I AM PROUD TO SAY MY NEXT GUEST IS A SPORTS ICON AND POSSIBLY
THE GREATEST ATHLETE OF ALL THE TIME.
GIVE IT UP FOR THE WHITE TORNADO.
THE MAIN WAYNE.
THE MAN-ADA FROM CANADA.
WAYNE GRETZKY.
WAYNE, THANKS FOR BEING HERE, MAN.
GOOD TO SEE YOU, PLEASE.
WAYNE GRETZKY.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> A LOT OF CANADIANS, RIGHT.
>> Stephen: WHAT DID YOU SAY?
>> A LOT OF CANADIANS HERE.
>> Stephen: A LOT OF CANADIANS, YEAH.
WE PACK THEM IN SO THEY'LL TAKE US BACK AFTER NOVEMBER.
FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH WAYNE GRETZKY'S
CAREER.
FOUR STANLEY CUP WINS, MOST GOALS OF ALL TIME, MOST ASSISTS
OF ALL TIME.
THE FIRST NUMBER EVER RETIRED LEAGUE-WIDE FOR THE NHL.
AND 10 TROPHIES FOR MOST POINTS IN A SEASON.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> NOW YOU GOT ME NERVOUS.
>> Stephen: I GOT YOU NERVOUS.
I'M NERVOUS.
SO YOU'VE BEEN CALLED "THE GREAT ONE" SINCE YOU WERE 10 YEARS
OLD, I UNDERSTAND.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: NO PRESSURE.
( LAUGHTER ) HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?
WHAT DID THAT MEAN TO YOU AT 10?
>> WELL, SOME GUY DECIDED-- I SCORED 400 GOALS WHEN I WAS 10,
AND SOME GUY DECIDED -- >> YOU SCORED 400 GOALS WHEN YOU
WERE 10?
>> YEAH.
I PLAYED WITH SOME GOOD PLAYERS.
>> Stephen: YEAH, YEAH.
>> I PLAYED DEFENSE.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
>> SO I GOT 400 GOALS.
AND THIS GUY WROTE IN A LITTLE TOWN, HE WROTE IN A PAPER,
EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE THEIR OWN NICKNAME.
A PLAYER OF THAT CALIBER SHOULD HAVE A NAME AND HE SAID WE'LL
CALL HIM, "THE GREATEST ONE."
AND I THOUGHT OH, MY GOODNESS I DON'T WANT THAT NAME.
AND IT STUCK WITH ME MY WHOLE LIFE.
>> Stephen: DID YOU FEEL YOU HAD TO LIVE UP TO IT WHEN YOU
BECAME A PRO?
>> I FELT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PLAYING WELL.
EACH AND EVERY NIGHT, THE CITIES YOU PLAYED NTHE PEOPLE PAID TO
SEE YOU PLAY AND YOU WANT TO PLAY THE BEST YOU CAN PLAY.
BELIEVE ME, I HAD A LOT OF BAD GAMES, BUT ALL IN ALL, I AM
PRETTY PROUD OF MY CAREER.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: THE GAME, AS YOU SEE IT NOW-- WHEN YOU LOOK AT
HOCKEY NOW, HAS THE GAME CHANGE?
>> OH, YEAH.
THE PLAYERS ARE BIGGER.
THEY'RE FASTER.
THEY'RE BETTER ATHLETES.
THE EQUIPMENT'S BETTER.
THEY'RE BETTER COACHED.
IT'S A GREAT TIME FOR HOCKEY RIGHT NOW.
OUR SPORT IS IN A GOOD POSITION, IT'S IN A GOOD PLACE.
I'M A FAN.
I LOVE WATCHING THESE KIDS PLAY.
>> Stephen: HOW DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD DO IN TODAY'S LEAGUE?
>> I'M 55.
>> Stephen: I MEAN, WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER.
>> OH, OKAY.
>> Stephen: OBVIOUSLY, YOU WON'T BE IN THE TOP 10 NOW.
BUT WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER-- IF YOU WERE A YOUNGER MAN IN
TODAY'S LEAGUE, WOULD IT BE TOUGHER OR EASIER?
>> OH, IT WOULD BE A LOT TOUGHER.
>> Stephen: WHY?
>> BECAUSE THE PLAYERS ARE BETTER.
BUT I THINK THAT SOMEHOW MY HOCKEY SENSE I WOULD HAVE FOUND
MY WAY THROUGH IT ALL.
>> Stephen: YOUR HOCKEY SENSE.
>> I DIDN'T HAVE THE SIZE OR THE POWER OR THE SPEED.
I HAD TO USE MY KNOWLEDGE OF THE GAME, AND THAT'S WHAT MADE ME
SUCCESSFUL AS A PLAYER.
SO I SOMEHOW WOULD FIND A WAY TODAY, BUT, OBVIOUSLY, IT WOULD
BE TOUGHER.
>> Stephen: WAS THERE-- SO MANY PEOPLE LOOK UP TO YOU.
WHO WAS THE PLAYER YOU LOOKED UP TO?
>> THERE WAS ONLY ONE, GORDIE HO, WITH E.
( APPLAUSE ) YEAH.
