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
