European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 31, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wayne int sky Norou nil record Book. Wayne Gretzky the great one e by Ken Rappoport associated press arly in his National hockey league career they started calling Wayne Gretzky the great  it might have seemed presumptuous then but not now. The most precocious athlete in his sport s history continues to dominate hockey As no player before him. The league s most valuable player nine times and its scoring Champion seven times he was an easy Choice for the associated press hockey player of the decade. The most amazing thing about Gretzky is not that he won so Many scoring titles but the Way he won them said Jimmy Devallant. General manager of the Detroit red wings. Never has there been a player in the history of hockey who has so widely outdistanced the  during his first 11 years in the nil starting in 1979, Gretzky not Only rewrote the league record books he became his own Point of reference. The 200-Point plateau once unimaginable in hockey was almost a perennial occurrence for Gretzky who reached that Mark four times including a record 215 in 1985-86. During the 1983-84 season he scored in an incredible 51 straight games hockey s equivalent to Joe Dimaggio s 56-game hitting Streak. This May have been one of the harder records to break Gretzky said. When you score 90 goals or break the record for Points you can do that Over 80 games. But the Streak itself is pressure every night to be at your Best be consistent game in and game  and that is what Gretzky has been the most potent consistent scoring machine in nil history. He is barely 6 feet tall and weighs not much More than 170 pounds a relatively frail figure among the bullies who abound in this violent sport. Out of uniform he usually is dwarfed by his Broad shouldered teammates. But on the ice he is most certainly in place. He has the thing that unique athletes have a peripheral vision said Bruce Macgregor the assistant general manager at Edmonton who was instrumental a acquiring Gretzky for the oilers Back in the 1970s. He not Only sees things he sees them faster than other players. Also he has great hands and a great ability for lateral motion stopping and turning. He s pretty elusive Tough to match up  Gretzky does not possess the Power of a Bobby Hull or the Speed of a Bobby Orr but when it comes to shooting accuracy he leaves other skaters behind. His phenomenal passes which head for teammates Sticks like heat seeking missiles account for his unusually High total of assists each year. His 1,837 Points entering the 1989-90 season included a record 1,200 assists and put him Only 13 behind Gordie Howe on the All time scoring list a Mark he shattered in mid october. From the Start Gretzky was always ahead of his time. At 6, he was competing against 10-year-Olds in his Hometown of Brantford Ontario at 16, he was dominating 20-year-Olds at 17, he was the youngest athlete playing a major league sport in North America and at 20, he broke the nil single season scoring record. I be always done everything Early he once said. Gretzky was playing for a team called the Sault Sainte Marie greyhounds when he signed a lucrative professional contract at the age of 17, with the Indianapolis racers of the world hockey association. After playing just eight games for Indianapolis he was sent to Edmonton for Money badly needed by the racers and in 1979-80, moved with the oilers to the nil when the wha folded. Edmonton a Bright Young Boom town predicated mostly on Oil proved to be just the right place for Gretzky s booming career. Before Long he became the City s greatest natural resource leading the oilers to lol Rstanley cups before he was traded to los Angeles. Gretzky s consistency has been the hallmark of his game. Wayne arrived on the scene just As the communication of the game expanded greatly nil president John Ziegler said. He was so outstanding his accomplishments were such a quantum leap statistic Wise and it was something that could be communicated. This was someone very unique. Even if you had never seen a hockey game before the fact that somebody had suddenly broken the 200-Point Barrier where before it was in the hundreds somebody who did t know anything about hockey would know that was a pretty dramatic  a Jdc o co of co / Luj  stars and stripes bookstores ski Europe is a comprehensive guide to the Best lodging and restaurants that ski resorts in Europe have to offer in every Price category. Learn the Best times to ski in Europe it Means not Only savings of up to 40% even in luxury hotels but you avoid the crowds on the slopes and in hotels restaurants and shops. Ski Europe 1990 is updated annually and is packed with information and prices on accommodations lift tickets and ski schools dining and nightlife plus daycare facilities. Ski Europe 1990 covers major resorts in Germany Switzerland Austria Italy Spain Yugoslavia Bulgaria and France. 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