Sharks have avoided a sweep at home, have gained some momentum, and have set themselves up to reclaim so-called home ice advantage by only having to win one of the next two games in Anaheim.

If they lose Game Two, then they face the unenviable task of having to beat the resurgent Ducks four out of the next five games, and that scenario doesn’t look too promising for San Jose.

Of course, the Ducks prevailed 3-2 in Game Two, and now head home up two games.  If the Sharks bounce back and take both games on the road, the worst Anaheim can be is tied heading back to San Jose, where they know they can win in the playoffs, because they’ve already won two games there.

True, if the Sharks take the next two games, they may regain momentum, and take control of the series, but that’s a pretty precarious branch to be walking out on, though now that’s all they’ve got to work with.

Game Three is also crucial, as the Blues found out, when they fell to the Canucks, who now have a stranglehold three-game lead in their series.  And we all know, only two NHL teams have ever come all the way back from a three-game hole, and prevailed….though I think we’re long overdue for it to happen again.

Okay, so maybe I’ve convinced myself that both Game Two and Game Three are the contests that, upon closer inspection, reveal much of how the series-in-question will unfold.  Someone please show me the math on this, because we can probably all list off teams that have come back from 2-0 and 3-1 game deficits, but it only stands to reason that most teams in that position never make it all the way back.

Math aside, there are other factors that have to be considered.  The Washington Capitals also have lost the first two games of their series with the New York Rangers, and they were home-ice defeats, but one gets the sense that if they can win at MSG in Game Three, they’ll force themselves right back into this series.  Same might be said for the Calgary Flames, and their battle with the Blackhawks, especially since the Flames are returning to the friendly confines of the Saddledome, or whatever they’re officially calling it these days.

Then again, does anyone really think the Montreal Canadiens will be right back in their series with the Boston Bruins if they manage to win Game Three on home ice?

Seven games in a playoff series seems to be the perfect number of games to separate the wheat from the chaff.

- Mick Kern

Mick Kern appears courtesy of Live From Wayne Gretzky’s

WG Authentic – the official company of Wayne Gretzky memorabilia – announces the launch of its new online store on Gretzky.com, located at www.gretzky.com/shop. This updated store features unique and limited edition autographed memorabilia from Wayne, plus other legends of hockey, including Gordie Howe, Guy Lafleur, Bobby Orr and Mario Lemieux, with much more to come.

Items currently available for sale include framed photos and high definition canvas prints capturing moments from the storied careers of some of the game’s all-time greats. Additional collectables are also available and more products are being added each week, including signed Gretzky jerseys and items autographed by top athletes throughout the world of sports and legends of their respective games, such as Steve Nash, Sidney Crosby and Muhammad Ali.

Gretzky.com/shop has been designed to better serve our customers with an easy to navigate interface. Additionally, online accounts can be created that will allow customers to personalize their Gretzky.com/shop experience by creating wish lists and being among the first to learn about new items and exclusive offers. Shipping is easy from Gretzky.com/shop and the new store will allow customers to track the progress of their order.

For more information, please visit www.gretzky.com/shop or contact WG Authentic at (480) 778-1899.

Take a listen to this chat I did with John Davidson, who is now President of the St. Louis Blues.  I caught up with JD while his Blues where in town to play the Coyotes recently.  We started talking by remembering the special moment that marked the end of an era — Wayne Gretzky’s last game ever in the National Hockey League.

Click to listen:

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- Panger

Article by Don Schwartz, WG Authentic / Watch Video

You know that you’ve had a one-of-a-kind hockey career when the words of a national anthem – in a country different from your native land – are changed to reflect what you’ve meant to the sport.

Such was the case a decade ago at Wayne Gretzky’s final National Hockey League game on April 18, 1999 at Madison Square Garden. As the New York Rangers prepared to end their season by hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins, the hockey world gathered to say goodbye to the all-time record holder in 61 NHL statistical categories, accomplished throughout his 20-year career.

But it was clear to many that while everyone’s eyes were fixed on Wayne that evening, his thoughts were squarely on others, making sure that that the people close to him were taken care of on a night that was supposed to be his shining moment.

“Wayne didn’t forget anyone,” said Rangers broadcaster Sam Rosen, who was part of the national TV coverage of the game and worked alongside Wayne throughout his three seasons in New York. “With all that was going on, you knew how much emotion there was and what he had to be feeling inside. But when he would come off the ice he’d make sure that his stick was pulled aside and he would sign that stick and he’d go on and get another stick. He made sure that every stick used that night was noted and taken care of and made sure that everyone knew that it was going to someone that deserved to have one, whether it was a teammate or people that worked in the locker room.”

