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Wayne Gretzky once admitted to lashing out at friends and family and revealed his secret technique to calm down
During an interview in 1984, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky opened up about the struggles he faced while managing his emotions under immense pressure during his legendary career.
Gretzky admitted to sometimes lashing out at family and friends due to the mounting challenges he encountered. To cope with turbulent times, he disclosed his method of drawing strength from the legendary Gordie Howe.
Wayne Gretzky turned Howe's extraordinary ability to handle criticism and adversities throughout his remarkable five-decade-long career into inspiration. By following Howe's path, he discovered a source of motivation that aided him in maintaining composure during difficult moments.
When questioned about the challenge of maintaining emotional balance and how it became increasingly difficult to handle pressure situations in his career, Gretzky said:
"The older I get, the more open to criticism I will be to criticism. You know, I have been fortunate to have great people around me and guiding me the right way, my family, teammates, and friends, and every time I get a little downer, a little disappointed, maybe a little heated," said Gretzky.
"I look and see and talk to a veteran, Gordie Howe, about how great and how well he's handled it for 50 years, and if he could do it, I just every time I want to snap I think he calms me down."
"He's going to be a very good hockey player": Wayne Gretzky on Mario Lemieux
In the aforementioned interview, Gretzky also talked about Mario Lemieux, mentioning the tons of pressure from fans and management Lemieux dealt with after the Pittsburgh Penguins had drafted him first overall in the 1984 NHL draft.
Wayne Gretzky noted that Lemieux was just 18 at the time of his drafting and incredibly talented, predicting a successful future for the young hockey prodigy.
"Believe me, the toughest pressure that you have is from your own teammates and from his teammates.
"Leave him (Lemieux) alone and just let him play hockey. Guide him through; help them, and remember, he's only 18 years old. I know he has talent and ability, and he's going to be a very good hockey player," Gretzky said about Lemieux.
In the same year he was drafted, Gretzky produced one of the best seasons in the NHL. He accumulated a whopping 205 points during the 1983–84 season, marking his second 200-point season in the league with the Oilers.
Apart from his individual success, Wayne Gretzky helped the Oilers win their first Stanley Cup championship after beating the New York Islanders in the final.
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