Wayne Gretzky to the Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa SHOW

Story and Photos by Pat Krause

The Rancho Mirage Speakers Series brought its first guest, Hockey Great Wayne Gretzky, to the Agua Caliente Resort

Casino Spa SHOW on Monday, January 23. Wayne Gretzky is a four-time Stanly Cup Champion and winner of many titles and awards during his career. Over 400 people came to listen to one of the best Hockey players in the world. The show was a Q&A session with Christine Simpson as moderator, who is wellversed in Hockey.

Gretzky talked a lot about his father and how he fell in love with Hockey at the age of 4 when he watched Gordie Howe play. Howe became his idol, and he met him at age 10. His father and family were great supporters in helping him on his course as a superior hockey player. Gretsky said he loved other sports and played some. Playing different sports helped him with his Hockey playing.

He said Hockey was so different when he played. He loved the bus rides and airplane trips. The comradery of the players. Hockey was not a well-known sport, especially in Los Angeles. They worked hard to bring Hockey into a fan-favorite sport. He said they knew they had to start with the young kids first to get their parents to games and help them in this sport.

He played with the number 9 to honor his idol Gordie Howe but came to wear the number 99. He eventually became friends with Howe and his family. Gretzky spoke about some games where the lights went out and another where it was so cold the ice was not good. Ice must be kept at a specific temperature to be suitable for skating.

He said he was talked into acting in a soap opera, and he was so wrong. He told me about other stints, like one on Saturday Night Live. He has a great sense of humor and had the audience laugh at his stories. When asked about other players, he mentioned greats like Bobby Orr, Grant Fehr, Patrick Kane, and some of the newer players making a name for themselves.

He said that the equipment was so different back then too. If you got a concussion, you took two aspirin and slept well. But, the love of the game kept everyone working to make it bigger and better. He was asked about the new Acrisure Hockey Arena. He said it was an honor to drop the first puck at the home game the night before. He was amazed at how the arena was built and how wonderful it is to have an ice arena here in the Valley.

He was asked how it felt to have a pro golfer in the family as his son-inlaw. He said they don’t talk Hockey or golf. However, he understands the passion one has for his choice of sport. There were so many stories that brought a lot of laughter, but there were too many to mention here. Simpson asked him some questions from the audience that brought more laughter.

Kretzky did a meet and greet after the show. Fans wore Gretzky Jerseys and brought items to get autographed. Acrisure Arena will bring even more fans to Hockey. The next Rancho Mirage speaker will be Football legend Emmitt Smith on February 21 at the SHOW.