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"The Great One" waves goodbye.
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The 38-year-old superstar played 20 seasons in the NHL, the last three with
the New York Rangers. In 1,487 career games, No. 99 totalled 894 goals,
1,963 assists and 2,857 points. He won the Hart Trophy nine times, took the Art Ross Trophy on 10 occasions and was a member of four Stanley Cup-winning teams.
Here's what "The Great One" had to say...
Q - Are you satisfied with yourself and your career?
It's time. John (Muckler) called a time out there with 30 seconds to go, and he's
got a daughter that is about to give birth in Edmonton, so he called a time out with
30 seconds to go and I came over and he said ‘I got to tell you something’. I said ‘What?’.
And he said ‘I just had a grandson today, and you got to get the winner.’ And maybe
when I was younger, I might have got that winner for him. I didn't get it for him
today, and I know it's the right time.
Q - How hard was it for you to actually get off the ice, especially because of the
finality of it all?
Yeah, my teammates have made this whole thing hard for me, and so did the response
from the fans at the end. And, not just the end, but through my three years here and 20
years in the NHL. I was savoring it. I got emotional a couple times. I saw Mark (Messier)
and Paul (Coffey) earlier, and I was a little emotional then. I saw Glenn Anderson and, at
the end there, when I saw Ulfie (Samuelsson) -- I didn't know Ulfie was coming. It was a
surprise. Ulfie and I were good friends when he played here and that kind of threw me over
the edge. I got pretty emotional when he came on the ice. But, you know, I said to a good
friend today that this is not a passing on, this is a moving on. And that's the way I've
attacked these four days. I'm going to miss this game. It's a great game to cover, it's
a great game to watch and it's going to kill me not to play. But time does something to you,
and it's time. I feel really confident about my decision. I haven't wavered one ounce in the
last seven days.
Q - Was today as magical and as perfect a way to go out as it looked like it was from our
point?
I wish I could have been (Michael) Jordan hitting that last shot to win the championship,
but that wasn't going to happen. I said to a friend earlier that maybe it was fitting that the
best young player in the game scored the goal in overtime. And maybe it was fitting -- everyone
always talks about passing torches and all that stuff…he caught it. That's what I told him after
the game, I said you caught it. I'm happy for Jaromir (Jagr). Maybe it was only fitting that he
got the goal.
Q - Did he apologize to you?
Yeah. He said ‘I didn't mean to do that.’ That's what I used to say, I told him.
Q - Was it hard for you to concentrate on the game once the pregame ceremony started?
It was a tough game for me today. I tried to do my best. I went home last night at 8:00. I went
and met my family last night and left at 8:00. I said ‘I'm leaving.’ My dad said ‘Where are you going?’
I said ‘It used to be in the old days you told me to get to bed and now you're asking why I'm leaving.’
I wanted to approach the game and be ready the best I could, but it was hard. It was, and what made
it even harder was that my teammates were trying so hard. I think Niklas (Sundstrom) is such a great
young player and a great young gentleman. I felt sorry for him at times. I knew he was nervous, and
I was trying to -- when you're nervous like that, it means a lot of things. That means you're a good
person. I think it was a tough game for the teammates, but they enjoyed it.
Q - Did you do anything special for your teammates today?
I gave a speech after the second period. People who know me and play with me know that I don't give
many speeches. It's not really my style to stand out. But today, after the second period I called
everyone in and said ‘You know, I thought I was going to be crazy after the game. I didn't know what
to expect, what was going to happen.’ So, I had the number 99 branded on my shaft, in the wood part
of the shaft, sorry, the wood part of the blade. Then, with a silver marker, we put every guy's marker
on it, including the coaches and the trainers, and I gave every guy that played with us this year who
was there a signed and dated stick as a gift from me for their friendships, for what they did for my
game this year and just the enjoyment I had being around them.
Q - With all the great moments you've had in the past, somebody would had to live about 50 lifetimes
just to get the accolades you've gotten. Now that it's over, do you have any kind regrets?
Not only am I mentally ready to retire, I'm physically ready to retire. It's hard. This is a great game,
but it's a hard game. I'm ready. I don't know what else to tell you. I talked to Mario this morning.
He called me. He lied to me. He said he couldn't make it. I didn't know he was going to be here. So
I told him out there, I said ‘You lied to me.’ But I said that today, physically, I'm ready -- not just
mentally, physically I'm ready.
Q - No athlete who ever played in this town for only three years got the kind of treatment and response
you did. How did that make you feel?
