It was a day like no other in hockey history.
On the same day Number 9, The Great Gordie Howe officially retired from hockey, Number 99, The Great Wayne Gretzky, officially ascended his throne.
Following the most spectacular first-year performance in National Hockey League history, Edmonton Oilers' Wayne Gretzky was informed late Wednesday he had won both the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player and the Lady Byng Trophy as the player best combining ability and sportsmanship. At 19, he is the youngest player ever to win either award.
Only four times since the NHL's creation has a player been so honored with both awards in the same year — the most recent, Stan Mikita in 1968.
A source in the NHL front office said early this morning that the voting in both categories was incredibly close. It was between Gretzky and Los Angeles Kings' Marcel Dionne in both cases and the source said he can't remember an instance when the voting had been that close for either trophy.
Notified late last night by Oiler owner Peter Pocklington of the double honor, the Great Gretzky, who has taken his amazing success in stride, admitted “this makes me pinch myself just a little bit. Sometimes I don't believe all this has happened to me.”
It was only two years ago that Gordie Howe met Wayne Gretzky at a World Hockey Association function in New York, introduced him to singer Debbie Boone, fighter Muhammad Ali and fellow hockey star Bobby Hull.
Gretzky, who at 18 played on the same line with then 50-year-old Howe in a WHA all-star series against the Soviets, said meeting Howe “was the greatest day in his life.”
He said Howe offered some advice he planned to live up to for his entire career. The venerable Howe told him to go out and give everything he had to earn his money every night and if he did that he'd be able to leave the game without any regrets.
Howe left the game he loved without any regrets Wednesday. And Gretzky reaped his first rewards from that sage advice.
If Gretzky is pinching himself a bit, so too is every Edmonton fan who watched his truly spectacular season.
Certainly, those who witnessed Gretzky's heroics in 1979-80, believe he is a most deserving winner of both awards. But, because many considered it larceny that Gretzky was denied eligibility for rookie of the year honors — and the accompanying Calder Trophy — and many believe was cheated out of a share of the Art Ross trophy because of a technicality, I suspect most fans, and perhaps Gretzky as well, feared he would end up empty-handed once again. But by the time three hockey writers in every NHL city cast their ballots, it was obvious few doubters remained.
But when you think about it, that he was able to convince everybody in one short season is most remarkable.
Moments after he had been informed by Pocklington of his two awards. The Journal contacted Gretzky.
” “I remember when I was in Montreal at the award ceremonies last year and I saw those trophies,” said The Kid who started the season, an 18-year-old weakened by tonsilitis, and ended up tied with Dionne for the NHL scoring championship.
“There was a lot of kidding when I looked at those trophies. But I made up my mind when I looked at the Hart Trophy, that someday I'd have my name on that one. I felt, then, if I tried as hard as 1 could. I'd be able to win it. I've always thought there's no use shooting for a medium goal. You have to shoot for the highest goal. And other than the Stanley Cup, that's the greatest trophy there is to win in the NHL.”
1 asked Gretzky if he thought he'd win it in his first year.
“When a 15-or 16-year-old like Tracy Austin can win the world tennis championship, I didn't think it was impossible for an 18-year-old to win one of those trophies,” said The Kid who is certainly no ordinary super star.
Bryan Trottier won the Hart Trophy last year and the honor roll includes past winners like Guy Lafleur, Bobby Clarke, Phil Esposito, Bobby On. Stan Mikita, Jean Beliveau, Gordie Howe, Maurice “Rocket” Richard. Toe Blake, Eddie Shore and Howie Morenz.
Prior to the Oilers first-ever NHL regular season game, Gretzky sat in the visitor's dressing room in Chicago and said: “Hoo, boy, I can't believe this.” And now, he's the winner of the Hart. It was only two years ago when Nelson Skalbania landed his private plane in Edmonton and announced he'd signed The Kid. And now he's the winner of the Lady Byng.
“I'm just delighted for Wayne,” said Pocklington, who took Gretzky off Skalbania's hands when the Racers folded and signed him to a* contract at centre ice on Gretzky's 18th birthday, a contract which doesn't expire until 1999.
“I'm pretty excited. Everybody has to be thrilled for him.”
But is it all that it SHOULD be?
Gretzky's incredible season should — it says here —- have resulted in his being awarded the Hart, Lady Byng, Calder and half the Art Ross trophy. Nobody in hockey history has been able to put together a grand slam like that.
The Kid, who two years ago was nicknamed “Brinks” by his teammates while he was still attending high school and living with an Edmonton family on a room and board arrangement, admits he'd liked to have won them all.
