It’s February 24th 1982 and you are standing in the stadium watching the Edmonton Oilers take on the Buffalo Sabers. The score is 5-3 for Edmonton. Player number 99 has control of the puck and is headed straight for the opposing teams net. Everybody in the stands is on the edge of their seat because they know what is going to happen next. Then everyone goes wild. “AND HE SCORES”. Wayne Gretzky has just beat the all-time record for goals scored in a single season (77), previously held by Phil Esposito (76) (The Great One 1). Gretzky has done it again, he has amazed everyone in the hockey world with his amazing abilities. If you were to ask any one person “Who is Wayne Gretzky?” they would give you one of the two following statements: “who is …show more content…
He was born on January 26th, 1961 in Brantford Ontario. He was born right after the cut-off date. He was raised in a family to which you could describe as a ‘normal’ Canadian family. Like most children in Canada, they are taught to skate before they are taught to walk. Gretzky’s parents had bought a house with a large, flat backyard, specifically to be able to build a rink on it. He was in his first pair of skates at the age of two, and by the age of six his father (Walter Gretzky) was coaching him and three of his other siblings on the slab of ice they had in their backyard. They would always be out on the ice practicing their skating, shooting and stick handling. Gretzky said, “All I wanted to do in the winters was be on the ice. I'd get up in the morning, skate from 7:00 to 8:30, go to school, come home at 3:30, stay on the ice until my mom insisted I come in for dinner, eat in my skates, then go back out". He was skating for hours on end in his backyard and he was also playing on hockey teams in his city. When Gretzky was noticed by the scouts of the better teams he began to play with children much older than him. He became a better player by practicing with players with more advanced skills. Every year he progressively got better and better than the kids on his team. He continued to move up in the leagues and he continued to dominate everyone on the
Sometimes you just have to watch the movie. Some people were not even alive, some forget, some just do not know the story of the Olympic hockey glory experienced by everyone in the U.S. in 1980. You did not have to be a fan of hockey on that faithful day when the U.S.S.R. and the United States played that extraordinary game. One man’s vision and leadership brought one nation to its feet. Herb Brooks was the head coach of the 1980 U.S. men’s hockey team. In this brief report I will discuss the man, his visionary and ethical leadership, and his success.
Since the United States isn’t very powerful in the field of hockey, this event is merely celebrated throughout the country. If the tiniest things hadn’t of went our way, the ending would be a completely different story. The best call was deciding to put in Mark Johnson in the end of the first quarter. Not only did he play incredibly, but he scored the goal to tie the game at three to three. The coach of this team is Herb
Wayne Gretzky Not many people can argue that Wayne Gretzky dominated the game every time he stepped on the ice. No player is rewarded the name, "The Great One", for no reason, and he has proven that since his first year in the NHL. Wayne Gretzky is by far, the greatest Canadian hockey player of all time. He holds the record for the most goals, assists, and overall points for both the regular season and the playoffs; he has won over 20 trophies throughout his career, and within his team(s) brought home four Stanley Cup wins, and three Canadian Cup championships.
Did you know that Wayne Gretzky holds more records than any other hockey player that is currently playing or has played?? According to Gretzky, Wayne started playing hockey at just six years of age. Biography.com states that Gretzky was ready to play in the NHL but his age created a problem in the beginning. Gretzky confirms that Gretzky holds the most records compared to any other player and had many capabilities on the ice. Gretzky states that Wayne has won many awards throughout his career, some he has won multiple times, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame after retirement. According to Biography he couldn’t stay away from the sport, he became a coach and part owner of a team. Biography states that Gretzky now has a restaurant and winery, along with information from Gretzky saying he has a youth camo and a foundation. Wayne Gretzky was an impressive hockey player that has
Shortly after he retired, he was named the Executive Director for Canada’s Men’s Olympic Hockey team. Gretzky used his great leadership skills to help guide the team to winning Gold Medals in 2002 after a 50 year drought. It is easy to see that Gretzky’s presence helped end the streak and earn Canada a medal. While Gretzky had acquired his position with the Canadian team, he also took a position for the N.H.L.’s Phoenix Coyotes. He first bought part of the Coyotes before eventually becoming the team’s head coach in 2005.
-Winter Olympics: When USA Hockey Team Beat Soviets in 1980, We Knew It Would Last
The most memorable moment in hockey history came thirty-four years ago with the 1980 Miracle on Ice. The Americans defeating the dominant Soviet team at the Olympics was not only an important triumph for USA Hockey, but for the entire nation. Contrary to popular belief, the underdog win was not only the result of a miracle; it was also the result of a hard-working team led by Coach Herb Brooks. With increasingly negative views on the position of the United States in the Cold War, the Miracle on Ice and the gold medal win lifted the spirits of the nation and brought hockey into the American spotlight.
