They call No. 99 “The Great One” because of his great play on the ice, but we may soon have to change that to “The Greatest One” because of Wayne Gretzky the man, not Wayne Gretzky the player.
Gretzky joined the crew of the Spittin Chiclets as they broadcast the FDNY vs. Chicago hockey game. NYPD over the weekend and will no doubt help promote an event that directly highlights first responders. As the game was between two teams based in New York, Wayne Gretzky was asked to retell a famous story about a family who lost their son during the tragic events of 9/11.
Gretzky would go on to tell how he met a family by the pool one day, a chance encounter that would change the contents of his wallet forever.
Over the weekend, Gretzky revealed: “Janet and I happened to be in Vegas for a charity event and were sitting poolside… sort of a family get together.” I kinda walked over and said ‘Are you Wayne? And I said yes and they said ‘we had a son who died tragically on 9/11 and this is his picture’, and they gave me his card and I said I’ll keep it in my wallet for life.’
It was a nice thing for Gretzky to do and say, but surely no one would bring him to the impossible level of keeping a picture of a man he had never met and would never meet in their wallet for the rest of their lives?
According to Gretzky, a full decade later, he met friends from the same family while in Las Vegas, and what happened when they met will leave you in awe of Wayne Gretzky the man.
“After 10 years I was in Vegas again for another event,” Gretzky continued, “and friends of their family said, ‘Can we ask you a question, do you still have that picture of our friend? Their family told us you’ll have it in your wallet. I said yes, pulled out my wallet and still had the photo. I said that I promised the family that I would never lose her, that I would keep her forever.
Perhaps more impressive than Gretzky’s surprisingly kind act is the story’s unassuming and utterly realistic delivery. Wayne made it clear that he didn’t want to be recognized for the gesture, even though he definitely deserved it.
“You know what? Everyone had a hard time,” said Gretzky. “For me, keeping some memento like that is special to me.”
Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce the great person.
A friendly reminder that Wayne Gretzky is a man of all time. #FDNYvNYPD pic.twitter.com/WmhLctDvPN
– Spittin’ Chiclets (spittin’ chiclets) April 16, 2023