The world of hockey will never forget April 18, 1999. It was the day Wayne Gretzky said his final goodbye to hockey, and the day the greatest player of all time played his final game.
The New York Rangers played against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and it wasn’t just an ordinary regular-season game. It was the legend of all legends saying goodbye, and there weren’t many hockey fans who missed it.
Madison Square Garden was packed, and everyone in the arena stood up during the pre-season ceremony, chanting his name.
The crowd featured some very unordinary names as well. Celebrities like Jerry Springer, Phil Esposito, and Christopher Reeve were there, and so were, fittingly, Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr, two of hockey’s all-time greats. Although it was two American teams playing, Bryan Adams was there to sing the Canadian national anthem and fittingly changed the words to, “We’re gonna miss you, Wayne Gretzky.”
Wayne Gretzky announced retirement late
Gretzky, with 894 goals to his name, was 38 years old. He drove to the game with his dad who, Gretzky revealed years later, tried to convince him to give it another season; that Wayne still had it in him. But his decision was final.
The announcement of his career ending had happened just two days earlier. Friends, family, and perhaps teammates knew about it, but formally, it wasn’t officially happening until just two days prior to that day, to that game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
When Wayne played against the Ottawa Senators three nights earlier, on April 15, in what would be his final game in Canada, fans saw it coming. And days later, he officially announced it.
But why did he wait so long?
Reason behind Gretzky’s decision
The reason says absolutely everything about his greatness, his love for the sport, and how much he cared about his team.
“He didn’t want it to be a gong show for 82 games: Wayne’s last season, last time he’s in New Jersey, last time he’s in wherever,” said Mike Richter, who started the game in net for the Rangers, to The Sporting News.
“He had that understanding of his place in the game and how that would be a distraction to the league and to our own franchise trying to play games.
“But at the same time, he also knew enough not to just decide to mail it in from a golf course in August saying ‘I’m not coming back next year.’ He was too important.”
Wayne Gretzky: Truly one of a kind!
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