Book Description

One of this century's greatest athletes, Wayne Gretzky, The Great One, never failed to enthrall hockey fans with his incredible talent and skill.

It was with bittersweet sadness that the hockey world accepted the retirement of its most beloved player after the 1998-99 season.For the past twenty years, Wayne Gretzky above all has epitomized the toughness, power, and excitement of hockey. A class act, admired by teammates and foes alike, holder of numerous records, and always a consummate sportsman, Gretzky simply defines the game of hockey.

Including more than 120 extraordinary black and white and color photographs, The Great One celebrates Gretzky, from his early days as Brantford, Ontario's whiz kid, all the way to his Stanley Cup glories. The Great One includes a compilation of number ninety-nine's records of achievement and game-by-game statistics for his two decades of excellence.

Expertly written and researched by hockey historian Andrew Podnieks, the book also includes rare interviews, anecdotes, and little-known facts about Gretzky.

With Wayne Gretzky's retirement, hockey fans everyone mourned the passing of an era.But Gretzky's words and achievements live on in The Great One.There is no better way to remember the career of hockey's most superb and charismatic player.

ANDREW PODNIEKS is the author of many books on hockey, including The Blue and White Book, Portraits of the Game, and Shooting Stars.A hockey historian, photographer, and former creative writing teacher, Andrew lives in Toronto. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Great One: Life and Times of Wayne Gretzky
I bought this book for my 3rd grade son to write a paper with, and found myself completly engaged in it. For someone who didn't know much about "The Great One", I am now as big a fan as my son! Tells a lot about his younger years and doesn't just focus on the goals. AWESOME ... Read more

Reviews (8)

He's not Whine Bratzky for nothin'!
In an Sports Illustrated tribute issue on Gretzky, Rick Reilly claimed that getting him to talk about himself was like pulling teeth. Well, if that's the case, Gretzky must be wearing dentures!

He imagines the kids who played with and against him growing up hated him because of his God-given talent. He takes a perverse pride in impregnating his wife 4 months before their wedding. He resentfully informs us that if a family member or friend wants to go to a game, the player has to buy the ticket. He gratingly talks about himself in the third person. Yet, his egomania is almost understandable, though not inexcusable. In an amazingly frank 1990 interview with the L.A. Times, he revealed how Walter Gretzky got his jollies toying with his boy's psyche and pushing him unforgivingly to make it beyond the 3rd line of his pee-wee team (the apex of Gretzky pere's career).

He slams everyone from his houseboy (for not being a coffee expert even though he comes from Columbia) to a woman at a newsstand (for demanding he pay for an issue of Time he was on the cover of). But he saves most of his bile for Peter Pocklington. True, he would've become a mega-star anyway, but Pocklington came along at a time when the NHL wouldn't touch him due to his age; for that alone, Gretzky should be thankful. Promblem is, he doesn't know the meaning of the word...I don't know what bothers me more, how he paints himself as the hapless victim of The Trade (he wasn't) or the smirk on his face on the cover. If Gretzky proves anything, it's that he's petty, emotionally immature, at times, a real jerk, and even something of a bigot ...anything but the "class act" the media - and himself - believes he is.

Not the goody-two shoes I thought he was
Who knew that Wayne's so opinionated? In that respect, this book was a real surprise. I thought I was getting the usual sports bio, "We went into game 5 tired and spent, yada yada yada..." While Wayne does include things like that, he does provide insight on what it feels like to be a highly recognizable person. Most celebrities are too egotistical to admit to feelings of lonliness at the top, for instance. Wayne admits these feelings, yet also enjoys his moments. I also liked how he pulled no punches when it came to his feelings about Peter Pocklington. You'll want to get into a hot shower and scrub yourself red, after reading the chapters on The Trade. He also occasionally decries The Supreme Lord Sather. Nice to see someone in the game not worship at the altar once in a while, isn't it? Yet he's still the greatest ambassador hockey has had. This book is better than Kevin Lowe's gloss-job, I'll tell ya that.

it was an exelent book all of the quots were great
I loved the quotes. once I started to read it i could not stop. I could not belive I read a book that was that long. Wayne Gretzky is the greatest man who ever lived. It is amasing when you think about it how many peaople try to idolise him. go into a hockey rink and look to see how many people actally do idolise him. And it is all because his jursey was too big for him when he was playng with the 17 year olds. My favorite part was when walter Gretzky quotes "I did not build a rink to watch my son grow up to be a pro I did it so I could watch from the kitchen where it is worm"

This was a great book!!
I thought that this was a great book. It tells about his first ten years in the NHL and how he broke tons of records. If you are wanting to learn more about Wayne Gretzky I would recommend reading this book. I just picked up this book the other day when he retired just to see how great of a hockey player he was and forever will be. I especially enjoyed this book from a hockey players view since I have played hockey for nine years and enjoy this sport verry much. So if you want to read a great book by a great hockey player read this book.