HE WAS -- >> MR. HOCKEY.
>> THE GREATEST PERSON, THE GREATEST PLAYER.
I SAY THIS ALL TIMES TO PEOPLE, SOMETIMES YOU MEET YOUR IDOL AND
YOUR MOM AND DAD SAY, HOUR, WAS IT?
WAS HE GOOD?
WAS HE NICE?
WAS HE FRIENDLY?" SOMETIMES IT'S NOT THAT GREAT.
I MET GORDIE HOWE WHEN I WAS 10 AND I SAID TO MY DAD, IT WAS
BIGGER AND BETTER THAN THAT I EVER IMAGINED.
WHAT WAS REALLY GREAT ABOUT IT, I GOT TWO HOURS OFF OF SCHOOL
THAT DAY, AND I GOT A NEW SUIT.
THAT WAS MY FIRST SUIT I EVER GOT AFTER THE BANQUET.
>> Stephen: HOW MUCH LONGER AFTER THIS?
>> I WAS 10 IN THAT PHOTO.
>> Stephen: HOW LONG BEFORE YOU WERE PLAYING PRO HOCKEY.
>> SEVEN YEARS.
>> Stephen: SEVEN YEARS DID YOU EVER PLAY AGAINST GORDIE
HOWE.
>> WE PLAYED TOGETHER IN THE WORLD PLEEG ALL STAR GAME.
THAT WAS FUN.
GORDIE WAS IN THE LOCKER ROOM, AND MY SWEATER WAS SO BIG-- I
WAS 145 POUNDS THAT YEAR-- AND THE JERSEY WAS SO BIG, GORDIE
TOOK THESE STITCHES AND HE STITCHED UP MY JERSEY TO MAKE IT
TIGHTER.
AND I KEPT THE JERSEY.
GORDIE HOWE DID IT BEFORE THE GAME.
THAT'S HOW GREAT HE WAS.
THE BOOK IS CALLED "99: STORIES OF THE GAME."
99, OBVIOUSLY, WAS YOUR JERSEY NUMBER.
ARE THERE 99 STORIES IN HERE?
>> APPROXIMATELY.
IT WAS SO HARD TO PICK EXACTLY WHAT WE WANTED.
IT IS THE NINTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE RIGHT
NOW, SO I WANTED THE KIDS TO READ ABOUT THE CITIES AND THE
ARENAS AND THE PLAERS AND THE TEAMS, THE FRANCHISES, SOME OF
THE GREAT STORIES OF THE PLAYERS WHO PLAYED THE GAME.
I LOVED THE GAME SO MUCH, AND IT WAS SO GOOD TO ME.
I WROTE-- SAT DOWN AND WROTE SOMETHING.
HOPEFULLY KIDS WILL LOVE IT.
>> Stephen: ONE OTHER THING ABOUT GORDIE HOWE.
I UNDERSTAND WHEN YOU BROKE HIS ALL-TIME SCORING RECORD HE WAS
THERE.
>> YEAH.
HE WAS-- HE WAS ALWAYS AROUND-- EVERY TIME I GOT CLOSE TO ONE OF
HIS RECORDS I WOULD CALL AND INVITE GORDIE AND COLLEEN TO BE
PART OF IT.
SOMETIMES I WOULD GET SO NERVOUS BECAUSE HE WAS IN THE STANDS, I
COULD GO A WEEK WITHOUT SCORING, AND I'D BE SAYING, "OH, MY GOSH,
I HAVE TO SCORE A GOAL HERE SO GORDIE HOWE CAN GO HOME."
THAT WAS PRESSURE.
>> Stephen: DID HE TRAVEL AROUND WITH YOU GUYS?
>> YES, HE DID.
HE'S A WONDERFUL MAN.
AND I LOVED HIM BEING AROUND, LET'S FACE IT.
>> Stephen: WAS IT ALSO HOCKEY OR DO YOU THINK THERE COULD HAVE
BEEN ANOTHER SPORT YOU COULD HAVE PLAYED?
>> MY FIRST LOVE AND MY PASSION WAS BASEBALL.
AS A KID, I GREW UP-- I LOVED THE GAME OF BASEBALL MORE THAN
ANYTHING.
I JUST WASN'T QUITE AS GOOD AT BASEBALL AS I WAS HOCKEY.
SO I THINK I MADE THE RIGHT DECISION.
>> Stephen: NOW, I UNDERSTAND YOU ACTUALLY RAN INTO THE
CLEVELAND INDIANS IN A HOTEL THE OTHER DAY.
>> YES, TORONTO.
>> Stephen: GAVE THEM A FEW TIPS.
>> I GAVE THEM A COUPLE OF POIRNTS AND BOTH GUYS HIT HOME
RUN.
>> Stephen: SO IF THEY WIN THE SERIES, YOU GET TO TOUCH THE
TROPHY.
>> YEAH, PEOPLE IN TORONTO WILL BE UPSET.
>> Stephen: "99: STORIES OF THE GAME" IS AVAILABLE NOW.
THE GREAT ONE, WAYNE GRETZKY, EVERYBODY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, WAYNE.
LOVELY TO MEET YOU.
♪ ♪ ♪ ( APPLAUSE )