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Wayne Gretzky

1961 – present · age 65^[1][2]

Sports

Fun Facts About Wayne Gretzky

• Wayne Gretzky wanted number 9 for his hero Gordie Howe, but a teammate already wore it, so at his coach's suggestion he settled on 99.^[1]
• Indianapolis owner Nelson Skalbania offered to settle Gretzky's future with a game of backgammon: if Winnipeg's owner won, he got Gretzky. The offer was refused, and Gretzky landed in Edmonton.^[1]
• Gretzky was also a gifted baseball player: he batted .492 for a Brantford team in the summer of 1980 and was offered a contract by the Toronto Blue Jays.^[1]
• Gretzky smashed hockey's famous 50 goals in 50 games mark by reaching 50 in only 39 games, scoring five goals in the game that got him there.^[1]
• Gretzky met his wife, actress Janet Jones, while he was a celebrity judge on Dance Fever. According to Gretzky, she does not remember him being on the show.^[1]
• The NHL's league-wide retirement of Gretzky's number 99 in 2000 was inspired by baseball's retirement of the number 42 worn by Jackie Robinson.^[1][3][4]
• Wayne Gretzky was alive at the same time as Niels Bohr — their lives overlapped for 1 year (1961–1962).^[1][2][5][6]
• Wayne Gretzky and Barack Obama were both born in 1961.^[1][2][7][8]

Wayne Douglas Gretzky is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One", he has been called the greatest ice hockey player ever by the NHL based on surveys of hockey writers, ex-players, general managers and coaches. Gretzky is the leading career point scorer and assist producer in NHL history and has more assists than any other player has total career points. He is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season, a feat he accomplished four times. In addition, Gretzky scored more than 100 points in 15 professional seasons. 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.^[1]

Contemporaries

Noam Chomsky

65 yr overlap

Wole Soyinka

65 yr overlap

Dalai Lama

65 yr overlap

Woody Allen

65 yr overlap

Francis Ford Coppola

65 yr overlap

Bob Dylan

65 yr overlap

Billie Jean King

65 yr overlap

Aung San Suu Kyi

65 yr overlap

Steven Spielberg

65 yr overlap

Oprah Winfrey

65 yr overlap

Rigoberta Menchú

65 yr overlap

Ai Weiwei

65 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Wayne Gretzky

When was Wayne Gretzky born?

Wayne Gretzky was born on January 26, 1961, and is alive today.

How old is Wayne Gretzky?

Wayne Gretzky was born on January 26, 1961, and turned 65 on January 26, 2026.

What is Wayne Gretzky known for?

Wayne Gretzky is known for: The Great One, greatest ice hockey player. Wayne Douglas Gretzky is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One", he has been called the greatest ice hockey player ever by the NHL based on surveys of hockey writers, ex-players, general managers and coaches. Gretzky is the leading career point scorer and assist producer in NHL history and has more assists than any other player has total career points. He is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season, a feat he accomplished four times. In addition, Gretzky scored more than 100 points in 15 professional seasons. 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.

Who was alive at the same time as Wayne Gretzky?

Wayne Gretzky's closest contemporary was Noam Chomsky. Their lives overlapped for 65 years.