Wayne Gretzky had a million reasons to say yes. And yet …
In 1999, a day before The Great One was to announce his retirement, Rangers owner James Dolan grabbed coffee with Gretzky in Manhattan, according to Gretzky’s just-released memoir, “99: Stories of the Game.”
In a little deli called Gardenia’s, the billionaire took out a check for $1 million and handed it to Gretzky, the best player hockey had ever seen but in decline at the age of 38. The check came with a fine string attached: Gretzky still could retire, he just had to take a week to consider returning.