Retired pro-ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky once spoke about his experience of being a young prodigy. He played 20 seasons in the NHL from 1979 to 1999 for various teams. They include Indianapolis Racers, Edmonton Oilers, LA Kings, St. Louis Blues, and New York Rangers. He also held 61 NHL records apart from being the leading goal scorer and assist provider in NHL history.

In his interview with Stephen Colbert for his talk show, Wayne disclosed the secret to what granted him the nickname ‘The Great One’. In a 2016 episode of The Late Show, the author and hockey legend discussed how he dealt with expectations from the tender age of 10.

Wayne Gretzky was recognized for his potential as a young boy

Gretzky had a lot of nicknames during his tenure as a sportsman. Some of them are ‘Gretz’, ‘The Great Gretzky’, and ‘The White Tornado’. But the one that really stuck was ‘The Great One’. The athlete chuckled as he reflected on his past, recalling the incident which granted him the nickname.

“I scored 400 goals when I was 10…I played with some great players” said the retired athlete, “This guy wrote in a paper, ‘everybody should have their own nickname, a player of that caliber should have a name, he said, we’ll call you the great one!”

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Upon being questioned about his feelings about having that title, Wayne shared his two cents, “I remember thinking, oh my goodness I don’t want that name. And it stuck with me my whole life”

The weight of responsibilities

Gretzky is one of the G.O.A.T when it comes to his sport, ice hockey. The 61-year-old was the top scorer in the 1978 World Junior Championships. Ever since then, his list of accolades has only grown longer. He secured 9 Hart Trophies as the MVP. Post-retirement, Wayne got inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, while his jersey number 99 was retired league-wide. One of only three players to ever receive such an honor in the history of the sport.

While talking about growing up with the title of The Great One, Gretzky explained how it was no easy feat. He stated, “I felt the responsibility of playing well, because each and every night the cities you playing, people pay to come see you play. So you wanna play the best you can play and believe me, I had a lot of bad games.” In conclusion, he adds, “But all in all, pretty proud of my career.”

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