Ryan Mahrle

T, Th 12:30-1:45

BIS 142

The Great One

By definition an entrepreneur is a person who creates an idea and starts a business from it. However, I feel that an entrepreneur does not have to necessarily be a business owner. They can be anyone who is determined, courageous, hard working, responsible, and creative. Wayne Gretzky fits both my definition and the more commonly known definition of an entrepreneur. Wayne Gretzky accomplished everything from having a gym shoe named after him, owning his own restaurant, and managing a National Hockey League team. He has exuded all of these characteristics throughout his life and in everything he has accomplished.

Wayne Gretzky was not born an entrepreneur, but he was born with incredible talent and initiative to succeed in everything he did. During his youth he realized that his phenomenal on-ice talent and work ethic could soon lead him to a professional hockey career. As young as thirteen, Gretzky was being recognized as a hockey prodigy. Professional scouts from across North America were taking notice and flocked to see Wayne play. Before long, he was forced to move from his hometown of Brantford, Ontario, Canada to face tougher competition (Dryden 18). At the next level of competition, he proved himself to be a legitimate professional prospect. At the age of 17, Gretzky signed a contract with the Indianapolis Racers, a member of the World Hockey Association (Dryden 20). This was only the beginning of Gretzky’s professional career. The same year that his career began, his dream came true. He was sold to the Edmonton Oilers, and was playing in the best hockey league in the world, the National Hockey League. Wayne played a total of eight seasons with Edmonton, four of which he won the ultimate prize, the Staley Cup. Throughout his career with Edmonton, Gretzky broke many records and earned himself the title, the great one (Dryden 76).

After a long career with the Oilers, Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for 1.5 million dollars (Dryden 78). This trade changed the path of hockey in California and even to some degree the entire United States. Until Wayne’s arrival the Kings were a franchise that averaged only 10,000 fans per game. During Wayne’s tenure the Los Angeles Kings became the only team in California to sell out every single one of their home games (Dryden 83). His arrival in the United States helped make the game more mainstream. The United States now held the best player in the World.

At the age of thirty nine, Gretzky announced his retirement after twenty seasons in the NHL. He felt that he could no longer play at the level that he demanded of himself. Wayne felt it was time to move on and look for new challenges in life. He retired as the best hockey player of all time (Dryden 92).

Gretzky’s love for the game did not diminish, and he wanted to stay involved in some way. His fame led him to offers from many organizations, for many different hockey related jobs, and in many capacities. Out of all of the positions that Gretzky was offered, he felt that management was the most challenging. He declined coaching because he knew that it would not be a good fit for him, since he was such a unique player and his style could not be replicated. Another one of Gretzky’s opportunities was to become a scout. Scouting requires tremendous amounts of travel and with such a young family, Gretzky knew that this was not the right path to follow. Management allowed Gretzky to be involved in almost every aspect of the game (Dryden 105).

Finally, he decided to accept a job with the Phoenix Coyotes (Dryden 105). The position that Gretzky now held was that of managing partner, in charge of hockey operations. Here his job entailed the role of finding a coach, suitable players, and making the Coyotes a success. Gretzky’s goal is to turn the Coyotes into one of the league’s elite teams. To assist him in making the Coyotes a winner, Wayne brought in two proven Stanley Cup winners, Cliff Fletcher and Dave Draper (Dryden 110). Now that the management team was complete, Gretzky feels that he now has the ingredients for success.

Even though Gretzky has not yet reached his goal of becoming a champion manager at the NHL level, he has gained much respect from his peers. The team shows great potential to succeed in the near future. The young team is following a path very similar to their young manager as they both learn and grow on the job.

After just a couple years of experience, Gretzky was offered the opportunity to be the general manager of Team Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics. This was a great honor, yet an unbelievable challenge for the inexperienced manager. Gretzky was in charge of selecting the best players from Canada to participate in the games. Despite much criticism about his selections, his team would prove the doubters wrong. This team, led by Gretzky, led their country to their first hockey gold medal in fifty years (Dryden 124). Gretzky once again proved himself as a champion.

Wayne’s hockey career led him to many other accomplishments. He is a spokesperson for many companies including, McDonald’s Canada, Anheuser- Busch, and Ford Canada. Also, he hosted a fantasy hockey camp where proceeds went to his very own charity. This charity is called the Wayne Gretzky Foundation, which helps disadvantaged youths participate in the game that he loves so much. Gretzky also holds the position of chairman for the ESSO, medals of achievement program, which gives medals to young hockey players (Dryden 133). On top of his charitable donations, Wayne owns a restaurant located in Toronto, Canada. This restaurant has been in existence for over ten years (Dryden 134).

One may wonder how Wayne can balance all of these activities at once, let alone have a family of his very own. Wayne has a wife and five children who reside in California. No matter how much success Wayne enjoys, his family always will come first (Dryden 140).

One would wonder why a man with such great wealth would want to continue to work. Throughout Wayne’s life he has never been one to turn away from a challenge. Now that he has succeeded as a great hockey player, he wants to leave a legacy in ways that will always impact people’s lives. What makes Gretzky different from a lot of entrepreneurs is that he focuses on the well being of others and not his own personal wealth. He wants to make an impact in every single aspect of his life. All of the money in the world cannot compare to the feeling he gets when he puts a smile on a child’s face. In my opinion, Gretzky more than fulfills all of the characteristics of an entrepreneur.

Works Cited

Dryden, Steve. Total Gretzky: The Magic, The Legend, The Numbers. New York: McClelland and Stewart/Tundra Books, 2000.