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Wayne Gretzky - My Inspiration

Written in: Grade 7 | Year: 2009

What does a Niagara winery have to do with the number ninety-nine? Well, did you know Wayne Gretzky owns Number 99 Estates Winery located in the Niagara region? Now that I have your attention, I want you to know my speech is not about wine, it’s about Wayne Gretzky.

For those of you who may not be hockey fans, I’d like to fill you in about Wayne Gretzky. They call him the “Great One” because he was the greatest hockey player of all time. He played professional hockey from 1978 to 1999. He played most of his career with two teams: the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings. Buckmister Fuller once said “There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly”. Even though Wayne’s size, strength and speed were unimpressive compared to the other players, his intelligence and reading of the game were unrivaled.

I also want to quote a saying by Wayne Gretzky himself. “Procrastination is one of the most deadly of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy.” This quote encourages me to work hard everyday in hockey and in school, and not to put everything off to the last minute. His positive, disciplined attitude not only motivates the players he now coaches on the Phoenix Coyotes but also motivated his team members when he was a player. He also motivates me because he actually achieved his goal by making it to the NHL, not because of natural gifts of size and speed, but he made it because of hard work. Wayne was also a great sportsmanlike player even if the team he played on lost a game, he would congratulate the other team for deserving the win.

Gretzky was a scorer in his first all star game he played in, he scored two goals and he was a fan favourite. Now, that’s hard work! He was a leader in scoring points for a couple of years and in his whole career he got over 1000 points, the most in NHL history. The Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup in the first year that Wayne was their team captain.He was so happy because he led his team to victory, and that’s what I want to do for my adult career. Wayne was a star and a robust play maker even when his line didn’t score a goal. He was out there always trying his best. Another quote from Wayne Gretzky is “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Taking this advice I keep trying and taking shots. I know that if I shoot it at the net something special might happen. I want to do the best for my life and this career is the path I want to take.

I am so dedicated because I have a passion for hockey. I practice two to three times a week to prepare for my hockey games every Friday night when I can show the skills I have learned. In order for Wayne Gretzky to have achieved his record breaking successes, he had to work hard and practice by trying his personal best and reaching his potential. Wayne Gretzky’s life is the life for me. Every hockey game I play I try my best each and every time. When my coaches put me out for the power play or penalty kill, I take their advice. I respect them and treat them like they should be treated.

Wayne and his father Walter Gretzky shared their hockey stories with each other. My Dad and I do the same because we are hockey fanatics. I sometimes go on YouTube or watch videos about Wayne and all the goals and points he had. Whenever he’s in a shootout and scores a pretty goal, I take it into my game, raise the heat, and crank it up a notch. Wayne Gretzky represents my whole passion for the NHL and I follow in his footsteps.

There are a whole lot of possibilities in life and what you can do with your life. Wayne Gretzky had a lot of possibilities in his life like wanting to go to the NHL. Working hard and training for your goal or achievement is a possibility. If you work hard and want to train and achieve something, anything is possible. I am so determined. If Wayne Gretzky can over-achieve his goal, it will not be hard for you and I to do that with our own goals if we keep trying.

Do you know what the future might hold for your adult life? Maybe might see you in your future job or you might see me in the NHL one day. Hockey is my passion. I can’t wait until my next hockey game or practice so I can get out there and skate my heart out. Wayne was my idol, he was my favourite player in the world, he was the best hockey player and a super star in the National Hockey League.

So did you score a goal or didn’t you? Life is a world of possibilities - it is amazing what possibilities there can be in life with hard work and determination.

To conclude, the process of writing this speech in itself has given me a lot more knowledge. Looking at myself, I’m still a kid with a journey of life in front of me. I do not know the path I should yet walk. Many of my goals have not yet crystallized in the same way that there is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you its going to be a butterfly. What I do know is I model myself upon Wayne Gretzky’s work ethic and if I fully believe in myself, I can achieve any goal that I dream of.