It was the year 1977. The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, was still in the early days of his hockey career and was striving to make a mark. That year, he left his hometown of Brantford and traveled to Sault Ste. Marie to play for the Greyhounds. Although initial concerns arose of being far away from his hometown, Gretzky’s move there proved to be the turning point of his career. He went on to win the Ontario Hockey League rookie of the year award, scoring 70 goals and 112 assists in the season. Almost 48 years after that career-changing season, Gretzky shared a heartbreaking note on social media.
Northern Michigan has been ravaged by an ice storm, and a thick coating of ice has engulfed roughly the entire top third of the Lower Peninsula. This includes Sault Ste. Marie, Gretzky’s old stomping ground. It was the backdrop to one of the most memorable years of his illustrious hockey career and has unfortunately been reeling from the havoc wreaked by the storm.
As a result, Gretzky took to his official Instagram handle and shared a heartbreaking message. Sharing an old picture of himself playing for the Greyhounds, Gretzky wrote on his Instagram story, “Sault Ste. Marie, Took care of me at 16. Will never forget you RIP.” It was an important place in Gretzky’s career, and it’s no doubt been difficult to see it hit so hard by the ice storm.
Further, the ice storm has made travel on the roads difficult, with the closure of the Mackinac Bridge, toppled broadcast towers, caused power cuts for hundreds of people, and has forced state parks to close their gates indefinitely. Moreover, the region is also low on gasoline, and there were long queues for fuel.
Although Wayne Gretzky spent just a solitary season playing for the Greyhounds at Sault Ste. Marie, he left a deep impact on the club’s ecosystem. He remains the most admired player to have worn their jersey, and the Greyhounds even retired his ’99’ sweater in 1994. Even the club’s head scout, Fred Litzen, was all praise of the Great One.
Wayne Gretzky’s talent was not just in his hands but his head
Litzen has been a long-time scout for Sault Ste. Marie and brought in several exciting players in the four decades he spent there. However, Wayne Gretzky’s talent stood apart for him, and he couldn’t stop heaping praise on the Great One.
During an interview, Litzen said, “He’s the smartest kid I’ve ever seen. Oh God, he’s got terrific reflexes.” While his smartness outfoxed opponents during the games, his laser-sharp reflexes made him one of the highest scorers in the NHL, with only Alex Ovechkin in front of him.
The Capitals star broke Gretzky’s record of the most NHL goals earlier this month. Subsequently, Wayne Gretzky revealed, “It was my honor to hold the National Hockey League goals record for the last three decades. I now am delighted to pass that honor to a man who truly was born to put the puck in the net and who has played our game with remarkable passion and power.”
With Northern Michigan engulfed in ice, it remains to be seen when the situation will normalize. With the cleanup anticipated to take weeks, not only hockey fans but the entire country’s thoughts are with the state.
The post “RIP”: Wayne Gretzky Left Heartbroken Over Watching 48-Year-Old Memory Being Destroyed in Michigan Ice Storm appeared first on EssentiallySports.