NHL HALL
OF FAME
Wayne
Gretzky is known as one of hockey's all-time great players. He is commonly
referred to as "The Great One". On Monday, November 22, 1999, he was
inducted into the National Hockey League's Hall of Fame.
Normally
a NHL hockey player has to wait three years after retiring to be eligible
to enter the NHL Hall of Fame. Wayne Gretzky has been retired only seven
months. The Hall has decided to waive this normal three-year waiting
period for Gretzky. The Hall has waived this three-year waiting period
only ten times over the years.
Wayne Gretzky
is 38 years old and holds 61 NHL records. He played on a Stanley Cup
winning hockey team four times during his career. The Stanley Cup is
the "World Series" of hockey. The team who wins the Stanley Cup each
year is known as the best hockey team of the season.
There was
a huge celebration to honor Gretzky's induction into the Hall of Fame.
The Hall set up its largest-ever exhibit that is a 2,300 square foot
showcase that has many items from Gretzky's past on display. For example,
his first set of ice skates that he wore when he was two years old are
there and so is the net that stopped his record 802nd goal.
Gretzky
has many endorsement deals that will carry him over to the next phase
in his life. Please read on in our "Fun Facts" section for some career
highlights on this unbelievable hockey player, Wayne Gretzky.
