Wayne Gretzky Accomplishments

Lance Armstrong is one of the best cyclist there is. He was in many races over the world. He has won many awards in many races. He also had many companies sponsoring him. But all that was taken away and his reputation was ruined when he was caught doping.

This selection convention is typical throughout the world and is how the best of the best eventually make their way into professional sports such as hockey, soccer, and the Olympics. The idea that a person’s individual merit is the sole reason behind his or her success is challenged. An interesting connection is realized in the birth month of star hockey players; it is discovered that more hockey players have birth months in January, February, and March than in any other month of the year. The reason is found in the January 1st cutoff date for acceptance into age classed hockey leagues. The advantage of being 9-11 months older than other players yields advantages that build upon themselves as players’ skills progress. Similar correlations were found in other types of sports and in academics. Hard work, consistency, and motivation were undoubtedly involved in the successes of those analyzed, however, attention is drawn to a very important notion; in order to find out what makes a person successful, you also need to know where they come from.

Wayne Gretzky skates down the ice with the puck, he fakes a shot, the goalie falls for it, Gretzky shoots, he scores! This is a common occurrence for Wayne Gretzky, a former NHL player who holds the record for most career regular-season goals (894), assists (1,963), points (2,857), and hat tricks (50). Most people would say Gretzky’s success all stems from his innate talent, but in “The Matthew Effect,” Gladwell argues that innate talent is not the only reason for success. He reveals there’s a much more surprising reason. In Gladwell’s chapter, “The Matthew Effect,” the controversial writer expertly asks rhetorical questions and uses charts and statistics to defend his claim that a person’s date of birth has a significant influence on their athletic and academic success.

1983, 89, and 99 NHL All Star games, giving him a grand total of 35

Both Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky have been very influential to the NHL and to the world. But which is more influential than the other. Gordie Howe grew up in a hard working family with little money. Growing up had had to battle through adversity on numerous occasions, including being cut from the first travel hockey team he tried out for. He went from not being good enough to make a kids team to arguably being the best player ever. Wayne Gretzky throughout his whole life was a talented hockey player. During his youth he would play with kids that were 4 years older than him because his own age was not enough competition. From when he was 4 to when he was 38, Wayne Gretzky was always the best hockey player on the ice. Although both are a large influence in the world, Gordie Howe was more influential than Wayne Gretzky.

He shoots he scores! The history of hockey has changed over time. There are many good players that wouldn't be as good if these changes wouldn't have changed.

In “Albert Pujols’ 3000th Hit Reminds Us Just How Brilliant He Was in His Prime” by Jon Tayler, the author describes Albert Pujols’ impressive baseball career. Pujols is one of the greatest hitters to every play the game, despite his recent batting slumps. The author outlines Pujols’ historic career by describing his early years, his later years, and his legacy.

In his career Wayne Gretzky could always find a way to score goals, get assist, and rack up points. He is still holds the record for scoring the most career goals of all time at eight hundred and ninety four goals. He also holds the record for the most career points at two thousand eight hundred and fifty seven points and for the most career assist at one thousand nine hundred and sixty three.

Wayne Gretzky wasn’t just one of the best hockey players of all time, he was also a hero to many around the world. He inspired many people by giving them the opportunity to play and learn about hockey and by being one of the best hockey players in the world, as well as a good role model. Gretzky even said the commonly known phrase “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” (Gretzky). Also, thousands of children around the world look up to him as their hero. He wasn’t as fast as some players but his skills are what made him better than others. As Wayne developed these skills, he became widely known as the greatest hockey player in the world. As he played in the NHL he played for 3 different teams.

He was compelled to quit school at the age of 16 and become a machinist just to be able to help his parents put a roof over the heads and food on the table for his 8 siblings. This taught him that you need to work hard and makes sacrifice if you are going to succeed in life. During his rookie season, Maurice only played in 16 games as he broke his ankle for the second time into his hockey career. There were already doubts about his hockey career in the media, the General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens stated that Maurice wouldn’t be able to survive the grind of the National Hockey League due to his prior medical history with broken bones. He was called a “Lemon and a waste of money”. Money was a commodity that you did not waste in the 1940 as people were just starting to recover from one of the worst economic disasters of the great depression. He thought his hockey career was over and that Montreal would just bench him and release him until his contract was over. In the following season, he was a healthy scratch for the first 4 games and his career was clearly in jeopardy. With a newborn daughter, he feared that he would not be able to put food on the table so he decided to show his determination and will. He stayed after practice for hours and worked until the coach decided that Maurice deserves to be on the ice due to his work ethic. Over his career, he showed management and surely the hockey world that he was not a “lemon”; as he would go on to play over 1100 games in the National Hockey league. All of these intangibles that are shown by the rocket off the ice, made him a perfect teammate and captain of the Montreal Canadiens. Former Teammate, Jean Beliveau once stated, “He embodies something which would rub off on many of his teammates. … Quite simply, Maurice Richard hated to lose with every fibre of his being.” Due to his determination and being Montreal Canadiens best

     Herb Brooks was born on August 5, 1937 in St. Paul Minnesota (Herb Brooks). Growing up in Minnesota, he became attached to the sport of ice hockey. He spent years practicing and playing this sport, and in 1955, he led his high school team to the

“Life is bitter sweet. Inside our heads, if we’re lucky we’re the same kids as we were when we were younger ” (azquotes.com). Hugh Hefner was a very successful man because he was the man who built the multi million dollar brand around the objectification of women. Hefner used to work as an assistant manager for the Chicago Carton company. (usatoday.com). Hugh Hefner was interesting because of his family life, his accomplishments, and significant events that happened in his life.

He was the first and only hockey player to have his number retired league-wide. Number 99, Wayne Douglas Gretzky, was born on January 26, 1961 in Brantford, Ontario. He is currently 54, married, with 5 kids and a grandchild. He married Janet Jones in the year of 1988. Gretzky is a hockey player who played 21 seasons in the NHL, playing 9 seasons for the Edmonton Oilers, 8 seasons for Los Angeles Kings, 1 for the St. Louis Blues and in his 3 final seasons, he played for the New York Rangers.

Bobby Orr was an amazing hockey player well known for his amazing play scoring “The Goal”. Which is the most famous goal in hockey history. It was scored onMay 10,1970 it won the playoffs and it led the Bruins to there first Stanley Cup win since the season of 1941.

Starting his first season in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers Gretzky obtained his first Hart Memorial Trophy which is for the most valuable player on the team. During the season of 1980-81 Gretzky broke 2 records one of which it was believed to be unbreakable. The first record he broke was Bobby Orr’s number assists and Gretzky beat his record with 109. The second record also known as the “unbreakable” record was Phil Esposito’s of 76 goals and Gretzky broke it with 92 goals. While being on the Oilers and Gretzky became Captain he led them to 4 Stanley Cups Championship (1984, 1985, 1987, and 1988) in less than 5 years. After the last Championship in 1988 Gretzky finds out that he is being sold to the Los Angeles Kings.