Why I will always like Gretzky

I have some friends who don't like Wayne Gretzky. Some say he's a whiner, not that great or that he's an Edmonton hero, which can't be a good thing.

To those people I say a strong: whatever.

Wayne Gretzky plays an interesting role in the Canadian mythos. He's practically univerally known as a hockey player, coach, manager and advocate. There are movies about his family and many a documentary. He's likeable and when bad things happen around him, he seems to inspire sympathy rather than frustration in people. Many people, hockey fans or not, have some image of him in their mind whether it's him being intense behind the bench in Arizona, jumping up after Canada won the 2002 Winter Olympics, or hoisting the Stanley Cup.

And then there's people from Edmonton. In the 1980's, there was this team called the Edmonton Oilers. They'd been around for a while, but it wasn't until a young Wayne Gretzky joined the Oilers (along with other famous names like Coffey, Kurri, Messier, MacTavish, Lowe, etc) that the team became part of hockey history. There were Stanley Cups won and a city rallying behind them.

I remember going to visit my grandparents and Grandpa would be watching the Oilers play (TV on, sound off, radio on). His enthusiasm for the game was infectious and it was hard not to catch the excitement. The Oilers was his team and there is still memorabilia around the house from those years.

So, there you have the history... now here's the more recent story. Rather than tell you myself, let me just reprint the letter I sent to in October 2005:

Dear Mr. Gretzky:

Thank you so much for signing a $100 bill for my grandfather. His name is Dean Randle and he lives in Edmonton, although he now spends a third of the year in Yuma, AZ.

The reason I’ve made this request for your signature is because I’m trying to replace something that was stolen from my grandfather six years ago. He is not a collector of memorabilia but simply a die-hard hockey fan (of all teams, but he has a soft spot for the Edmonton Oilers, of course). He was an Oiler season ticket holder for almost all my youth until the ticket prices became too high. Over 20 years ago he was stricken with a disease that put him on long-term disability and, to spend his time, he became a solid fan of the Oilers while you were part of the team. He proudly tells stories about how he went to so many practices that he began to be recognized by some of the players. The Stanley Cups the Oilers won then are a part of that pride.

In the late 1990's, you were in Edmonton for a charity golf tournament which my uncle (my grandfather's son) also attended. As my uncle's story goes, he asked you to sign a $100 bill for my grandfather (because that was all he had in his pocket). It was my grandfather's birthday present that year, and it became a prized possession that he kept in a special frame. He would show it off to everyone who visited his home.

In the winter of 2000, while I was staying at my grandparent's home in Edmonton attending university, their house was burglarized. Fortunately, very little was stolen (much of what my grandparents own has sentimental, not monetary, value). Unfortunately, one of the few things stolen was that signed $100 (the burglars even broke the frame to get at it).

It is one of those things that insurance can't replace and its loss was a real disappointment for my grandfather (he still brings it up even though it is almost six years since it was stolen). Therefore it means a lot to me to be able to give him another $100 bill with your signature on it.

Again, thank you so much for your generosity in signing this $100 bill. I will frame it and give it to my grandfather for his 71^st birthday this February. I know he will be very excited to receive it.

Sincerely with best wishes,

Daorcey Le Bray

Prior to sending this, I sent an e-mail to the Board of Directors for the Phoenix Coyotes asking if Mr. Gretzky would be able to sign a bill for me. I guess that e-mail made an impression, because I got a call from Gretzky's agent in charge of merchandizing the next day. It's been a long time since a phone call has made me so ecstatic, but that day I was walking on air and telling anyone who would listen how I was going to get Gretzky's signature for my grandfather. Once the logistics were figured out (thanks to much help from mom and dad), the bill made it there and back.

In March, Grandma and Grandpa returned from their annual vacationing in Arizona (coincidence) and I gave the bill to Grandpa as soon as I could. I think he was pretty excited about it and I was really happy to give him such a present.
And that's why I'll always like Gretzky. He helped me give my Grandpa the coolest present ever.