Wayne Gretzky is best known for his acumen in the ice hockey rink. But apart from his incredible prowess, the legend is indeed very shy. The Great One used to visit cities in Canada in the off-season when he met two of his biggest fans at the Toronto food fair. Star stuck, they couldn’t say anything and gawked at the young legend for hours. In the end, a small request from the Great One led to their feelings getting hurt.

Canadians have loved the White Tornado from the very first day and take pride in the player for his magical abilities. So what possibly went wrong with the two fans?

Wayne Gretzky’s plea once caused dismay among fans

According to his biography, Gretzky traveled to the largest cities of Canada at least two times in the off-season. When he visited Montreal, almost 7500 people came to see the legend from a close distance. He was clicking pictures and signing autographs for his followers at the Toronto food fair when he saw two young girls. Dazzled by his charm, the two kids got star-struck and watched him for almost four hours.

Gretzky, 20 at that time, felt uneasy by the constant stares and asked his manager to request them to go their way. Gus Badali, who was his manager then, said that the gawk, “It wasn’t normal”. Evidently, the ask didn’t go down well with the fans.

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Gretzky always depended on his manager for peacefully handling confrontations. As Gretzky confirmed, “Right now my life isn’t in my hands as far as summertime goes. It’s in my management’s hands.”. Around the same time, in his twenties, the Hall of Famer was becoming famous for his incredible skills.

His amazing achievements

Gretzky’s picture circulated everywhere – on jigsaw puzzles, T-shirts, key chains, billboards, television, and drugstore counters. His #99 jersey was in demand among the kids. Gretzky endorsed as many as 7 brands starting from hockey sticks to chocolate bars. His idol Gordie Howe said, “The NHL needs someone to hang its hat on, and Gretzky looks like a hat tree.”

The White Tornado was the hero that every countryman believed in and loved. Starting his journey at the age of 17, Gretzky broke and created many unbeatable records. His accomplishment of 894 goals is still not broken.

Though small gestures may have cost him to lose fans, Wayne Gretzky made up for it by making history and creating fans worldwide.

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