Wayne Gretzky reveals he was nicknamed ‘The Great One' at age 10 after scoring 400 goals in a single season
Long before Wayne Gretzky dominated
NHL
record books and became a global icon, his legendary nickname — The Great One — was already following him around the rinks of Ontario. But as Gretzky recently revealed ahead of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, the origin of that iconic moniker goes back to when he was just 10 years old, lighting up minor league hockey in Brantford.
Wayne Gretzky's 400-goal season as a kid drew the attention of the media
Speaking candidly, Gretzky shared how a mind-blowing 400-goal season as a 10-year-old caught the attention of a reporter from the London Free Press. The journalist, impressed by the young prodigy's scoring spree, wrote a feature story that would unknowingly set a cultural moment in motion.
'I was 10 years old,' Gretzky said. 'A reporter from the London Free Press came down and did a story on me — I scored 400 goals that year.
'At the end of the article, he said, 'NHL guys have one nickname — Mr. Hockey, the Golden Jet. And he said, 'We should just call him The Great One.''
The nickname, intended as a compliment from a local reporter, had staying power. But not everyone was on board at first — especially Gretzky's father, Walter, who was hesitant about the title being attached to his son so early.
Walter Gretzky
tried to tone down the hype, but the nickname stuck
'Well, my dad tried to kill that right away,' Gretzky recalled.
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'And it just kept coming back and coming back.'
Despite his father's initial resistance, the name became inescapable. And as Wayne continued to grow into the sport — eventually scoring 894 NHL goals, collecting 2,857 career points, and winning four Stanley Cups — the nickname proved prophetic.
'Finally, I just was like, 'Well, we're going to have to live with it,'' Gretzky added with a laugh.
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In hindsight, the reporter's intuition was spot-on. 'The Great One' didn't just describe Gretzky's potential — it defined a career that would go unmatched in hockey history.
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
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