Wayne Gretzky's farewell match could not help but become a real event, because the NHL saw off one of the greatest hockey players in history. In addition to the phenomenal game and four victories in the Stanley Cup, his greatness is evidenced by the fact that even 21 years after he left the sport, no one was ever able to get close to his performance records. The Canadian accounted for 894 goals and 1963 assists - indicators that, with a high degree of probability, will forever remain unsurpassed. Among the current athletes, only the leader of the “Washington” Alexander Ovechkin retains a chance to get around the legend in the number of goals scored, but for this he will have to maintain incredible productivity over the next four seasons. Given that in September he will celebrate his 35th birthday, it will be very difficult to do this.
It is worth noting that at about this age goals became increasingly difficult to be given to Gretzky himself. Of course, the decrease in its effectiveness coincided with the “era of the dead puck” and the evolution of goalkeeper equipment, but there were other reasons for this. By that time, the Rangers were increasingly worried about a back injury that prevented him from working on the ice with the same intensity. Nevertheless, he more than compensated for this with his assistant skills, thanks to which in the last five years he had only once dropped below the level of 60 points scored. This happened in the 1994/95 season, nearly half of which Wayne missed due to damage.
In this regard, for many, Gretzky’s decision to hang skates on a nail was a real shock. He remained one of the leaders of the “blue shirt” and was able to spend at least one more season at the highest level. Subsequently, he himself admitted this, but still made a fateful decision. On April 16, two days before the last regular season match, Wayne gathered a special conference and announced his desire to leave the sport. According to him, recently he "felt mental physical fatigue, which was never felt before."
Thus, Gretzky's farewell fell on a home duel with Pittsburgh. The guests successfully held the championship and were able to qualify for the playoffs, while the hosts did not earn a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup. At the same time, the confrontation could have turned out to be more fundamental if one of Wayne’s main rivals in the dispute for the title of the greatest hockey player in the history of Mario Lemieux came to the site. But this meeting fell on the period of his first break in his career. Nevertheless, he was present in the arena and watched the 99th issue for the last time go to the ice.
The legendary hockey player and the organizers themselves tried to make this match truly memorable for both the fans and its participants. Special appeals to Gretzky were recorded by four-time Stanley Cup winner Gordy Howe and six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan. In turn, the leader of the Rangers signed a lot of sweaters with their number and surname, which became collectible. And during the game he used 52 different clubs, which he then left as a keepsake to his teammates and coaches.
In honor of the Canadian, the text of the US anthem that was played before the game was changed. So, the phrase “above the land of the free” was changed to “above the land of Wayne Gretzky”, and singer Brian Adams completed the performance “Oh Canada” with the words: “We will miss you, Wayne Gretzky”.
However, on ice, no one was going to give the legendary 99th number of concessions. The best hockey players of the opponent came out against him, ready to play in full force. Among them was even the Czech Jaromir Jagr, who had originally planned to miss the final, meaningless match against the Rangers. However, when he found out that he would be the last for Gretzky, he changed his mind and asked to be included in the composition. In addition to him, Alexey Kovalev and Alexei Morozov appeared in the Penguins sweater, who were destined to become one of the main protagonists of the confrontation.
It is all the more remarkable that Kovalev began the season next to the hero of the occasion. He joined the Rangers in 1992, and two years later even helped Gretzky win the Stanley Cup. In general, in New York, he looked more or less successful and even completed the championship in the status of the best sniper of the team, but the 1998/99 championship began quite faded. In 14 meetings, he scored a total of seven (3 + 4) points, after which he was exchanged for a Pittsburgh balancing bankrupt. The Pennsylvania club was forced to cut costs, so he sacrificed one of his stars in the person of Peter Nedved. By that time, the Czech had played 154 games for Penguins, in which he scored 170 (78 + 92) points, but did not play for a long time because of disagreements on the contract
As it turned out later, Pittsburgh was very lucky with the acquisition, but at first it might not seem so. In the remaining 63 meetings, Kovalev scored 20 goals and assisted partners 26 times, which can hardly be called grandmaster indicators. However, it is in the Penguins sweater that Alexei will spend his brightest season in the future, in which he will mark 95 (44 + 51) points.
As for Morozov, he did not grab the stars from the sky at all. The future head of the Continental Hockey League debuted in a squad from Pennsylvania in 1997, but could not become one of its leaders. At the same time, the 1998/99 season turned out to be one of the worst in his career. Until his meeting with the Rangers, he only had 17 (9 + 8) points in 66 games.
In general, Gretzky’s final match didn’t match the Canadian’s legendary career. The teams could not distinguish themselves for a long time, but in the main time they exchanged only two abandoned washers. Both of them accounted for the final half of the second period, and the guests opened the account. Morozov and Robert Lang launched a lightning counterattack “Penguins”, and Kovalev accurately threw a shot through the goal net of Mike Richter. The return goal took place 30 seconds before the break, and Wayne became one of the assistants. The 99th issue unexpectedly unfolded the direction vector of the attack, and Brian Litch acted as the finalizer.
The third period turned out to be very eventful, but Mike Richter and Tom Barrasso showed an exorbitant level of skill. Each of the main protagonists of the meeting could distinguish himself, while Kovalev did have two hundred percent moments to lead the guests ahead. But at first he could not close the cross from the left edge, and after his throw from the nickle, the puck hit the Rangers goalkeeper. The main hero of the occasion stood out, creating a couple of dangerous moments for Litch and Matthew Schneider, and also almost chalked up the 895th goal in his career after a spectacular exit from behind the goal.
Everything was decided in overtime. Gretzky spent the first 30 seconds on ice, and in his absence the partners made a gross mistake in defense. Through the efforts of Morozov and Jagr, the “Penguins” were delayed in the Rangers zone, but for a long time they could not bring the matter to a throw. Already at the end of the attack, the hosts loosened their grip a little and allowed Alexei to give a pass to Jaromir. Cech spectacular feint dealt with the defender of the opponent, and then sent the puck to the “house" Richter.
Jagr chalked up the 42nd goal of the season and shared fourth place in the sniper race with Paul Kariya from Anaheim. At the same time, the first line with 58 accurate throws took Florida striker Pavel Bure. Nevertheless, the prize for the best scorer (“Art Ross Trophy”) went to the Czech, who beat the Russian by two points (96 - 94). Morozov scored the sixth assistant double in the overseas career and completed on a high note not the most successful regular championship. True, the playoffs became a real disappointment for him, because there he did not score a single point.
Of course, Gretzky was upset at the end of his final game in his career, but could not hold back his tears not because of this. The legendary athlete understood that it was time to say goodbye to hockey, but the last step was difficult for him. Wayne twice returned to the ice from the under-stands, and appeared at the press conference in the form of the Rangers, showing with all appearance that he did not want to part with the business of his life.
In recognition of the league, Gretzky was named the third, second and first stars of the match with Pittsburgh, and at the end of the season she forever retired the 99th number. Underneath, Wayne performed at Edmonton, Los Angeles, St. Louis and New York Rangers, spending a total of 21 years in the NHL.