As a Canadian
Wayne Gretzky has helped Canada bring their identity to the forefront of North
America. Gretzky was our superstar and
national treasure that the whole world knew about. I wasn’t born when Gretzky got traded from
Edmonton to Los Angeles but when talking to my dad about the trade he told me
that everyone was shocked. Gretzky was
going from the hockey-crazed city of Edmonton to the glitz and glamour of Los
Angeles, which wasn’t known for their hockey culture. When growing up in Canada in our generation
in the 90’s, every kids dream was to be the next Gretzky, just like most
Americans grow up to be Michael Jordan or Derek Jeter. Gretzky is a hero in Canada because he posses
the qualities Canadians try to portray which is hard working, humble and modest
people. He wasn’t flashy but had the
will, skill and passion that made him the greatest hockey player of all
time. When Gretzky was traded it felt
like he was a traitor and became part of American culture. It felt as Canadians we lost him and part of
our identity because Canada is known for hockey their and best player is now
playing in a city that is opposite to the culture of Canada.
With Gretzky being traded to Los Angeles
it helped build the game of hockey in North America. It grew the popularity of the game in
California and United States as teams expanded in California, Texas and
Florida. More kids wanted to play hockey
growing up in places that weren’t familiar with the game. It is more evident in todays’ game where a
lot of players from the NHL and College ranks are coming from different parts
of the United States. As Canadians we
believe this is good for the game because it brings the best competition for
hockey. With Gretzky becoming a part of
American culture I don’t think as Canadians we lost our identity. He is still Canada’s pride and joy and will
always be because he made a name for Canadians and did it the Canadian way
through class and using his fame to be a role model for kids. Gretzky has paved the way for superstars
across the NHL, letting new players inspire a generation of kids playing
hockey. Wayne Gretzky is more than just
a hero to Canadians, he is a hero all over the world and I am proud that we can
call him one of our own.
Ryan
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post i have to say i have to agree with you. Now i am not from Canada and so i am not as big of hockey fan as you probably are but i still think that the trade from edmonton to LA helped the game of hockey and Canda. I say that it helped because as you said in the blog it brought the game to texas and other places that may have not known much about the game of hockey. I also have to agree with you on that Gretzky is by far the greatest hockey player of all time.
Tyler Clifton
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this article I agree with the points that you mentioned. I feel like Gretzky is the best player to play till this day. And with him leaving Canada and came to the states he really made hockey well known. And with him going to LA he would get all the publicity and be able to start a new tradition in America for hockey. This is allowed the kids to look up at him in the States because hockey was not known at the time because it was more of a Canadian sport. But with him here it made hockey well known.
-Sunny Marchand
I have never considered the power Gretzky had in American hockey, mostly because I honestly didn't know the story behind how he got here. Regardless of how Gretzky made it to Los Angeles, it is unbelievable that one person could elevate a sport in a huge country like the United States the way he did. The NHL is one of the four biggest sports in the USA, along with the MLB, NBA, and NFL. It is safe to say that Gretzky is truly the reason for this reality, and his predecessors are just following in his footsteps.
ReplyDeleteJoey Durant