It was on this day in 1999 that Wayne Gretzky was inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame.  Gretzky became the tenth and last player to bypass the usual three-year waiting period.

Wayne Gretzky being elected to the Hall-Of-Fame was a no-brainer, as he is considered by many to be the greatest player in hockey history, hence his nickname “The Great One”.  At the time of his retirement, Gretzky held or shared a remarkable 61 records, which in itself is a record.  Wayne holds many of the significant offensive records for the regular season, playoffs and the All-Star Game.  Gretzky also represented Canada on several different occasions in International play, including the Winter Olympics, World Championships, World Cup and Canada Cup.

One year after his retirement, at the 2000 All-Star Game, the National Hockey League announced that Wayne Gretzky’s famous #99 would be retired league wide.  Gretzky became only the second man in professional North American sports to have his number permanently retired, with Jackie Robinson’s #42 being the first by Major League Baseball.

Here is a tribute to Wayne Gretzky.

Notable Birthdays

Yvan Cournoyer, NHL – Born November 22nd 1943 (age 68) in Drummondville, Quebec

Benoit Benjamin, NBA – Born November 22nd 1964 (age 47) in Monroe, Louisiana

Joe Nathan, MLB – Born November 22nd 1974 (age 37) in Houston, Texas