| | ESPN.com
The Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto is like Cooperstown to a Canadian.
|  | | Among many other records, Gretzky is the youngest player to have scored 50 goals in a season. |
But no one dreams of being in the Hall of Fame. First, they dream of playing hockey, then of playing in the NHL. If they are fortunate, NHL players can then think about the Hall of Fame, where they can be measured against other great players.
Having the kind of career in which your numbers speak loudly enough to put you into the Hockey Hall of Fame is a thrill beyond imagination. For Wayne Gretzky, when the rules were changed and the requirements waived because of his greatness, it was another incredible honor for a man who truly appreciates it. People mistakenly think the Hall of Fame couldn't possibly mean anything to Gretzky, since he has such an unbelievable list of accomplishments. But he is still a student of the game and a hockey historian; the distinction of the Hall of Fame means an awful lot to him.
Wayne is rarely shaken, but there are some things that still touch him.
At the All-Star Game last year, Wayne rented the Maple Leaf Gardens for a day and took about 15 of his old friends out for a pick-up hockey game before he was inducted. It was a blast. Playing in the last great hockey building in Canada with Wayne Gretzky, knowing it might one of the last times he'll play, made for a pretty special afternoon. Not so incidentally, I thought I was the best player on the ice -- two goals and three assists!
I played with or coached Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers like Mike Gartner, Darryl Sittler, Borge Salming, Bobby Hull, Mark Messier, Rob Blake, Luc Robitaille and Jari Kurri. I'm proud of these guys because they played hard with me, and it's nice to see them get rewarded. On the day they're inducted, I think of them fondly and tip my hat.
Barry Melrose is an analyst for hockey on ABC and ESPN | |
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