Every moment meant to honor Wayne for his accomplishments became an opportunity for him to thank others. As John Davidson, former Rangers broadcaster and current St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations, headed to the arena that night he received a call from Wayne asking him to make a special mention during the pre-game ceremony.

“Tom Mees was a broadcaster for ESPN who had passed away as he drowned in a terrible swimming accident at his home,” Davidson said. “We had all worked with Tom. He was a wonderful, passionate hockey guy and for Wayne to remember that out of the blue during his day to say goodbye to the world of hockey as a player was the way he was. Nobody was more important than other people to him. Nobody’s ever been. It didn’t matter what you did for a living. You could just be a guy who works hard and makes the minimum wage, he’ll take care of you. He’s that type of guy.”

In a game filled with obvious emotions, the Rangers tried to keep the situation light and the team’s focus off the inevitable ending to Gretzky’s playing days; even turning their thoughts to a new beginning.

“My daughter was pregnant and she was in the hospital giving birth to a baby,” said John Muckler, then the coach of the Rangers and now a senior advisor to the general manager for the Phoenix Coyotes. “It was in the third period and I had instructed our P.R. guy to come down to tell me as soon as the baby was born. So he came down and told me it was a baby boy. I called time out with maybe about a minute left in the game and called Wayne over to the bench. I said ‘You were right. My daughter’s going to have that baby on the day you retire. And here’s what I want you to do for me, I want you to go and score another goal.’ Well, he looked at me like ‘Oh my gosh, don’t put that kind of pressure on me.’ He said ‘I could have done that one time, but I don’t think I can do it tonight.’”

“I just wanted the guys to try to relax and have fun,” Muckler added. “Even the organization tried to have a little bit of fun with him because they showed a lot of Wayne’s previous commercials when he was younger and the players had a lot of fun teasing him. They tried to keep it as light as possible. But you knew when it got into the third period and we ended up with a tie that it was going to end suddenly, since it was headed to overtime where the first goal wins, of course, so you knew it wasn’t going to take too long to come.”

That moment came 82 seconds into overtime as a Jaromir Jagr goal gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 victory. While Wayne wasn’t able to add one last goal to his all-time record, he did provide the sold-out crowd with one final glimpse of greatness, assisting on a Brian Leetch goal that tied the game in the second period and set up the sudden death stanza.

Jagr’s game-ending goal set off a lengthy standing ovation followed by multiple curtain calls from the fans who wanted a few more moments with Wayne. It was the capstone to a night that began with a star-studded ceremony, featuring well wishes from contemporaries Mario Lemieux and Mark Messier, a new Mercedes as a gift from the Rangers organization and an announcement by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman that no other player would wear No. 99 again. And in addition to John Amirante’s special version of the American anthem, pop-singer Bryan Adams altered the Canadian national anthem, changing “We stand on guard for thee” to “We’re gonna miss you, Wayne Gretzky.”

“I think he was somewhat ready to retire,” Muckler said. “I’m sure he had thought about this for a long time and it seemed to be the right year, ’99. He had made up his mind going into Ottawa for his last game played in Canada, which was also emotional for the players and his teammates, because we didn’t want to see him go. We tried to talk him into staying for another year, but he had made up his mind and he was comfortable with his decision and he knew that he had to move on.”

Though Wayne has remained in the game throughout the ten years since his final NHL contest – first as an ambassador and now as a head coach – that night in New York closed the chapter on a career that continues to resonate throughout the sport of hockey.

“It was not only him playing his last game as a New York Ranger, I think he was playing his last game as something that the world of hockey should have seen and been a part of  and the whole world was able to see it,” Davidson said. “I found that to be fascinating because what Wayne did for our sport and the ambassador he’s always been, our sport wouldn’t be where it is today without him and what he’s done for us. I think he’s the greatest player that’s ever played. I was fortunate to have broadcast – in the hundreds – the number of games that I saw him play live and I’ve never seen a player like him and I don’t think we’ll ever see a player like him again. His records will not, in my mind, ever be broken. He’s the best ever.”

Article by Don Schwartz, WG Authentic / Watch Video

Watch the latest episode of Wine Library TV.  Host, Gary Vaynerchuk sits down with Wayne to talk about his wine and hockey.  Gary visited No. 99 at his new office space in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Click here to view the interview courtesy of winelibrarytv.com.