Great Reading Material
I thought it was a great book. I read it when I was in middle school and as soon as I picked it up I couldn't put it down. It had a lot of information and it was really interesting to see just how good he really was when he was little. ... Read more

Book Description

The making of The Great One. An informative biography of the legend of Wayne Gretzky told by Mark Messier, Brett Hull, Walter Gretzky, Gordie Howe, and others. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

If you love Gretzky, you'll love this book/ fantastic photos
An easy to read and interesting account of Gretzky's career. He is truly a hero and this book really tries to capture his spirit. This book is appropriate for hockey lovers of all ages - I bought it for my 11 year old son and found myself enjoying it immensely. The photos are fantastic and there are many of them. This book is great for any hockey player or coach and ours is kept on our coffee table. ... Read more

Book Description

Total Gretzky provides fans with a wonderful and lasting tribute to the greatest hockey player of all time. This gorgeous, full-colour book based on The Hockey News’ commemorative magazine The Great One, but adding much, much more, gives readers the total picture. It features over 130 glorious, stunning photographs, almost exclusively in colour. It includes a moving tribute by celebrated hockey author Roy MacGregor, a foreword by Gretzky fan and friend Peter Gzowski, and fascinating and revealing articles by former NHL players and acclaimed Hockey News editors and writers.

And Total Gretzky features something truly unique: the most exhaustive look at Gretzky’s career, in numbers, ever compiled. In addition to career totals and records held, Total Gretzky lists every game, year by year, in which Gretzky ever played in the NHL, in the WHA, in junior, on Team Canada, and in all-star games, with a running total of goals, assists and points accumulated for each stage of his remarkable career. Milestone games and records are highlighted, and Gretzky’s amazing achievements are set against those of other hockey immortals.

Total Gretzky is a dazzling and complete testament to Wayne Gretzky, a book that no hockey fan should be without.
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Reviews (1)

An unforgettable champion
A champion is a lot of things for a fan, or just for anyone who claims to know him... He is mostly a great sign of ability,virtue, coherence, but what happens when a champion isn't simply the best athlete in his sport, but also an excellent prove of how to live a life? ... Read more

Book Description

The inspiring story of an ordinary man who, from humble beginnings and against the odds of a devastating illness, has led—is leading—an extraordinary life.

To many people, Walter Gretzky is the ultimate dad, the father of the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, and the first inspired coach to a talented young boy. Walter’s major insight into hockey—that a player should “go where the puck is going”—guided Wayne’s brilliant style, and Wayne himself has said about his talent: “It’s God-given. It’s Wally-given.” It’s safe to say that no other famous hockey player’s father is held in such high esteem, and that Walter Gretzky has carved out this singular niche in his own right.

Now, for the first time, Walter tells at length the story of his life, about growing up on a small family farm, about meeting and marrying Phyllis, about raising four boys and a girl in a modest home in Brantford on the salary of a telephone repairman, about hanging onto his modesty and values when the comet of talent and celebrity hit.

Walter also talks about the process of recovering from a stroke that came close to killing him ten years ago. Through his own grit and determination, and with the help of dedicated therapists and doctors, his family and friends, Walter battled back from an aneurysm that left him with many cognitive difficulties and destroyed a decade of memories—including his recollection of the death of his mother and almost all of Wayne’s NHL triumphs of the eighties.

As many of the people who have encountered Walter even briefly will testify, he is very charismatic, and it’s his extraordinary compassion, which has flourished since his stroke, that makes him so compelling. Yes, he struggles with some limitations, but he has also discovered a calling in helping others. All of his many public speaking engagements are for charity, and this book would not exist were it not for Walter’s role as the official spokesperson for Canada’s Heart and Stroke Foundation. The only way he would ever agree to talk about himself at such length was in the hope that his experience with stroke would be useful to other people. “Every second of every day is important to me,” he writes, “and I only hope that if telling my story can help even one person, then all of this will be worth it. And remember, there is life after stroke…look at me!” ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Children's Digest, published by Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society, Inc. on October 1, 1994. The length of the article is 2493 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Wayne Gretzky.(Los Angeles Kings hockey player)
Author: Judith P. Josephson
Publication: Children's Digest (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 1994
Publisher: Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society, Inc.
Volume: v44Issue: n415Page: p32(5)

Article Type: Biography

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Book Description

Wayne Gretzky is one of the finest athletes of all time. Both hero and superstar to fellow athletes and fans alike, this extraordinary hockey player embodies the qualities of true sportsmanship-on and off the ice. Gerald Redmond documents the life and career of this outstanding player, from his peewee league years in smalltown Ontario to his NHL stardom-and everything in between. The thrill of being Stanley Cup Champion. The "Royal Wedding" between Gretzky and Janet Jones. The controversy surrounding his big trade from the Edmonton Oilers to the L.A. Kings. Life in Los Angeles. And more. Follow the life of this remarkable athlete. Wayne Gretzky-the Great One. ... Read more

Book Description

Wayne Gretzky was the greatest hockey player who ever lived, and from the moment he stepped onto the ice, no offensive record was safe. No other player ever netted even one 200-point season: Gretzky did it four times! On April 18, 1999, this unequaled star of the rink retired. Take stock of everything he accomplished with this photo-filled, trivia-packed guide that will drive hockey fans wild! Think you know everything about Gretzky's life, stats, and triumphs?Prove it by answering multiple-choice questions, tackling crosswords, solving mix-and-matches, and more. It will keep lovers of the game scratching their heads, searching their memories, and reliving Gretzky's finest moments!128 pages, 5 1/2 x 8 1/2.
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