My best friend had a hockey scholarship at Ohio State, so I would get a couple of pairs at the beginning of the season and send them down to him. They practised two hours a day. He’d skate in them for three weeks then ship them back.
WAYNE GRETZKYI think the Americans are ready to play, they want to beat us. I think that players like Chris Chelios and his leadership over there goes a long way.
More Wayne Gretzky Quotes
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I think the Americans are ready to play, they want to beat us. I think that players like Chris Chelios and his leadership over there goes a long way.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
Eight days ago, we were the toast of the town. Eight days later we’re Thanksgiving turkeys.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
Most players go where the puck is. I go where the puck will be.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day, that I never dog it.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
You know, I’ve held women and babies and jewels and money, but nothing will ever feel as good as holding that Cup.
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I’m probably the only guy in hockey who can win a scoring title and everybody is saying I had a bad year. I don’t worry about it.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
And people who know me would tell you that away from hockey I’m really not that competitive.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
We played in an era where you were taught to hate your opponent. But life changes. I raise my kids differently than my mom and dad raised their kids.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
When I played in a 21-team league, there were six or seven goalies who were just average, and the equipment and pads were smaller. I came in the right era. I played for the right team. It was all speed, and creativity and imagination.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
Skating alone is an art. Doing it on a substance? I don’t know. That’s got to be tough.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
I love everything about hockey.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
What you want to do with your best players is, it doesn’t matter how many goals and assists they get, but when they get goals and assists. The best players get them at the most important times, and that’s when we need those guys to come through.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
At the end of the day everybody lost. We almost crippled our industry. It was very disappointing what happened.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
Growing up, I was always the small guy.
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I really wanted to write a book [99: Stories of the Game] on the tradition and history of the league, where kids can pick it up and read it and learn things and say, “Geez, I didn’t know that. That’s pretty cool.”
WAYNE GRETZKY -
It’s easier to lose than to win.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
People in general want to build somebody up and then try to knock them down. They always root for the underdog.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
I think a lot of parents live their lives through the kids. Because they didn’t make it [achieve something], they want their kids to make it. It puts a lot of undue pressure on the kids.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
I heard people say, ‘Why would he want to do this?’ My answer is ‘Why not?’ It is what I love. It’s what I know.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
That’s the hardest part of this whole process. The best part is picking the players and the worst part is telling basically five players they are not going to play tonight.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
I wasn’t naturally gifted in terms of size and speed; everything I did in hockey I worked for, and that’s the way I’ll be as a coach.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
The greatest thing about playing obviously is winning, and you can’t replace that experience with anything.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
As a player, you have one responsibility, to focus yourself and be ready for the game. As a coach, your responsibility is to get 20 guys ready and have them all on the same page. If you can’t get every guy ready every night, you’re going to struggle.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
Kids don’t fight in minor hockey anymore. There’s very few fights in junior and college hockey. So growing up, all these guys are not fighting.
WAYNE GRETZKY -
I have absolutely no complaints about my life. But people think I got handed everything, all this kind of fell in my lap, that I was just God-gifted with all this talent. I wanted people to realize it’s a lot tougher than just waking up one day and you’re in the NHL.
WAYNE GRETZKY