Mick Kern appears courtesy of Live From Wayne Gretzky’s

I hate predictions.

If I really knew what was going to happen, do you think I’d be sitting here in uptown Toronto, at 4:30 on an overcast Tuesday afternoon, sharing them with you?  No, I’d be on some far-off tropical island, sharing them with gorgeous women, who only want to be with me because of all my money, which I made by charging you money to access my predictions website.

Dare to dream, or more accurately back here on Planet Earth, dare to predict.

Before the 2008-09 NHL regular season got underway, we were asked to name which two teams we thought were going to be in the Stanley Cup Final eight months later.  I decided to throw caution to the wind, and put all my eggs into the Cleveland Barons’ basket.  Heck, why not?  Considering I picked the Dallas Stars to get there, a vote for the long-dead Barons would have been as productive.

There are many things about sports predictions that don’t sit well with me.  I’d say they were things that bother me, but honestly, I can’t get that worked up over predictions.  Roll the dice, flip the coin, spin the wheel, hey, spin the bottle if you’re lucky enough, but it’s mostly luck-of-the-draw.

This all coming from a guy who “won” the NHL Home Ice prediction pool last playoffs, and tied with Mike Ross for first place the year before that.  Which only means one thing…I had luck on my side.  It’s not like the St. Louis Blues or NHL Central Scouting were suddenly ringing me up with employment offers, though, for-the-record, I’d listen.

The big thing that irks me about sports predictions are the type of people who will crow about the one or two big picks, usually upsets, they got right, while conveniently forgetting the 90% of picks they got wrong.  More than a couple of people around this building fit that description to a T.

The other thing that rubs me the wrong way about predicting sports (or politics, or the weather, or hog futures…name your poison) is when people hedge their bets.  Not that I blame them.  Again, who really knows what’s going to happen?  A number 8 team could upset a number 1 team this spring.  There is plenty of historical evidence of that occurring, just ask any Bruins’ fan over the age of 15.

Still, some wiseguy will, say, pick the Penguins in 7 over the Flyers, but when it’s the Flyers who triumph in 6 or 7, Mr. Wiseguy will fall back on his ready-made excuse,  “Well, I picked the Pens in 7, which means it could have gone either way, so I wasn’t that wrong”.

No, you were wrong.  You picked the Penguins.  Some team named the Flyers won, not the Flightless Birds.  And so on.

Another thing that cracks me up about hockey predictions is those folk who believe they have a clause in their predictions that allow them to opt out of their previous prediction after only one game.  That’s like changing your lottery ticket two numbers into the 12-number draw.  It can’t be done, yet I know many who have tried.

One other thing that kills me are universally recognized experts of the grand game of hockey, who are invited to appear on TV panel shows, and invariably pick the Conference champions to meet in the Stanley Cup Final.

Excuse me, are we paying this dude anything?  A monkey could have made that choice.  No wait, that little one that shows up on TSN with James Duthie has exhibited more hockey intelligence over the past few playoffs than some of the big name hockey experts.

C’mon, everyone knows there’s an upset or two lurking in the weeds of the first round.  Put your hockey thinking helmet on and explain to me and Joe Six-Pack why the Blues have a good shot at upending the Canucks, or why the Rangers will derail the Capitals.  No, the odds are not in favour of those teams, but this is called playoff predictions, not mathematical probabilities.

Anyone, even me dear old Mom, could pick the Bruins to face the Sharks in the Final, or the Caps to face the Red Wings.  Who dares to go out on the limb and pick, say, Carolina to meet Calgary, or Pittsburgh to face the Blackhawks…and that second pick is not all that improbable.  Yet most people stick to the tried-and-maybe-true, for fear of looking stoopid.

Yet who thought the Calgary Flames would fall only one game short of the 2004 Cup, or that the Habs would win the 2005 Stanley Cup, or that the Oilers would fall only one game short of the 2006 Cup…to the Hurricanes???

Hey, somebody must have picked John Druce for their playoff pool that one year.

As for me, did I mention that I hate predictions?  Nonetheless, I was asked to come up with mine for the first round, so here they be.  Warning, do not rely on these when betting the rent.

