Selected to play for the Edmonton Oilers at the age of 17, Wayne Gretzky is a legend. In a recent interview, Wayne Gretzky talked about an unforgettable incident where he was traveling before his selection. The hockey champion also told how he stopped at another destination before finally going to Edmonton. 

Gretzky gave this interview to the Spittin Chiclets podcast hosted by Pink Whitney in 2022. Gretzky revealed that he was in talks about playing for Winnipeg.  ‘The Great One’ also expressed his helplessness when a bizarre incident while the decision was still pending. Along with this, the hockey champion also explained how he got selected to play for the Edmonton Oilers. 

Wayne Gretzky’s disclosure on how he was selected to play for Edmonton Oilers

Gretzky recalled the shocking incident where he got into trouble. “We’re on this little eight-seater jet”, Gretzky began. Continuing, Gretzky described, “we had hockey equipment… we had clothes.” ‘The Great One’ also told how Eddie Mio and Peter Driscoll were traveling with him. 

After a while, the pilot arrived in the sitting area and asked who would be paying for their travel. Recounting the incident, Gretzky implied that he didn’t have money to pay for the flight immediately. “I’m not old enough, I don’t have a credit card because I’m not old enough”, Gretzky reasoned in the interview. He replied, “I don’t know” to the pilot’s question. At that time, the flight was going towards Minnesota and Gretzky didn’t know which team he was chosen for. 

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Later, Gretzky explained how hockey player Eddie Mio tried to calm down the situation. What Mio told the pilot was  “you have my credit card its got a 600-dollar limit.” Not surprisingly, the pilot agreed to this offer. “We’re in trouble” Gretzky spoke on a serious note. 

‘The Great One’ then narrated how the flight landed in Minnesota and the players still didn’t know their team. Eventually, the pilot made an unbelievable announcement: “We’re traveling to Edmonton.”. Needless to say, it was decided in that 1-hour flight to Minnesota, that Gretzky, Driscoll, and Mio would play for the Edmonton Oilers.

Wayne Gretzky makes shocking admissions about considering moving to Scandinavia 

During a frank conversation, Gretzky remarked how he considered shifting to Scandinavia at the age of 16. The reason for this astonishing thought was NHL’s loophole. As per NHL’s regulations at that time, Gretzky couldn’t be drafted till he was 20 years old. He considered moving to Scandinavia till he was eligible. He reasoned that he would get experience and exposure by playing in professional leagues in Scandinavia. However, as fans know, he did not act on this thought and signed up to play for the World Hockey Association (WHA). 

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‘The Great One’s frank views reflect his struggle to play in professional leagues at a young age. What would you do if you were in Wayne Gretzky’s bizarre situation with no credit card? Let us know in the comments below.