However, in an era when Wayne Gretzky was scoring 200 points a season, Federko never got the attention many felt he deserved.

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.

In addition to being its greatest scorer, Gretzky was the most gentlemanly superstar in the modern history of the NHL.

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.

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.

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.

According to Martin, " Wayne was so good that you could have a boy of your own who was a tremendous hockey player, and he'd get overlooked because of what the Gretzky kid was doing.

When Gretzky was 14, his family arranged for him to move to and play hockey in Toronto, partly to further his career, and partly to remove him from the uncomfortable pressure he faced in his hometown.

Birmingham Bulls owner John F. Bassett wanted to confront the NHL by signing as many young and promising superstars as possible and saw Gretzky as the most promising young prospect, but it was Racers owner Nelson Skalbania who signed 17-year-old Gretzky to a seven-year personal services contract worth $ 1. 75 million US.

Skalbania opted to have Gretzky sign a personal-services contract rather than a standard player contract in part because he knew a deal to take some WHA teams into the NHL was in the works.

On the advice of his agent, Gretzky picked Edmonton, but the move was not that simple.

In his first NHL season, 1979 – 80, Gretzky was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the League's Most Valuable Player ( the first of eight in a row ) and tied for the scoring lead with Marcel Dionne with 137 points.

Although Gretzky played 79 games to Dionne's 80, Dionne was awarded the Art Ross Trophy since he scored more goals ( 53 vs. 51 ).

Gretzky became the youngest player to score 50 goals but was not eligible for the Calder Memorial Trophy, given to the top NHL rookie, because of his previous year of WHA experience.

Gretzky was its captain from 1983 – 88.

Gretzky was named an officer of the Order of Canada on June 25, 1984, for outstanding contribution to the sport of hockey.

According to Walter, Gretzky was being " shopped " to Los Angeles, Detroit, New York and Vancouver.

Gretzky himself was considered a " traitor " by some Canadians for turning his back on his adopted hometown, and his home country ; his motivation was widely rumoured to be the furtherance of his wife's acting career.

" After the 1988 – 89 season, a life-sized bronze statue of Gretzky was erected outside the Northlands Coliseum, holding the Stanley Cup over his head ( picture shown above, to the right ).

Gretzky was sidelined for much of the 1992 – 93 regular season with an upper back injury, the only year in which he did not lead his team in scoring.

That year, Gretzky became the first hockey player and first Canadian to be named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.

The Canadian Press also named Gretzky Newsmaker of the Year in 1982.

The Kings named Gretzky their alternate captain.

Gretzky was immediately named the team's captain.

For the first time in his NHL career, Gretzky was not named captain, although he briefly wore the captain's ' C ' in 1998 when captain Brian Leetch was injured and out of the lineup.

Following the contest, instead of the usual three stars announcement, Gretzky was named as all three stars.

Orr is behind only Wayne Gretzky and ahead of Gordie Howe as well as being named the top defenceman of all time.

In the fall of 1978, Skalbania offered Pocklington the rights to a 17-year-old phenom named Wayne Gretzky.

In 2000 was named along with longtime linemate Gretzky to the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame.

He was named to the starting lineup for the All-Star Game and was the league's leading goal scorer at that point, two ahead of Gretzky.

He was named to the team by executive director Wayne Gretzky as he looked to bring a younger team to this tournament than played at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

In 1989 – 90, he was named the captain of the Canadiens, and led them to another Stanley Cup win in 1992 – 93 against Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings.

Eric Lindros was named captain over longtime leaders such as Wayne Gretzky, Steve Yzerman, and Ray Bourque ( Clarke at the time was general manager of Lindros's NHL team, the Philadelphia Flyers ).

It is named in honour of Wayne Gretzky.

, Gardiner remains the second-oldest player to ever win the award, after Eddie Shore and along with Wayne Gretzky is one of only two players to be named most valuable in their first year in the league.

Gretzky did not attend the Coyotes ' training camp, leaving associate head coach Ulf Samuelsson in charge, due to an uncertain contractual status with the club, whose bankruptcy hearings were continuing.

Bidders for the club had indicated that Gretzky would no longer be associated with the team after it emerged from bankruptcy, and on September 24, 2009, Gretzky stepped down as head coach and head of hockey operations of the Coyotes.

McNall, Gretzky and John Candy sold the club to TSN Enterprises.

Messier left the club at the conclusion of the season ( see below ), ending the brief reunion of Messier and Gretzky being together again on the same team after just one season.

His uniform number # 77 has been retired by both the Bruins and the Avalanche ; he is one of only six players ( Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, and Patrick Roy ) whose jersey has been retired by more than one club.

With the 2004-05 NHL lockout cancelling the season, Bowness returned to the club in 2005-06 as an assistant under new head coach Wayne Gretzky.

Crosby's 135 points for the club set a new record for a 16-year-old in the QMJHL and was second only to Wayne Gretzky in that particular age-group for all Canadian Hockey.