Boston over Montreal in 5 games (though I bleed bleu-blanc-et-rouge)
Washington over New York in 6 games (though there are many questions about Jose Theodore)
Carolina over New Jersey in 6 games (though I worship at the altar of Martin Brodeur)
Pittsburgh over Philadelphia in 7 games (though this one appears to be a toss-up)
San Jose over Anaheim 6 (though the Ducks are a strong number 8 seed)
Detroit over Columbus in 5 (though is Chris Osgood once again ready-for-prime time?)
St. Louis over Vancouver in 7 (the Blues are my 2nd favourite team, and have been since I was a kid, so I’m picking with my heart here…besides, there’s an upset somewhere every year, why not here?)
Chicago over Calgary in 7 (Flames are stumbling going in, though this is a toss-up)

Okay, so for each of the eight series, I offered a ready-made excuse for why my pick may not turn out correct.  Talk about hedging your bets.

I hate guys like me.

- Mick Kern

Mick Kern appears courtesy of Live From Wayne Gretzky’s

Article by Don Schwartz, WG Authentic / Watch Video

The eyes of a country were turned towards its capital on April 15, 1999 as the Ottawa Senators hosted the New York Rangers in what would be the final time Wayne Gretzky took to Canadian ice as a National Hockey League player.

Tearful were those eyes, however, as fans throughout Canada and around the NHL held hope that murmurs of an impending retirement were simply rumors.

“The biggest thing that I remember is the speculation before hand,” said Wayne’s one-time Edmonton Oilers teammate and current Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster Craig Simpson, who was part of Sportsnet’s coverage of the game. “I remember thinking ‘No, this can’t be.’ There was no official retirement statement and he had one last game left in New York afterwards. I think there was definitely a little bit of denial heading into that final game in Canada, that everybody was feeling ‘Oh, it’s just a rumor’ or ‘Maybe he’ll change his mind.’

“Once we realized that it looked like he would retire, I think everybody around the game and around the arena felt a little bit of sadness,” Simpson said. “But you knew you were also watching something special. I couldn’t help but think of all the great games that he’s had in his past and all the things he had accomplished as a player.”

Wayne had gained his country’s attention since his pee wee playing days and the impending conclusion of his career was of national interest. Beginning with his time in the Toronto Junior B League and continuing into his Stanley Cup championships with Edmonton, many of his career highlights took place in Canada, including international competition such as the Canada Cup.

“He’s an icon (in Canada),” said noted hockey writer Al Strachan, then a columnist for the Toronto Sun. “It was a fantastic career coming to an end for what a lot of people say the best player ever. In a hockey crazed country like Canada, it’s was a significant event. He’s our national hero and has been for a long, long time and was that because of his success in the rink. So if that aspect of his life was going to end, it was a big event.”

For many Canadians, Wayne and hockey are synonymous and the thought of their sporting idol playing his last game in their country was tough to take. It was a moment that brought the fans in attendance, such as Dave Bullis, to their feet several times throughout the game. With no formal celebration taking place that night in Ottawa, it was the crowd that provided the requisite fanfare, cheering on with chants of ‘One more year’ as Wayne earned each of the game’s three stars in a 2-2 tie.

“With about four or five minutes left to go in the game they stopped play because the whole place was cheering for him,” Bullis said. “People were crying. It was really, really emotional.

“I remember the game was over and all the Ottawa players went up to Wayne and shook his hand or gave him a tap. Nobody left the building. People stuck around and I remember the ovation they gave for Janet and the kids and Walter too because they put them up on the big screen at the end of the game. It was nice to see.”

While Wayne had grown into a global ambassador for the sport, Canadians simply thought of him as one of their own. More than just the end of a storied career, the game marked the end of a chapter in Canadian history, though his final NHL game would come three days later.

“Everybody knows the impact he’s had on Canadian hockey, both from the impact of all the players who grew up trying to be like him and the interest they have in hockey because of him,” Simpson said. “But what he’s done wearing a uniform in Canada, whether it’s an Edmonton Oilers uniform or the maple leaf being a part of Team Canada and the successes that they had there, I think everybody feels very proud that he’s from Canada and proud that he’s from a small town in Brantford. I think that’s part of being a hockey fan in Canada, you treasure the players that have come in and made an impact.”

A decade after Wayne’s last game in Canada, his country continues to hold him in the highest regard and utmost respect.

“He’s still extremely popular and I think Canadians would like to see him come back,” Strachan said. “People still suggest things like making him the Commissioner of the National Hockey League or making him down the road – because he’s a little bit young – the Governor General of Canada. He is still very, very highly regarded. I’d say revered, really.”

“Wayne is Canada,” Bullis added. “For what Wayne did as an ambassador for our country. He is Canada. When you want to speak hockey, it’s Wayne Gretzky.”

Article by Don Schwartz, WG Authentic / Watch Video