NHL legend Wayne Gretzky recently shared a hilarious story about getting payback on his high school principal who doubted his ability to go far in life.
During an appearance on the “Smartless” podcast (h/t BroBible), Gretzky recounted a story about his high school principal in Edmonton threatening to kick him out.
Gretzky was on the road aplenty, and thus often away from school, during his first season with the Edmonton Oilers in 1979. But the future hockey legend managed to make a deal with the principal so he could technically stay in school:
“The principal calls me in (to his office) in like early January. He says ‘young man, you’re gonna be a nothing. You’re going to amount to nobody. You’re screwing this and that. I should kick you out.’”
“And I said to him ‘look, give me until January 26.’ And he goes ‘what’s that?’ and I go ‘I turn 18 (on) January 26. If I’m still messing up, you can call me in and kick me out of the school.’ So the guy goes ‘okay, I’ll do that for you.'”
So, what did Gretzky did? On Jan. 26, he delivered a short and simple message to his principal:
“I walked in the principal’s office. I said ‘you know what, I just want to thank you for not kicking me out of school. I quit.’ And that was it. And I lived up to what my dad wanted.”
Gretzky is the consensus choice for the greatest hockey player to ever live. A four-time Stanley Cup champion with the Edmonton Oilers, “The Great One” is the all-time leader in goals (894), assists (1,963) and points (2,857).
Obviously, not bad for someone who was warned that they wouldn’t “amount to nobody.”
In his first season with the Oilers (when they were part of the World Hockey Association), Gretzky tallied 43 goals and 104 points in just 72 games. The Oilers were one of four teams to join the NHL after the WHA folded in 1979.
As a rookie in the NHL, Gretzky racked up 51 goals and 137 points during the 1979-80 season. He would lead the Oilers to four Stanley Cup championships in the ’80s decade — in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988.
In a 1988 summer stunner, then-Oilers owner Peter Pocklington traded Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings. The 27-year-old Gretzky reluctantly accepted the trade, as Pocklington needed to secure money to aid his failing businesses.
The Oilers would win a fifth Stanley Cup without Gretzky in 1990, adding a cherry on top of their dynasty. Gretzky guided Los Angeles to the Stanley Cup Final in 1993, but they were ousted by the star-studded Montreal Canadiens in five games.
