“You Don’t Get Your Freakin Sh*t Together Every Night” : Wayne Gretzky Learnt a Harsh Lesson From Father Walter After a Humiliating Drubbing in 1971

While Wayne Gretzky shared a strong bond with his father Walter, this did not mean Walter went easy on him. In a 2022 interview, Gretzky disclosed an important lesson he learned from his father when he was 10 years old. The incident involved being badly defeated by a junior hockey team. He also told the host how this lesson helped him in future games.

‘The Great One’ gave this interview to Spittin Chiclets’ podcast. Answering questions from the host Pink Whitney, Gretzky told his casual attitude towards playing hockey in the early days. Revealing his father’s strong reaction after the brutal loss, Gretzky told about how his father motivated him to perform better. 

Wayne Gretzky’s startling admission about the painful hockey incident 

Gretzky narrated how the coach came to his house one day with a unique offer. The offer involved playing hockey against a team in Milton. After agreeing to the offer, Gretzky disclosed that he and his father drove to the John Tonelli arena. Recalling the incident, Gretzky revealed, “They jammed about 800 people in there and it’s loud and crazy.” Later, Gretzky revealed the game’s shocking result, “We get beat 8-1.”

Further, Gretzky disclosed his conversation with his father after this brutal defeat in the car while driving home. When asked by his father about his views on this hockey game, Gretzky responded, “I don’t know, we lost 8-1, who cares…” 

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Later, Gretzky revealed how his father almost stopped the car on hearing his unexpected response. It was then his father bluntly spoke, “What do you mean who cares?. Continuing, his father expressed, ‘I don’t know why but these people all come to watch you play hockey and you don’t freakin get your sh** together every night. You have to perform every single game.”  Gretzky then spoke about how he learned from this incident to performing in future games. 

Then, ‘The Great One’ told how he had to play exhibition games for Edmonton Oilers in San Antonio. Talking about the high expectations from others to perform well, Gretzky implied that he would spare no effort. “I treated that game pretty much the exact same way as I treat game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.” This reflects how his father’s honest feedback changed his perspective. This was not the only time Wayne Gretzky’s father was brutally honest with him. After Gretzky played his first All-Star game in 1980, his father Walter once again made a surprising remark. 

Walter Gretzky’s unbelievable reaction after watching Wayne Gretzky play and its shocking result 

After watching the 1980 All-Star game in Detroit, Walter gave Wayne a puck. When Wayne expressed his surprise, Walter commented, “I thought you would want to touch it, you didn’t the whole game.” These words make it evident that Gretzky didn’t perform well and was unable to score many goals. 

Later, Gretzky’s performance gradually improved and Gretzky hit 4 goals in the 1983 All-Star game. ‘The Great One’ then consistently tried to perform well which bore fruit in his final All-Star game in 1999. Gretzky not only won the game but also the MVP title and the car with this victory. This shows how his father’s influence motivated him to become a better player. 

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Walter Gretzky’s statements reflect his endeavor for Gretzky to try his best and be the best. As hockey fans, we hope to know more about their bond. How can you relate to Wayne and Walter Gretzky’s hockey journey? Share your perspective in the comments below.