One minute and fifteen seconds into the second overtime. Game seven. Scoreless. The puck is grabbed by the Red Wings left defenseman, he feeds it over across the ice. Gretzky stabs at it deflects it wide. Steve Yzerman grabs it, he skates past the Blues right-winger. He brings it past the the Blues’ blue line and Winds up for a slap shot. He fires. It is a laser beam of a shot. The puck flies in the top right corner of the net, bar down. John Casey has no time to react. The Red Wings have won. Steve Yzerman is the hero. Perhaps one of his most famous goals in his career, Steve Yzerman lead the struggling Red Wings to success. The longest serving captain in the NHL, “Stevie Y” earned his way to the top with his work ethic and leadership. The game of hockey was changed forever by the imprint that Steve Yzerman left on the game. He used his determination, love of the game, and natural leadership to impact hockey for the better.
“The NHL (national hockey league) is not in the business of comforting people, they’re in the business of entertainment, and if fighting represents a way to differentiate themselves from an entertainment stand point, then fighting isn’t going anywhere” In the 2014-15 season 1,230 games were played, and out of those games 391 fights were in action. 29.91% of games had fights, 45 games had more than one fight. Taking fighting out of the game of hockey is too big of a risk. I think the fans will be disappointed and the entertainment level will go way down. In my paper I’m going to write about why fighting in hockey should stay and why people think it should also.
Winters in the village of Ste. Justine were long. That time on school, church, and the hockey rink, and every boy’s hero was Montreal Canadians hockey legend Maurice Richard. Everyone wore Richard’s number 9 to honor him. They laced their skates like Richard. They even wore their hair like Richard.
The defining moment of the importance of hockey in Canada was “The Goal of the Century” in 1972. It was the evening of September 28th; the site was Moscow – U.S.S.R. In the midst of the Cold War, a game-winning goal by Canadian hockey player Paul Henderson at the end of the third period with only 34 seconds left on the clock vaulted Canada to a victory at the Summit Series and put them on top of the hockey world. The heart and character of Canadian hockey internationally began. “The exact moment of that spectacular goal has become a reference point in our national collective consciousness.”- R. Eagleson (Foreword). It was the climatic goal watched by almost every Canadian, and their pride swelled to amazing heights. Hockey is more than just a game in Canada, it is a celebrated history. Hockey is Canada’s identity. “Hockey captures the essence of Canadian experience in the New World. In a land so inescapably and inho...
In 2017 the great country of Canada is celebrating its 150th anniversary. Through its 150 years, Canada has stamped its mark on history with innovation, progressivism, and remarkable talent. Considering this, It can be said that Canada has had a very rich history, however this rich history cannot be attributed to the Country as a whole but rather the remarkable individuals that helped shape Canadian history. There have been many of these extraordinary Canadian individuals however, three in particular standout. These individuals include Sir Alexander Graham Bell, Wayne Gretzky, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Hundreds of people knew about Wayne Gretzky as he was growing up. He was born January 26, 1961, in Brantford, Ontario. His family included his mom, Phyllis, his dad, Walter, and his brothers and sisters: Kim, Keith, Glen, and Brent. As a child, he was a great hockey player that was the frosting on the cupcake. In other words, he was on the top of leaderboards. Most kids and parents called him “Hot Dog” because he wore white gloves. As a teen, he had a national article written about him and Canadian television had a 30 minute show all about him. He didn’t go to college. Instead, he went immediately into Ameatur Hockey League(AHL). As Wayne Gretzky was
The "G.O.A.T.", is coming used term in the sports world meaning, The Greatest of All Time. In the National Basketball Association, when you mention the term, the "G.O.A.T., everyone assumes of one name and one name only, Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan was an innovator of the basketball work and influenced many different people and players that inputted & mimicked Jordan’s style of play and implicated it into their own game. In today's generation, there are several players that many average day people would consider these players on the road to becoming a Jordan type of player, potential or maybe even greater; players that may be able on road to sharing a Michael Jordan type of legacy includes Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and LeBron James.
He explained how they need the support of the fans as the players are doing their best and giving their all. This public announcement changed the hearts of many Canadians as 3,000 loyal Canadian supporters went to Moscow to watch the games at the Luzhniki Sports Palace and the rest of Canada watched the games on the television. In addition, the last 34 seconds of the eighth game, Russia verse Canada was a huge event that millions of people watched. It was evident that this was a huge deal as many people did not show up to work that day and gymnasiums were transformed into large cinemas to watch the game. This shows how important hockey was as everyone was watching the game. This announcement and game changed the way hockey was perceived as it was now something that all Canadians can come together in unity and bond over. Overall, hockey in Canada had adjusted to the needs that society was facing during that time periods ranging from the lack of masculinity, to military need, to political views, and unity in the