Prior to World War I, Gretzky's paternal grandfather Anton ( Tony ) Gretzky immigrated along with his family to Canada via the United States from the Russian Empire ( what is now Grodno, Belarus ).

Gretzky's ancestry is typically described as English on his mother's side and either Belarusian, Ukrainian, or Polish on his father's side.

Gretzky's jersey number 99 is only the second number ever to be retired league-wide by a major North American sports league, the other being Jackie Robinson's number 42, which was retired by Major League Baseball in 1997.

He finished as the NHL's seventh all-time scorer ( 1, 723 ), eighth in goals ( 690 ) and tenth in assists ( 1, 033 ), but also with the second highest career points per game average ( 1. 88 ), which is second to Wayne Gretzky's 1. 92.

Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey is a video game developed by Atari Games and released for the arcade in 1996.

He is also the goalie who ended Wayne Gretzky's 51-game point streak in 1983 – 84.

Prior to World War I, Gretzky's father Anton ( Tony ) Gretzky immigrated along with his family to Canada via the United States from the Russian Empire ( what is now Grodno, Belarus ).

Gretzky's ancestry is typically described as either Belarusian, Ukrainian, or Polish.

He is remembered as a gifted playmaker, with one of his favorite spots, on the outside of the left faceoff circle in the offensive zone, being called " Metro's office " by TV commentators and fans, in honor of Wayne Gretzky's " office " behind the goal.

This jersey was also a basis for the uniforms worn by Wayne Gretzky's team of NHLPA All-Stars, nicknamed the " 99ers ", for their exhibition tour in Europe during the 1994 – 95 NHL lockout ; a picture of Gretzky in this jersey was used for the cover art of a video game bearing his name.

Despite his unimpressive stature, strength and speed, Gretzky's intelligence and reading of the game were unrivaled.

Gretzky also became known for setting up behind his opponent's net, an area that was nicknamed " Gretzky's office " because of his adept skills in that area.

In interviews, Gretzky's father Walter has stated that his parents ' ethnicity was Belarusian, while on other occasions he has mentioned his family's Polish ancestry.

Gretzky's first team, at age six, was a team of ten-year-olds, starting a pattern where Gretzky always played at a level far above his peers through his minor hockey years.

One of the highlights of Gretzky's season was his appearance in the 1979 WHA All-Star Game.

On Gretzky's 18th birthday, January 26, 1979, Pocklington signed him to a 10-year personal services contract ( the longest in hockey history at the time ) worth C $ 3 million, with options for 10 more years.

It was Gretzky's only year in the WHA, as the league folded following the season.

Gretzky's success in the WHA carried over into the NHL, despite some critics suggesting he would flounder in what was considered the bigger, tougher, and more talented league.

In Gretzky's first appearance in Edmonton after the trade — a game that was nationally televised in Canada — he received a four-minute standing ovation.

Gretzky's first season in Los Angeles saw a marked increase in attendance and fan interest in a city not previously known for following hockey.

Many credit Gretzky's arrival with putting non-traditional U. S. hockey markets on " the NHL map "; not only did California receive two more NHL franchises ( the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and San Jose Sharks ) during Gretzky's tenure in L. A., but his popularity in Southern California proved to be an impetus in the league establishing teams in other parts of the U. S. Sun Belt.

Tony and Mary owned a cucumber farm in Canning, Ontario where Walter Gretzky was born and raised and where he met Wayne's mother, Phyllis Hockin.

Seeing Phyllis, he finally explains to her that his mother is a fairy, which accounts for a good many things!

Nancy was reluctant, so he told her the move had been her mother ’ s wish and would also be good for Nancy's younger sister, Phyllis.

Astaire was married for the first time in 1933, to the 25-year-old Phyllis Potter ( née Phyllis Livingston Baker ; born 1908, died September 13, 1954 ), a Boston-born New York socialite and former wife of Eliphalet Nott Potter III ( 1906 – 1981 ), after pursuing her ardently for roughly two years, and despite the objections of his mother and sister.

* William Patrick Stuart-Houston ( born William Patrick Hitler ), Adolf Hitler's nephew, his mother, Bridget, his wife, Phyllis, and his four sons, Alexander, Louis, Howard and Brian.

The single " Here Come Those Tears Again " was credited as co-written with Nancy Farnsworth, Phyllis Major's mother.

The name " Shuggie " ( short for " sugar ", according to his mother ) was coined by Phyllis when he was a newborn.

Phyllis Coates played the part of Lois Lane's mother, in a 1993 episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, at the suggestion of Lois & Clark guest star ( and George Reeves biographer ) Jim Beaver.

While Phyllis is fond of saying in interviews that she and her sisters did not know any popular songs when they became famous ( only the church hymns taught them by their minister mother ), the trio often imitated other singing groups long before their success.

His mother, Phyllis, was a full-time teacher who was frequently involved with community events.

Phyllis George, who is a former Miss Texas and Miss America pageant winner and has appeared on numerous television programs as a guest and a host, made her acting debut as Linda Banks, Larry's wife and Bob's mother.

Phyllis Harris was last reported living in St. Louis ( she had been with her mother at her father's bedside when he died ), while Alice Harris Regan was reported living in New Orleans.

Robert Chambers was raised by his mother, Phyllis ( née Shanley ), a nurse who emigrated from County Leitrim in Ireland to New York City.

He had known Chambers and his mother because Phyllis Chambers had been employed as a nurse by Cardinal Terence Cooke.

Her parents, a psychiatrist father, Julian Janowitz, and literature professor mother, Phyllis Janowitz, divorced when she was ten.

Her mother, Phyllis Kagan, is a breast cancer survivor who has appeared on CNN discussing the disease.

It was revealed that San Francisco was Phyllis and Lars ' original hometown, prior to their moving to Minneapolis, and that his mother and stepfather still resided there.

Being left penniless after the death of her husband Lars, Phyllis and her daughter Bess ( Lisa Gerritsen ) move in with Lars ' mother, the scatterbrained Audrey Dexter ( Jane Rose ), and stepfather, Judge Jonathan Dexter ( Henry Jones ).

He returned with his mother Phyllis ( b. 1913 ) to England, where he was raised in a humanist environment with his younger brother David in Watford, a suburb of London.

Sherwood comes from a musical family which includes his father Bobby Sherwood, who was an actor, musician, and big band leader, his mother Phyllis, a singer and drummer, and brother Michael, a keyboardist and singer.

* Phyllis, mother of the Trojan Alcaeus

Despite her unorthodox ways, Phyllis demonstrates an unwavering commitment to the girls ' well-being, acting as a surrogate mother and friend to many of the girls who are neglected by their own wealthy parents.

* Jenny Lewis as Hannah Nefler, Phyllis and Freddy's daughter who just wants her mother to lead like a normal troop leader.