Good players skate to the puck. Great players skate to where the puck is going to be. Wayne Gretzky More Quotes by Wayne Gretzky More Quotes From Wayne Gretzky The only shot I ALWAYS miss, is the one I don't take! Wayne Gretzky shots missing I played everything. I played lacrosse, baseball, hockey, soccer, track and field. I was a big believer that you played hockey in the winter and when the season was over you hung up your skates and you played something else. Wayne Gretzky hockey baseball soccer I think sports for kids is the greatest thing in the world because it teaches you how to share, about winning and losing and pressure. But I don't think you should force your kid to become a professional athlete. Wayne Gretzky athlete sports kids You miss every shot you don't take. Wayne Gretzky shots missing Thankfully, in my youth I had the best financial advisor a son could ask for: my dad Walter. When I got that first signing bonus in 1978, Dad took my cheque, announced, 'This is what we're going to do,' and bought an annuity with it. Wayne Gretzky dad son firsts As a player, you have one responsibility, to focus yourself and be ready for the game. As a coach, your responsibility is to get 20 guys ready and have them all on the same page. If you can't get every guy ready every night, you're going to struggle. Wayne Gretzky player responsibility struggle If we're going to change the game it has to start at eight, nine and 10 years old. When we were that age we'd go to the pond or backyard rink and throw a puck on the ice and play five on five, or seven on seven. You get this creativity and this imagination that comes from within, just having fun on the pond. Now kids are so focused on team play, and the coaches are so focused on positioning. You can't change it at the NHL level. Wayne Gretzky creativity team fun Everything I did in hockey, I worked for. Wayne Gretzky concentration gifted hockey When I was 5 and playing against 11-year-olds, who were bigger, stronger, faster, I just had to figure out a way to play with them. Wayne Gretzky stronger play years I think a lot of parents live their lives through the kids. Because they didn't make it [achieve something], they want their kids to make it. It puts a lot of undue pressure on the kids. Wayne Gretzky parent kids thinking I don't think any one person will ever be bigger than the game. Wayne Gretzky nhl hockey thinking I don't like my hockey sticks touching other sticks, and I don't like them crossing one another, and I kind of have them hidden in the corner. I put baby powder on the ends. I think it's essentially a matter of taking care of what takes care of you. Wayne Gretzky hockey baby sports A lot of times, I can turn and pass without even looking. Wayne Gretzky turns i-can It really doesn't matter or concern me what people are saying or who thinks who is the favorite. The bottom line is you have to play. Wayne Gretzky play people thinking I'm not sure Mario is going to get accolafes he deserves, especially from outside the game. But from within, the players, the people who follow closely, realize exactly what he's broughtto the table, exactly what he has done. People tend to forget... hockey was dying in Pittsburgh before he got there. I played there. It was almost dead. I'm sorry, but the NHL would not have a franchise in Pittsburgh today had Mario not come along. Think about it, no hockey in Pittsburgh. Wayne Gretzky hockey player sorry I'm probably the only guy in hockey who can win a scoring title and everybody is saying I had a bad year. I don't worry about it. Wayne Gretzky hockey winning years Lifting the Stanley Cup for the first time. There's nothing like it. It's the greatest story. In my era, they used to say you couldn't be a superstar without winning one. I remember thinking when I lifted it: "Now they can't say that about me." Wayne Gretzky stories winning thinking That's the hardest part of this whole process. The best part is picking the players and the worst part is telling basically five players they are not going to play tonight. Wayne Gretzky tonight player process You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. Wayne Gretzky motivational positive inspirational Not doing it is certainly the best way to not getting it Wayne Gretzky best-way encouragement way