Special. I said this for four days now. It's a special place to be a hockey player -- this facility, in
this town. People who know me know that I love sports, and people where I walk on the streets always ask
‘What's going on with the Rangers?’ and ‘How are you doing?’ That's my life. I don't run from it. I don't
hide from it. It's a tough town to play in because there's a tremendous amount of pressure. But, the fans
here just want a hard effort. If you work hard and bust your butt and answer to people, they'll back you.
I've loved playing here. I said it many times. It's just a wonderful place to play. I highly encourage
anybody who has that chance to come and play here.
Q - They played a speech from Kevin Lowe on the scoreboard. What did you think of that?
Yeah. I told him for years that I tipped that shot. He wouldn't take it. He said he wouldn't give it
to me. Kevin called me the other day. It was one of my first phone calls. Because they played Friday and
whatever, I ended up getting a hold of him yesterday. I got back to him yesterday. We had a really nice
conversation. You know, we grew up together. He taught me a lot. He was one of the guys that taught me how
to work hard. He's one of the guys that taught me that you do anything you can for the team to win. We had
a lot of fun together. He comes from a close family and is just one of the ultimate competitors in sports.
We shared some of the great memories and moments of our winning championships last night. It was fun. I
haven't done that in a long time. It was fun to do it.
Q - You seemed more relaxed today than you were on Friday. Were you and what are you going to do now?
Friday, I was emotional. I had a good cry at home on Friday before I went. It's hard to get up and tell
the world you're leaving. Especially when you've been treated so nicely by a lot of people, organizations
and fans. I knew on Friday that I'm not going to dive into something. I don't know what I'm going to do, but
I know one thing, and that’s that I'm going to take a long time off now, get away from hockey, get away from
everything, and just enjoy myself and be a parent.
Q - What were your thoughts when you found out your number was going to be retired?
Well, it's a great honor. You know, we talked about sweaters, numbers and that sort of thing a while ago,
and I said that the first number that needs to be retired here before anybody's is Mark's. But, for the League
to do what they did today was pretty special, and words can't describe it. When this gentleman in 1977 told me
to wear the sweater, I didn't expect one day that they wouldn't let anybody else wear it again. It's a great honor.
Q - You said on Friday that you would have an emotional moment when you laced the skates for the last time.
How was it?
It wasn't too bad. In the middle of unlacing my skates, Mark O'Meara came in and said ‘I got a brand new
pair of spikes for you.’ That kind of took the edge off it. I'll tell you honestly that the most emotional time
I had was when John called the timeout. That's when I got kind of emotional and that's when it really hit
me that I was done. I looked up and I said my goodness, I've got 30 seconds to go. That's when it hit me.
Q - What happened this morning?
I got up, a good friend of ours brought over a bunch of coffee and I dropped my kids off with my mom and
dad so they took them to the hotel. A buddy of mine came over and we were organizing tickets for a good hour.
I was trying to make sure that everybody had a ticket and that all my friends and family got into the building.
I was communicating with John here a lot. And then Mark and Mario called me, and I talked to them for a bit.
Michael Jordan called me and I talked to him for a bit. I had to grab the phone from Janet for both of them,
but finally I got it. And Janet has been trying to get me to eat. She said ‘You have to eat.’ Then, the last
thing Michael said was make sure you eat, and if he says you better eat, I figured I'd better go eat. So, I
went and had a quick bite to eat and I came down here with my dad. Thought it would be nice to come to the
arena with my dad. I got here around 11:30. I did a couple interviews -- one for Phil Esposito. Then I went
in the locker room, went to the trainer's room where I normally do at 12:30 and started to listen to guys talk
about old hockey games and old hockey players and all the things I love about the game. We had a real fun time.
In between all that I taped up about 45 sticks. I gave them all away to teammates and trainers. I kept eight
of them I think. And I kept the one I got my last assist with. Brian (Leetch) will go down as the guy who
scored the last goal that I ever set up.
Q - Will you remain in New York?
Right now we're thinking that's the direction we're heading. We love it here. The school system is
phenomenal. My kids have developed so many friendships. We have not talked about what we're going to do, but
we have no reason to leave right now. We love it here.
Q - Is that car number 17 or 18?
I couldn't believe that. That was pretty classy. That goes back to what I said earlier -- if you can play
in this town, it's a great city. They brought out the car and I almost fell over. It was special.
Q - Are you keeping it?
Oh, yeah. What was that line that (Jack) Nicholson said, I think I earned it.
Q - What did Michael Jordan tell you this morning?
He told me that I'm going to really love retirement in the sense that, if my decision is accurate as I
believe it is, he said you're going to have no qualms about it, really love it. He said basically the same
thing in his last week, when everybody was rallying around him to come back. He didn't waver. Just because
I'm retired now, don't think I'm going to become a better golfer.