“I have mixed emotions about the other two trophies, let's put it that way,” he said.
. Gretzky finished with 51 goals and 86 assists for 137 points. Dionne also ended up with 137 points — on 53 goals and 84 assists, but won the Art Ross Trophy because he'd scored more goals.
“I understand that when the Art Ross Trophy was awarded it was stipulated by the Ross family they wanted one winner. But when Bobby Hulfand Andy Bathgate tied, the owners should have had a vote. I hear they are talking about splitting the trophy in the event of a tie in the future.
“But I don't think it's right. I have younger brothers and they have a lot of friends and they've all been brought up to believe an assist is just as important as a goal. The kids are having second thoughts about that now. The kids don't believe that anymore.”
As for the Calder Trophy, the NHL has lived with the embarrassment all year of having a contradiction in rules which says the WHA. where Gretzky played one season with the Oilers and Indianapolis Racers, was a minor league and a major league at the same time. Even Ron Andrews, in charge of NHL statistics and NHL records, admitted it isn't fair. Because the WHA was a minor league, Gretzky's points from the WHA don't count toward his NHL career totals. But because Gretzky played one season of major league hockey, Gretzky wasn't eligible for the Calder.
“I was disappointed about that,” said Gretzky. “But I have to admit I did know, when I signed with the WHA, it would be that way. I can't blame anybody but myself and, to some extent, the league because they didn't recognize the WHA a couple of seasons earlier. I think it's partly my fault and partly their fault.”
As for the two trophies he did win, Gretzky says “one is just as nice as the other.
“Maybe someday,” he said, “I'll win a Stanley Cup to put between the two.”
He said he knew he had won one of the trophies before he went into the hospital last week to have his tonsils removed.
“I was told by Ron Andrews I had to be in Montreal on the 10th and 11th of June for the awards banquet. So I figured I'd won something. I've been on edge for the past couple of weeks waiting to find out. People were telling me I had to be here and I had to be there. People were saying I'd won both but nobody could tell me 100 percent for sure until I talked to Mr. Pocklington. It's quite an honor to win those two awards.”
Gretzky says he is convinced he would not have won the Hart if it hadn't been for his teammates.
He feels there were two turning points.
“The first was in Atlanta. We were down 2-1 and we came back to win the game.,” He modestly failed to point out it was his performance that inspired the come-from-behind victory.
“That gave us some momentum. Then we went into Detroit and won and then we went into Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto and won.
“In those last 11 or 12 games all the guys had a big part. We showed character at the end of the season and won 10 of the last 12 games to get into the playoffs. If we hadn't made the playoffs. I'm sure I wouldn't have won the award. I owe a lot to my team-mates.”
The second, and probably most significant turning point, was the game in Maple Leaf Gardens.
Gretzky scored his 48th and 49th goals and added four assists in the Hockey Night in Canada telecast and the performance convinced virtually every observer in Canada of The Kid's greatness.
“They'd just had a Wayne Gretzky Night in my hometown of Brantford,” said Gretzky, who had just returned from throwing out the first ball at the Toronto Blue Jays game in Toronto last night on Brantford Day when contacted by The Journal.
“There was an unbelievable amount of publicity in Toronto that week. And a lot of pressure had built up on me. My parents and friends and my agent Guy Badali were all there, and they were all pretty nervous because a lot of people were expecting quite a bit from me. After that night. I knew I had a chance to win the Hart.”
As for the Lady Byng …
If there was a surprise, that's it.
As chairman of the Edmonton chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, I know one of the three Edmonton voters did not pick Gretzky for that award due to the fact he had 19 minutes in penalties and was actually in one fight. Lafleur had only 12 minutes in penalties, Mike Rogers had 10. Blaine Stoughton 16, Mike Bossy 12 . . . well, there were several players in the league who had fewer penalty minutes including Oilers Blair MacDonald who had only three minors all season.
But there is no mention about penalty minutes in the voting requirements. The award is bestowed upon the player who best combines ability and sportsmanship. For that reason, I, and obviously many others, voted for Gretzky. (At least six other writers, incidentally, refused to fill in their Calder ballots or wrote the name Gretzky on their ballots.) There may have been a sympathy element to the Lady Byng voting, considering the Calder and Art Ross trophies, but who is to say?
“The Lady Byng is a little special,” said Gretzky. “Because it's for the player who combines ability with sportsmanship, I'll always cherish that one. I've always tried to be that kind of hockey player and I'll always try to be that kind of hockey player.”