The Canadian retired hockey player Wayne Douglas Gretzky has a net worth of $250 million. He serves as the head analyst on TNT’s lead NHL studio show.
With outstanding performances in his former career, he is widely known for being one of hockey’s greatest players and has broken more than 61 records in the NHL.
Gretzky contributed 20 years in the NHL for four teams from 1979 to 1999.
In 1999, after his retirement, he was immediately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and in 2000, he was inducted into the IIHF Hockey Hall of Fame.
Wayne Gretzky visited Firebird’s home game against the Gulls and dropped the puck at Acrisure Arena on Jan 22, 2023.
Let’s go through some quick facts before proceeding.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Wayne Douglas Gretzky |
| Nickname |
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| Birthdate | 26 January 1961 |
| Birthplace | Brantford, Ontario, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Ethnicity | Unknown |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Zodiac Sign | Aquarius |
| Age | 63 Years Old |
| Father’s Name | Walter Gretzky |
| Mother’s Name | Phyllis Hockin |
| Sibling |
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| High School | Brantford |
| College | Sault Ste. |
| Gender | Male |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife’s Name | Janet Jones (m. 1988) |
| Ex-Girlfriends | Unknown |
| Children | Five; Two Daughters And 3 Sons |
| Children’s Name |
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| Weight | 185 lb/84 kg |
| Height | 6’0″ /183 cm/1.83 m |
| Eye Color | Blue |
| Hair Color | Light Brown |
| Profession |
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| Position | Centre |
| Shot | Left |
| Played For |
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| National Team | Canada |
| Playing Career | 1978-1999 |
| Net Worth | $250 Million |
| Social Media | Twitter, Instagram |
| Website | gretzky.com |
| Merch | Jersey, Funko Pop, Hockey Card |
| Last Update | March 2024 |
Net Worth & Income
The retired Canadian professional hockey player has a net worth of $250 million. While contributing to his career in the NHL, he earned $46 million in salary.
Gretzky showcased the most promising young prospect, and Racers owner Nelson Skalbanai signed 17-year-old Gretzky to a seven-year personal services contract worth $ 1.75 million in World Hockey Association.
Similarly, at 18, Gretzky signed a contract with Pocklington for a 10-year personal services contract worth $3 million.
Later, Wayne Gretzky signed an $8 million contract with the New York Rangers as a free agent.
With involvement in the endorsement, he got an additional $50 million over the course of his career. Likewise, when combined, he earned around the same as $150 million after adjusting for inflation.
One of his 1979 O-Pee-Chee hockey cards sold for $3.75 million in a private sale on May 2021.
The New York Post reported that Turner Sports hired Gretzky for Turner’s seven-year agreement with the NHL.
Besides airing regular-season and playoff games on TNT starting next season, it includes the 2023, 2025, and 2027 Stanley Cup Finals.
Lifestyle
House
Along with his wife, Janet, Wayne Gretzky lived in California’s 13,000-square-foot Thousand Oaks mansion.
The luxury mansion designed in a Colonial Revival style comprised six beds, eight main bath house, and two guest houses.
Later, in 2007, the Gretzky couple moved out, selling it to a baseball star Lenny Dykstra.
In 2018, the Gretzky couple again repurchased it for $14.9 million. Gretzky again sold the mansion in 2021 for $17.6 million.
But The House Was Too Big For The Couple
Similarly, the large living room is filled with huge windows and spectacular long-distance views across the Conejo Valley.
Likewise, a Championships-zed tennis court, a huge swimming pool, a full gym, and a detached garage with four cars outside.
Despite the house having various facilities, the Gretzky couple decided that it was too huge to maintain with their five kids out of the house.
Book
Wayne Gretzky has written many books regarding his life and career history. Some of his works include Gretzky: An Autobiography (1990) and 99: My Life in Pictures (1999).
In 2016, he published 99: Stories of the Game, which became one of the best-selling Canadian books that year.
Endorsement & Business Ventures
After making history in his NHL career, Wayne Gretzky, after his retirement, invested heavily in the ownership of different sports teams.
After his retirement, various NHL teams approached him about an ownership role.
In 1985, Gretzky bought the Hull Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for CAD 175,000.
Later, in 1992, he sold the team for CAD 550,000 ($411,144). While he was the owner, he changed the team’s color to silver and black.
When in 1991, Bruce McNall purchased the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, Wayne Gretzky was the minority owner who sold the team in 1994.
He purchased a rare Honus Wagner T206 cigarette card for $451,000 in a partnership with McNall, selling it later. The cigarette card was sold for $2.8 million.
From Foods To Pillowcases
Similarly, Gretzky and McNall also owned Thoroughbred racehorses, and one of them won France’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 1990.
Wayne Gretzky’s appeal as a product endorser surpassed that of other hockey players of his era, and by 1995, he was one of the five highest-paid athlete endorsers in North America.
He got deals from Domino’s Pizza, Coca-Cola Company, Sharp Corporation, Upper Deck Company, etc.
He had also launched and endorsed various products, from pillowcases to insurance.
Gretzky partnered with First Team Sports, the sports equipment maker, and Worldwide Roller Hockey Inc.
