Wayne Douglas Gretzky is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach with an unknown net worth amount. During his active years in game, he has played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. He has been nicknamed as "The Great One" and also he has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters, players, and the NHL itself. On the game history, he is the leading point-scorer in NHL history, with more assists than any other player has points, and is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season – a feat he accomplished four times. In addition, he tallied over 100 points in 16 professional seasons, 14 of them consecutive. At the time of his retirement in 1999, he held 61 NHL records: 40 regular-season records, 15 playoff records, and six All-Star records. As for the end of 2014, he still holds 60 NHL records.
Born and raised in Brantford, Ontario, Gretzky honed his skills at a backyard rink and regularly played minor hockey at a level far above his peers. Despite his unimpressive stature, strength and speed, Gretzky's intelligence and reading of the game were unrivaled.
In 1978, he had signed with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association (WHA), where he had briefly played before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers. When the WHA folded, the Oilers joined the NHL, where he established many scoring records and led his team to four Stanley Cup championships. His trade to the Los Angeles Kings on August 9, 1988, had an immediate impact on the team's performance, eventually leading them to the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals, and he is credited with popularizing hockey in California. Gretzky has played briefly for the St. Louis Blues before finishing his career with the New York Rangers. Gretzky captured nine Hart Trophies as the most valuable player, ten Art Ross Trophies for most points in a season, two Conn Smythe Trophies as playoff MVP, and five Lester B. Pearson Awards for most outstanding player as judged by other players. He won the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship and performance five times, and often spoke out against fighting in hockey.
After his retirement in 1999, he was immediately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, making him the most recent player to have the waiting period waived. The NHL retired his jersey number 99 league-wide, making him the only player to receive this honor. He was one of six players voted to the International Ice Hockey Federation's (IIHF) Centennial All-Star Team.
Later he became executive director for the Canadian national men's hockey team during the 2002 Winter Olympics, in which the team won a gold medal. In 2000, he became part owner of the Phoenix Coyotes, and following the 2004–05 NHL lockout he became the team's head coach. In 2004, he was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.