THE GREAT GRETZKY

An exclusive interview with the undisputed king of hockey

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Wayne Gretzky changed the game of hockey forever. He put on skates for the first time at the age of two, skating on a frozen river on his grandmother's farm in Canada and was taught the game of hockey by his father, Walter, who built a rink in the family's back yard. He made his first team at age five and at the age of 10 he scored so many goals he earned the nickname “The Great One.”

As a pro, he led the Edmonton Oilers to four Stanley Cups and shattered record after record: most goals in a season (both first and second place), most assists, most points and many more. After 20 seasons in the NHL, a career that included stints with the New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues and L.A. Kings, the Great Gretzky retired from the game. Today, the 64-year-old talks hockey on television for TNT and has a host of business ventures. In February, Gretzky sat down with CIGAR AFICIONADO executive editor David Savona at Churchill Cigar Co. in Palm Beach, Florida, for a conversation about his life, his career and his longstanding love of cigars.

SAVONA: How would you feel after playing a game of hockey?

GRETZKY: The biggest fallacy of my career was people said I never got hit. So not true. There were nights where, especially as I got older, I was really sore and the next morning was really hard. It was a different time, too. We practiced every day but Christmas Day. I remember my first training camp [when I was] 18 years old. They used to say if you drank water during practice you were out of shape. No water. They might bring a few water bottles, but everybody was afraid to touch them. There were no Power Bars when I played, we didn’t have Gatorade. If you were really tired and needed a little energy you would eat a Mars bar or an Oh Henry! bar.

SAVONA: I read that you ate steak before games.