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Wayne Gretzky Induction Pages

In a recent review, Christina Butterfield in the Toronto Maple Leafs Official Playoff Magazine states: "The Hockey Hall of Fame's Wayne Gretzky Exhibit (is) Truly a Great One. The Hockey Hall of Fame honours all its Members but when Wayne Gretzky was inducted on November 22nd, 1999, it was faced with somewhat of a dilemma. How do you even begin to showcase a player who has had such an impact of the game of hockey? That question has been answered with a special, limited-time exhibit: "Wayne Gretzky - The Legend".

The following are excerpts from the pre-mentioned article.

"We wanted to create an exhibit that marked, not only his achievements on the ice, but captured the mystique of Gretzky," said Philip Pritchard, Curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame. To accomplish that, Pritchard and Craig Campbell, the Hall of Fame's Manager, Resource Centre and Archives, went right to the source ... Wayne's father Walter. In truth, the Gretzky exhibit is as much about a father's love for his son as it is about a hockey-legend.

"We went to Walter," Pritchard said. "He's such a great guy. He knew from Day 1 to keep every memento, from Wayne's first pair of skates and his first trophies. I guess, not like unlike any other hockey dad. So the three of us spent hours in Walter's basement going through everything. Now, we have artifacts from his early days on his grandparents farm to the last game with the New York Rangers."

In the exhibit, Gretzky's NHL career is broken down into his accomplishments with each team - his early days as an Edmonton Oiler, the Los Angeles days in which he opened up new markets for the National Hockey League, the St. Louis Blues and his final squad the New York Rangers.

There's a display case that features interesting non-hockey awards that range from the key to the City of Edmonton to his Order of Canada medal, items that reveal his nature as ambassador to the game. Cereal boxes with Wayne on the cover, lunch boxes and Gretzky dolls tell the story of No. 99, marketing phenom.

All-Star Game jerseys, programs and other items account for his participation in the NHL's mid-season showcase. His international highlights, from Canada Cup victories to the Winter Olympics in Nagano in 1998 are given special attention, too.

There's a salute to his days in the World Hockey Association, his standout years in junior with the Soo Greyhounds and briefly, the Peterborough Petes. And, of course, the early minor hockey days when the legend of Gretzky, then small in stature yet gigantic in terms of skill began to spread from Brantford to Toronto and beyond.

"There's been so much interest in the exhibit," Pritchard said. "Even when we were in the process of putting it all together, people would poke their heads through the curtain to get a glimpse at it."

"It was originally going to run for one year until the fall of 2000, but it has already been extended and will run into the spring of 2003.

"He's done so much for the sport and he's touched so many lives, we'd like to share this with as many people as possible."

Wayne Gretzky remains the ultimate ambassador to the game.