On This Date in Sports October 14, 1978: The Great One Debuts
Wayne Gretzky made his professional debut at 17 with the Indianapolis Racers in the fledgling WHA. Gretzky signed a seven-year contract worth $1.75 million in the summer. At the time, the NHL had an age restriction of 20. The move was a last-ditch effort to save a struggling team that hoped to be a part of the coming merger with the NHL.
Wayne Gretzky was born in Brampton, Ontario, on January 26, 1961. From the moment Wayne Gretzky first learned to skate, it was magic. So gifted was he that by the age of six, he was playing on a team with ten-year-olds and was one of the league's best skaters. Despite his sweater being too oversized for him, this led the little Wayne Gretzky to begin tucking half of his jersey into his pants, a practice he would carry with him throughout his entire career.
At the time, the NHL had an age restriction, requiring all players to be at least 20 years old. The rival World Hockey Association did not have such an age limit. With the league on its last legs and talks of a merger underway, some lesser teams in the WHA began pursuing the young hockey prodigy, already known as “The Great One.” Both teams seeking Gretzky, the Indianapolis Racers, and the Birmingham Bulls, had ulterior motives. Realistically, they knew they would not be invited to join the NHL for the merger, but they knew with Gretzky, they could stay afloat financially and get some big buyout when the WHA ceased operation at the end of the year. Eventually, the Racers would come away with Gretzky, inking him to a seven-year deal worth $1.75 million.
Wayne Gretzky’s debut came at the Racers' home at Market Square Arena against the Winnipeg Jets, one of the top teams in the WHA. The Racers would lose the game 6-3. Gretzky would score his first two career goals in his fourth game on October 20th, as the Racers lost at home to the Edmonton Oilers. Despite having such a generational talent on their team, the Racers were losing $40,000 a game. After just eight games in Indianapolis, Gretzky was sold to the Oilers on November 2nd for $850,000. While playing with the Racers, Gretzky scored three goals and assists. The sale kept the Racers in business for one more month, as they folded in December, failing to meet the goal of getting a buyout when the final WHA season ended.
After arriving in Edmonton, Gretzky hit his stride, finishing the year with 46 goals and finishing third in scoring with 110 points to win the WHA Rookie of the Year. The Oilers would go on to lose in the AVCO Cup Finals to the Jets, who won their third title in four years. Both the Jets and Oilers would join the Hartford Whalers and Quebec Nordiques in the NHL in 1979. Gretzky would go on to become the NHL’s all-time leading scorer with 894 career goals and 1963 assists.