Q - Would you consider buying the Islanders?
I haven't even thought about that. That would probably cost a lot of money.
Q - What did you do when you got to the rink today?
I came into the Garden, and I always walk up the thing where the zamboni is. In my three years here, I
always walked up the ramp and walked along the glass there down past the bench and then in. I just have always
done that. Probably because I didn't want to see the other team and I'm uncomfortable before a game to see
other players. But I just walked around and I looked around. I looked at the building. It’s a special place
and I remember thinking and saying that I just want to go and play as good as I can today. That was my last
thought.
Q - What about being here with your dad? What was it like to have him with you?
Same as any kid. Probably same as you guys with your fathers. There's no relationship like a father and
a son. My dad is a blue-collar man who worked eight to five every day, never missed a day of work and never
made over $35,000 a year. But everything he made, he put into his kids and his family. He almost died at one
point, and battled through it. He's a good person. For people who know my dad, he'll do anything for anyone.
He goes to hospitals, he visits the kids, he's just a special man and he happens to be my father. I told him
that I get all the accolades and all the glory, but really, truly, he deserves it, not me.
Q - I’m sure that you've seen a lot of pregame ceremonies in sports. I don't think I've ever seen anything
quite as perfect as this one. And I don't think I've seen you have quite as good a time at one before. Your
thoughts?
I wanted it to be a celebration. I didn't want everybody crying and all that stuff. But, yet I said to John
that in fairness to the Pittsburgh Penguins -- they're battling for their lives -- we didn't want to disrupt
them, although we knew there were going to be some things going on. We didn't want to make it so they were like
what's going on here. So John and the Rangers did a nice job at keeping it short, sweet and classy, and realizing
that most importantly was the hockey game itself.
Q - Can you talk about how you sold the game when you were in Los Angeles and St. Louis. And now that you
are retired, can you discuss what you think is the next step for the NHL.
Not my worry right now. I got a couple months off. I'm going to take some time off. It's a great game.
There's nobody bigger than the game. The game is a phenomenal game. The game is growing, it's getting bigger
all the time. I take my kids down to youth hockey here, and people -- the game is growing bigger and bigger
around New York. I just think it's a wonderful game, and I think it's in good shape and gonna get better.
Q - What do you want people to remember about you?
Probably just that I cared about the game and I cared about my teammates. I don't think I ever played
without giving an honest effort, whether it was an exhibition game in September or a Game Seven in May. If
you work and prepare and play as hard as you can, that's all you can ask for as a player. Some days it goes
great for you, and some days you struggle. But if you do your best and prepare your best, that's all you
can ask for.
Q - I notice that you are still wearing your uniform. Is it hard to take off the sweater and how will it
feel when you finally do?
I would love to give you a really tremendously elaborate story, but the reality was that they told me
you guys were waiting for me to get over here. Normally I would have changed, but when they said that
everybody's waiting, I said ‘All right, I'll go right now.’ Probably subconsciously, I don't want to take
it off. I'm not gonna put it on ever again. It's hard. It's hard to take it off right now. I have to be honest
with you. I don't want to take it off. You know, I said a million times, that I was a boy that happened to
love a game and got lucky enough that the good Lord gave me a passion for it. And I happen to follow some
boyhood idols who were great NHL players. I said many times, everything I have in my life I owe to the
National Hockey League. I wouldn't have anything without it.
Q - Were you crying tears of joy or tears of sorrow?
Tears of joy. I broke down a couple of times, as I said. Once near the end of the game, and then once
when I saw Ulfie. And they were tears of joy because I was kind of thinking of all the fun things and all
the days of hard work together and -- tears of joy. No question.
Q - Have you taken a moment to reflect on your career and think about all the things you have done?
I think that that's something that's in my personality, but for people who really know me. I know -- trust
me, I know mostly every stat in hockey from Rocket Richard to Jaromir
Jagr. That's my life. I follow it. I love it. And I stay on top of it.
Q - Do you recall the stuff they were showing on the scoreboard today -- your greatest show business moments?
That's what Kevin Stevens said when he saw me.
He said ‘Now I know why you made it as a hockey player, you had no talent there, you had to work hard.’
Q - Did you have a chance to talk to your mom and dad after the game? If so, what was the tone of the conversation?
I saw them for a minute. I didn't have a long opportunity. My mom just said that she was happy for me. Like
any other father that, when you're a son, you want to hear it, he told me he was very proud of me. So it was nice.
Q - Wayne, you mentioned that you think hockey is in great shape. Do you have any concerns for the game in Canada?
