Wayne Gretzky
The numbers are almost too much to comprehend: 200 points in an NHL season on four different occasions, 894 goals and 1,963 assists in 1,487 games, nine Hart Trophy wins as the NHL’s most valuable player, 16 seasons of 100+ points, four Stanley Cup championships with the dynastic Edmonton Oilers.
The Great One? Indeed.
The Brantford native is always in the conversation about the greatest hockey player ever; he wasn’t the biggest or strongest or fastest player on the ice but his intelligence and a sixth sense that seemed to let him see plays before they developed set him apart.
He credits his father, the equally famous and beloved Walter Gretzky, with helping him develop the instincts that made him such a special athlete.
“I’ve just learned to guess what’s going to happen next,” he said. “It’s anticipation. It’s not God-given, it’s Wally-given.”