Likewise, he was also included in the video game brand EA Sports in its 2010 title NHL Slapshot.
Business Venture
As a part-owner of Andrew Peller Ltd. in 2017, Wayne Gretzky opened a winery and distillery.
It bore the name of Wayne Gretzky Estates in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. The products were labeled by trademark No. 99.
From the time period from 1993 to 2002, the former player, along with a business partner, operated Wayne Gretzky’s restaurant in downtown Toronto.
Later, in 2016 he opened other restaurants at the Edmonton International Airport with the Name No.99 Gretzky’s Wine & Whisky. In 2018, he called Studio 99 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.
Charity Works
In 2002, former hockey player Wayne Gretzky founded the Wayne Gretzky Foundation. He established the foundation to provide less fortunate youths with the experience of hockey sports.
The Wayne Gretzky Foundation trusts that hockey instills many positive life skills and emotional and social growth in the youths.
Likewise, the foundation annually conducts events with a huge amount of fund-raising events and donations from corporate sponsors.
Celebrities and other sponsors also play a huge amount in keeping this foundation growing.
The foundation has raised over $1 million with the support of youth in hockey.
Wayne Gretzky also contributes to and supports other charities such as the Arthritis Society of Canada, Bone Marrow Foundation, Casey Lee Ball Foundation, Lupus Canada, and many more.
Career & Records
Before jumping into the NHL at 17, Wayne Gretzky signed a $1.75 million seven-year personal services contract with the Indianapolis Racers in the WHA.
Later after the WHA folded in 1979, Gretzky’s team joined the NHL, and he contributed to leading them to four Stanley Cup victories.
As a member of the Oilers, he was honored with the Hart Memorial Trophy during his first NHL season as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player.
He became the first player in NHL history to break the two hundred-point mark with outstanding performances, scoring over 200 points in a season and other achievements.
In 1999, he retired from his professional career with his last contribution by playing for the New York Rangers.
After his playing career, Gretzky moved into a management role as the executive director of the Canadian National Men’s Hockey Team for the 2020 Winter Olympics.
Later, in May 2000, with a partnership with Steven Ellman, he became a part-owner of the NHL team, the Phoenix Coyotes. Gretzky was the team’s coach from October 2005 till September 2009.
Wayne Gretzky also became the vice-chairman and partner of Oilers Entertainment Group in 2016. He was honorary chairman of the Open Ice Summit, held in August 1999, to discuss the tactics to improve Canadian ice hockey.
Legacy
- With outstanding performances, Gretzky’s career was filled with achievements and honors. He won nine Hart Trophies as the Most Valuable Player in the NHL.
- He was awarded the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s season points leader 10 times. In 1985 and 1988, he was named the MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
- Gretzky earned the Lester B. Pearson Award on five occasions.
- Gretzky’s hometown of Brantford, Ontario, was renamed Park Road North to “Wayne Gretzky Parkway” and the North Park Recreation Centre to The Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre.
- There is a huge statue of Gretzky outside the Staples Center when the Kings held a jersey retirement ceremony in 2002.
- As a tribute to Gretzky, Capilano freeway was renamed Wayne Gretzky Drive in October 1999 for his time with Edmonton Oilers.
Similarly, several trophies and awards have been made under his name.
- The United States Hockey Hall of Fame has created the Wayne Gretzky International Award to honor international individuals who have made major contributions to the development and growth of hockey in the United States.
- Another award dedicated under his name is the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award, annually presented to the Most Valuable Player in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs.
- Likewise, the Wayne Gretzky Trophy is presented annually to the playoff champion of the OHL’s Western Conference.
- He was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017.
2023 Update
Hockey Hall of Fame inductee and sports icon Gretzky made his 2023 visit to Firebirds and dropped the puck in front of a sell-out crowd at Acrisure Arena in a Firebirds home game against the Gulls.
🏒 Royalty inside @AcrisureArena for tonight’s @Firebirds game 👀
Worldwide Wayne! More tonight ➡️ @KESQ pic.twitter.com/BdQTVMIovn
— Bailey Arredondo (@BaileyKESQ) January 23, 2023
In the match, San Diego Gulls lost to Coachella Valley Firebirds (4-2).
On January 23, 2023, Gretzky was also scheduled to be featured in the Rancho Mirage Speaker Series.
Quotes
- “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.”
- “Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest diseases, and its toll on success and happiness is heavy.”
- “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it has been.”
Trivia
- Gretzky learned skating on the Nith River near his grandparent’s farm in Canning, Ontario, even before he was three.
- He endorsed the Conservation Party and Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the 2015 Canadian federal election campaign.
- Gretzky was named “The Great One” due to his scores in his hockey games.
- Gretzky and Janet’s marriage was broadcast live throughout Canada from Edmonton’s St. Joseph’s Basilica.
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Wyne is a Canadian retired hockey player with a net worth of $250 million.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How many Stanley Cups did Gretzky win?
Gretzky won four Stanley Cups in total as the team captain who led the Oilers. (in the 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, and 1987–88 seasons).
How many children does Gretzky have?
Gretzky and Janet have five children, two daughters, and three sons.
