Wayne Gretzky Quotes

It's really hard. And it's harder today because of the salary cap. It starts in September at training camp - getting every guy on the same page, being as mentally and physically as focused as you can be. Then in April and May, you basically spend eight weeks practising, watching video and playing games. That's your life.

I'm probably the only guy in hockey who can win a scoring title and everybody is saying I had a bad year. I don't worry about it.

Everything I did in hockey, I worked for.

When people come up to me and say, "I was at your Game 7 in the playoffs in Toronto," or, "I saw your first goal in the NHL," that triggers memories. But I don't sit around my kitchen table and tell my kids, "You know, one year I got 92 goals."

I really wanted to write a book [99: Stories of the Game] on the tradition and history of the league, where kids can pick it up and read it and learn things and say, "Geez, I didn't know that. That's pretty cool."

The last year I was playing, I asked the stick boy to get me a Diet Coke and he said, "Really?" But I always had one on the bench because that's what I did in 1979 when there wasn't Gatorade. If you needed energy you went and got a Snickers or a Kit Kat. Nobody knew any better.

The best players in the game want the responsibility of being the best player. The reality is the game has changed from now back to '87. It's a lot tighter checking. The players are better today. So, that makes it harder for him just in that fact. We can't rely solely on Mario [Lemieux] to carry this team. We're not relying on that.

I get a feeling about where a teammate is going to be. A lot of times, I can turn and pass without even looking.

It's an honour and a thrill and a privilege just to play in the NHL.

I have absolutely no complaints about my life. But people think I got handed everything, all this kind of fell in my lap, that I was just God-gifted with all this talent. I wanted people to realize it's a lot tougher than just waking up one day and you're in the NHL.

Look at guys like Larry Bird and George Brett and John McEnroe; that's what they did in their careers. They all wanted to be the guy under the microscope late in the game or late in the match. So you just take on that know-how that that's part of your responsibility, and you learn that's what makes it exciting. That's what makes it fun!

Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy.

We're in a tough situation because of teenage children, and then we have a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old, so my family and my responsibilities is sort of a juggle.

I can remember hockey. It was my life, my passion. It's what I love the most.

There's no perfect coach in the world. Coaches are human, too. Mistakes are made. But, fundamentally, if you're sound, you eliminate as many mistakes as possible.

Your friends, family, and kids have to understand that's your priority. It's the only way you can be successful.

I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.

And people who know me would tell you that away from hockey I'm really not that competitive.

Thankfully, in my youth I had the best financial advisor a son could ask for: my dad Walter. When I got that first signing bonus in 1978, Dad took my cheque, announced, 'This is what we're going to do,' and bought an annuity with it.

One hundred percent of shots not taken don't go in.

Most people marry their mother. I married my father.

I think the greatest thing about playing obviously is winning, and you can't replace that experience with anything.

Hockey is a unique sport in the sense that you need each and every guy helping each other and pulling in the same direction to be successful.

Only one thing is ever guaranteed, that is that you will definitely not achieve the goal if you don't take the shot.

I have recall. I don't know why or how. I had a guy once who said he played against me in novice [league, for kids under nine], for the Detroit Lasers. And I said, "Oh yeah, we beat you in the tournament, 8-1 and I think I scored seven goals, and the goalie was left-handed." And he was, "Oh my God. I was the goalie!" .

I get a lot of parents coming up to me, telling me they are grooming their kids to be professional athletes. I'm really against that. I think it's a great life, and yeah, you can lead them in that direction. I think a lot of parents live their lives through the kids. Because they didn't make it, they want their kids to make it. It puts a lot of undue pressure on the kids.

It's easier to lose than to win.

Not doing it is certainly the best way to not getting it

A lot of times, I can turn and pass without even looking.

The biggest difference between L.A. and Edmonton was that instead of people looking at me I was looking at them.

I think the Americans are ready to play, they want to beat us. I think that players like Chris Chelios and his leadership over there goes a long way.

Good players skate to the puck. Great players skate to where the puck is going to be.

As a player, you have one responsibility, to focus yourself and be ready for the game. As a coach, your responsibility is to get 20 guys ready and have them all on the same page. If you can't get every guy ready every night, you're going to struggle.

By no means could I play at the level of these kids who play in the NHL now but as 50-year-olds go, I feel really good and I feel blessed that I'm still healthy.

My best friend had a hockey scholarship at Ohio State, so I would get a couple of pairs at the beginning of the season and send them down to him. They practised two hours a day. He'd skate in them for three weeks then ship them back.

When I was 5 and playing against 11-year-olds, who were bigger, stronger, faster, I just had to figure out a way to play with them.

I miss all the shots I don't take.

The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day, that I never dog it.

You miss the ball you do not hit 100%

It doesn't matter what I think. It doesn't matter what other people think. You have to get on the ice and participate and play and the best team wins.

Most players go where the puck is. I go where the puck will be.

I couldn't beat people with my strength; I don't have a hard shot; I'm not the quickest skater in the league. My eyes and my mind have to do most of the work.

When you're playing an exhibition, you're kind of letting everyone get an opportunity.

Hullie's a lot like a garbage can. You step on the pedal with your foot and the top opens up.

One of the key qualities that you need to be a great hockey player is fantastic anticipation and feel for the game - if you know where the puck is going before it is hit, that is half the battle.

Hockey is my life. I love every minute of it.

The day I stop giving is the day I stop receiving. The day I stop learning is the day I stop growing. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

The game is played out of instinct, but everyone on the ice has habits - good and bad. So the key to the game is to exploit the bad habits of your opponent.

A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.

He brings something special. I don't know what it is, but if you ask him, you couldn't understand his answer.

I can't remember the last time I went to a game and there was a fight. I think they fight more in baseball now than they do in hockey.

Eight days ago, we were the toast of the town. Eight days later we're Thanksgiving turkeys.

What you want to do with your best players is, it doesn't matter how many goals and assists they get, but when they get goals and assists. The best players get them at the most important times, and that's when we need those guys to come through.

I knew at a young age, whether I was playing baseball or hockey or lacrosse, that my teammates were counting on me, whether it be to strike the last batter out in a baseball game or score a big goal in a hockey game.

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

Listen, first of all, my wife is my best friend. My love for her is deeper than anything. The reality is, I'm not involved, I wasn't involved and I'm not going to be involved. Am I concerned for both of them Sure there's concern from me. I'm more worried about them than me. I'm like you guys, I'm trying to figure it all out.

You miss every shot you don't take.

I think a lot of parents live their lives through the kids. Because they didn't make it [achieve something], they want their kids to make it. It puts a lot of undue pressure on the kids.

I love everything about hockey.

Competitive spirit is still at a premium. The more you win, the better you play, the more money you make, so they all have that in mind.