Hockey Hall awaits Gretzky

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Nov 21, 1999 by AP

The Associated Press

TORONTO --- As a small boy, Wayne Gretzky would gaze longingly at the photos and plaques of hockey legends honored at the Hall of Fame.

Now the Great One takes his place among them --- although he will stand apart as the best ever to play the game.

Just seven months after ending his NHL career, Gretzky will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday.

The Hall waived the normal three-year waiting period for the 10th time in honor of the 38-year-old Gretzky, who holds 61 NHL records and has his name engraved four times on the Stanley Cup.

More than that, he has become a national treasure in his homeland for being the best at a sport Canadians embrace as part of their identity and heritage. And he did it without the scandals and public ego that dominate modern sports.

"He's in many ways remained the boy next door," said Cam Cole, a sports columnist for The National Post who covered Gretzky's glory years in Edmonton. "You can count the times he ever said anything even slightly intemperate on the fingers of one hand."

Hoopla surrounding Gretzky's induction is unprecedented --- the Hall of Fame has set up its largest ever exhibit, a 2,300 square foot showcase with everything from his first skates at age 2 to the net that caught his record-setting 802nd goal.

Bob Stellick, an organizer of the induction, said 175 journalists from North America and Europe have been accredited with 20 cameras taping, more than any previous ceremony.

"It's been a long time since Bobby Orr and a long time since Gordie Howe," Cole said. "There've been so few players who stand so far above the others. That's the kind of company he's keeping.

"It's a milestone that has to be observed."

While two others will be inducted with Gretzky --- former NHL referee-in-chief Ian "Scotty" Morrison and longtime referee Andy Van Hellemond --- the focus will be on the fair-haired forward who skated with the right side of his jersey tucked in, a habit from his childhood when his special ability put him in oversized uniforms against older kids.

Gretzky said he had fond memories of the hall as a boy. He grew up in Brantford, Ontario, not far from the Hall in Toronto when it was on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds.

"I used to stare for hours," Gretzky said shortly after being elected. "I never had enough of it. I never thought I'd be a part of it. I'm not sure too many kids think they'll be part of the Hall. It was beyond my wildest dreams."

The numbers tell the story of his career. Thin and shifty with an unmatched ability to anticipate, Gretzky scored more goals (894) and had more assists (1,963) than anyone before him. His assists alone exceed the 1,850 total points of the No. 2 career scorer, Gordie Howe, who played past age 50.