Wayne Gretzky is the biggest star to ever lace up the skates, there’s no question about it. If you ever needed proof, look no further than this Quebec newspaper article from 45 years ago.
Gretzky played in a Quebec PeeWee tournament when he was 13 years old and newspapers were already writing about him. Well, we have to assume they were writing about him for a while based on the amount of people that went to watch him play.
The article starts out calling Gretzky (They spelled his name Gretsky) the number one attraction and goes on to say that over 12,000 people attended his game (See full translations below).
Image #1
Title: Béliveau and the…prodigy
Jean Béliveau, one of the greatest in hockey history, attended a few games at Quebec’s Pee-Wee tournament yesterday. Of course, he took the opportunity to salute Wayne Gretzky, the #1 attraction at the 15th international tournament.
Image #2
Title: Even the flu can’t stop Gretzky
Pic caption: Wayne Gretzky will make his return this afternoon at 1:05PM against Verdun
More than 12, 000 people gathered in the stands of the Colisée at noon, using their lunch hour to come admire young Wayne Gretzky from Brantford.
On one hand, Gretzky didn’t pull through with the miracle that might have been expected of him, but he still proved that he had many qualities/skills despite his vicious flu and the constant surveillance from the other team.
Every time that Wayne Gretzky got on the ice, the order was clear, and one player from Beaconsfield was specifically mandated to watch over him and stop him from gaining momentum.
Up to a certain point, the strategy was successful, since Wayne only got two goals and made three passes.
On the other hand, as it was seen on Monday night, after the crushing victory against Richardson (?), the Brantford club proved itself as a well formed and well balanced team capable of doing great without their #1 player constantly on the ice. They beat Beaconsfield 9-1.
Just to put that 12,000 number in perspective, that's higher than the New York Islanders average attendance this season. It makes sense when you see how good he was. Just look at Gretzky dangling as a 14-year-old. He barely looks like he’s trying and then the announcer goes on to point out that he scored 333 goals in 78 games.
He’s The Great One for a reason.