Well, there's no perfect world. We've always battled these problems, not only in professional hockey but
in all professional sports. With the small-market teams and Canadian teams, especially now because the
Canadian dollar has really made it difficult for even the bigger city teams like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver,
what we need to do is come up with a scheme or relationship that makes both the owners and the players happy.
Where, I guess, people become partners and, at the end of the day, you walk away with both people making money.
That's what we need. We need to find a common ground in that sense.
Q - Are you looking at buying a Canadian team?
I would tell you what I'd tell anybody that came to me with a business venture. I'd look at anything. I'll
study anything. To tell you right now that I'm going to own a Canadian team, it’s not true. To tell you I won't
own a Canadian team, that's not true. I haven't made a decision yet. My focus is on my kids in school and living
in New York.
Q - When you signed with the Rangers three years ago, what did you expect and were your years here a success?
I expected to win a Stanley Cup. That's why I play, that's why I came to New York. I came here to be a Ranger.
I spent a whole year listening to Messier tell me how great it was to play here and that I have to get to New
York. I eventually did that. I was so proud and happy that I was able to come here. Obviously, this year was
disappointing in the sense that we didn't make the playoffs. But, you know, once the train starts rolling down
the track, you can't derail it. And the train that is rolling down the track right now is a young train and they
have to stay on course, and to derail it doesn't do anything for anyone. No one player is bigger than the team.
Whether it be Wayne Gretzky or anyone else. They just need to stick to their game plan. But, I'll tell you this,
I loved playing here. I loved being a Ranger. I was treated with nothing but class and respect from the
organization and from the city.
Q - What are you going to do tomorrow?
What am I going to do tomorrow? I'm going bowling. On Tuesday -- or Monday, I guess, Brian and I were
discussing what was going to happen after Sunday's game. Little did Brian know at that time that there was
going to be a tornado coming through in the next few days. Our plan was that after our medicals and physicals
tomorrow, which I am not going to and which I don't have to be at, we're all going bowling around 4:00 in the
afternoon. So I'm going to spend the afternoon with my teammates tomorrow at a bowling party. I'm looking
forward to it. I'm going to enjoy it.
Q - Are you any good at bowling?
Can I tell you, I've only bowled in Canada and it's five pins. Here, it's ten pin. I never bowled with
ten pins. I don't know if I'm going to mess up the ball. That's what (Darren) Langdon said.
Q - When you finally skated around, you stopped and kind of saluted the Canadian flag. Can you talk about
what it means to have represented Canada in the National Hockey League? And, what did you think about Bryan Adams’
version of the national anthem?
The new words at the end, wow. I've known Bryan for 20 years, and I thought that today was a day that maybe
we needed to play the Canadian National Anthem. It was nice for Bryan to come in. He's such a great entertainer,
and a good friend. So I'm happy he came here. I don't think those words are going to stick, but it was flattering.
As a child, one of the things I remember most was '72 Canada Cup. Ironically enough, one of the people you
remember most is (Vladislav) Tretiak, who was on the losing side, but he was so phenomenal. But, when the
Canadians eventually won, I was 10. I remember sitting there, saying that one day I would be so proud to play
-- so happy to be a part of Team Canada. So, in 1981 when I got invited to go play there, Guy Lafleur took me
under his wing and it was a special honor for me to play with him. And, in '87, to play with Mario, who, as I
said today, is the best player that I ever played against. And to have the three games we had, and as Janet would
tell you, the day that Bobby Clarke called me last year to tell me I was going to be on the Canadian Olympic team
was one of the most exciting moments of my career. I was so proud to play on that team. I was so thrilled that he
would make me a part of it. I had one of the greatest experiences of my life playing in the Olympic games. I was
devastated and disappointed that we didn't win, but sometimes it's not in the cards to win. And, it wasn't from
the lack of preparation or from the lack of dedication. Our guys handled and carried themselves very well. It's
an honor I'll never forget.
Q - Are you going to give your hockey material to the Hockey Hall of Fame?
They can have everything they want.
Q - The sweater?
Absolutely. Like I said the other day, when I was 13-years-old, I used to go to the Hockey Hall of Fame and
hang out and stare and look at pictures. It was a great thrill for me to go through there. If the Hockey Hall of
Fame wants my uniform, then that's the only place it will go: The Hockey Hall of Fame.
Q - When you get a chance to get away from the game and look back at your great career, what do you think is
going to be more special, today or winning the Stanley Cup for the first time?
Why don't you call me in two months. I'll give you my number. It's hard to answer that question today.
Today's pretty thrilling.
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