Introduced during a news conference as the greatest player ever, Wayne Gretzky announced on this date in 1999 that he would retire from hockey. His last game, the 1,487th of his unparalleled career, was played two days later for the New York Rangers against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The former King, who also played for the Edmonton Oilers and the St. Louis Blues, held or shared more than 60 NHL records and scored 1,017 goals in the regular season and playoffs. He led the Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadiens.
If it weren’t for the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dodgers would have concluded a three-game series Thursday night against the St.