[2] Born and raised in Brantford, Ontario, Gretzky honed his skills on a backyard rink and regularly played minor hockey at a level far above his peers.

Gretzky's trade to the Los Angeles Kings on August 9, 1988, had an immediate impact on that team's performance, ultimately leading them to the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals, and he is credited with popularizing hockey in California.

[12] The family moved into a house on Varadi Avenue in Brantford seven months after Wayne was born, chosen partly because its yard was flat enough to make an ice rink.

[14] Walter taught Wayne, Keith, Brent, Glen, and their friends hockey on a rink he made in the backyard of the family home, nicknamed the "Wally Coliseum".

With the WHA's long-term survival in doubt, Birmingham Bulls owner John F. Bassett believed the only way to gain meaningful leverage over the NHL was to sign as many young and promising superstars as possible.

On November 2, Gretzky, goaltender Eddie Mio, and forward Peter Driscoll were put on a private plane, not knowing where they would land and what team they would be joining.

[42] On Gretzky's 18th birthday, January 26, 1979, Pocklington signed him to a ten-year personal services contract (the longest in hockey history at the time) worth CA$3 million, with options for ten more years.

Under the agreement, the WHA agreed to fold after the 1979 season with the Oilers and three other teams (the Hartford (New England) Whalers, the Quebec Nordiques and the Winnipeg Jets) joining the older league as expansion franchises.

Gretzky became the youngest player to score 50 goals, but was not eligible for the Calder Memorial Trophy, given to the top NHL rookie, because of his previous year of WHA experience.

[67] The Oilers were a young, strong team featuring, in addition to Gretzky, future Hall of Famers including forwards Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson and Jari Kurri; defenceman Paul Coffey; and goaltender Grant Fuhr.

[70] He was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in 2009 "for his continued contributions to the world of hockey, notably as one of the best players of all time, as well as for his social engagement as a philanthropist, volunteer and role model for countless young people", but has still not accepted the honour.

The effect of calling offsetting penalties was felt immediately in the NHL because during the early 1980s, when the Gretzky-era Oilers entered a four-on-four or three-on-three situation with an opponent, they frequently used the space on the ice to score one or more goals.

"[85] Gretzky explains his style of play further: People think that to be a good player you have to pick the puck up, deke around ninety-three guys, and take this ungodly slap shot.

[88] At first, Gretzky did not want to leave Edmonton, but he received a call while on his honeymoon from Los Angeles Kings owner Bruce McNall, who asked permission to meet and discuss the deal.

[65] "The Trade", as it came to be known,[91] upset Canadians to the extent that New Democratic Party House Leader Nelson Riis demanded the government block it,[92] and Pocklington was burned in effigy outside Northlands Coliseum.

[107] The next season, Gretzky broke Howe's career goal-scoring record of 801, and won the scoring title,[56] but the team began a long slide, and despite numerous player and coaching moves, they failed to qualify for the playoffs again until 1998.

[109] During the 1994–95 NHL lock-out, Gretzky and some friends (including Mark Messier, Marty McSorley, Brett Hull and Steve Yzerman) formed the Ninety Nine All Stars Tour and played eight exhibition games in various countries.

[111] On February 27, 1996, Gretzky joined the St. Louis Blues in a trade for Patrice Tardif, Roman Vopat, Craig Johnson and two draft picks (Peter Hogan and Matt Zultek).

[151] Statistics support the contention: whereas Phil Esposito, who had set the previous goal-scoring record, needed 550 shots to score 76 goals, Gretzky netted his 76th after only 287 shots—about half as many.

"[154] Commentators have noted Gretzky's uncanny ability to judge the position of the other players on the ice—so much so that many suspected he enjoyed some kind of extrasensory perception, that he played like he had "eyes in the back of his head".

Gzowski said that Gretzky understood the game so well, that he could instantly recognize and capitalize upon emerging patterns of play: "What we take to be creative genius is in fact a reaction to a situation that he has stored in his brain as deeply and firmly as his own phone number."

[187] In May 2000, he agreed to buy a 10% stake in the Phoenix Coyotes in a partnership with majority owner Steve Ellman, taking on the roles of alternate governor, managing partner and head of hockey operations.

An ownership dispute involving Research in Motion's Jim Balsillie (to relocate the team to Hamilton, Ontario) and the NHL itself arose, which eventually ended up in court.

Gretzky did not attend the Coyotes' training camp, leaving associate head coach Ulf Samuelsson in charge, due to an uncertain contractual status with the club, whose bankruptcy hearings were continuing.

[202] American fans online began calling Gretzky a "crybaby"; defenders said he was merely borrowing a page from former coach Glen Sather to take the pressure off his players.

[206] Gretzky served as an ambassador to Vancouver's successful bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics,[207] and was named Special Advisor to Canada's men's hockey team at the Games.

[210] Although Gretzky had previously stated he would not participate in any "old-timers exhibition games",[211] on November 22, 2003, he took to the ice to help celebrate the Edmonton Oilers' 25th anniversary as an NHL team.

[212] It was preceded by the Mega Stars game, which featured Gretzky and many of his Oiler Dynasty teammates against a group of retired Montreal Canadiens players (whose likes included Claude Lemieux, Guy Lafleur and others).

Gretzky has made several TV appearances, including as a Dance Fever celebrity judge, and acted in a dramatic role alongside Victor Newman in The Young and the Restless in 1981.

"[267] In 2014, Gretzky, who has some Ukrainian heritage, was invited by Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk to speak at the United for Ukraine Gala fundraiser in Toronto in support of the country during the invasion of Crimea by Russia.