Wayne Gretzky truly is the great one, both on the ice and as a person. Hockey couldn’t ask for a better ambassador than Gretzky, and few superstar athletes have ever been so kind like Gretz.
Gretzky is the leading goal scorer, assist producer, and point scorer in league history, and many of his incredible records will probably be unbeaten forever. Gretzky wasn’t just the greatest ever; he was amazing as a teammate and an incredible asset in the locker room.
There are so many stories about Gretzky off the ice during the years, about his jokes, pranks, and different kinds of shenanigans.
Many of them take place on the golf course. Gretzky has always loved golfing, and there’s something special about athletes coming together for several hours out on the course, and there’s usually hilarious stuff happening.
When guesting a Sports Central podcast, legendary sportscaster Jim Hill shared an awesome story about a Wayne Gretzky prank on the golf course, and it’s impossible not to like it.
”Wayne lived in Calabasas, okay, he lived out on the golf course out there. His backyard would face a par-5, the fifth hole,” Hill said.
”When Wayne played golf with guys, he would get to the fifth hole. A par 5 is like 570 yards, but Wayne would say, ’I bet you I can get home in two.’”
The players whom Wayne played with would say stuff like he was ’crazy,’ and that there was no possibility he could get home—which in golf is a term for making it up to green—in just two shots.
”He said, ’I bet you I can get my ball home in two.’ Everyone started pulling up their money.
”Wayne tees off, about 260 yards, and everyone tees off. His house is up right there where the ball landed. You know what happened? He turned around, hit a pitching wedge into his back yard, and said, ’I’m home fellas. In two. Pay me my money.’”
READ MORE: Incredible footage of 16-year-old Wayne Gretzky dominating the WJC is sure to give you goosebumps
