Wayne Gretzky Talks About 802nd Goal

This is a photo of a great display at the Hockey Hall of Fame. It is, of course, a collection of items from the night Wayne Gretzky passed Gordie Howe as the greatest goal scorer in the history of the game. The display includes the actual stick and puck used to score goal 802 as well as his helmet and gloves.

TSN's Ray Ferraro recently interviewed Wayne Gretzky. As we approach the 20th anniversary of Gretzky's record breaking 802nd goal, Ferraro specifically asked about #99's memories.

Gretzky was quick to credit Marty McSorley for the incredible play he made to set up the goal.

"Marty was a little bit better of a player then people really give him credit for - he had pretty good vision," explained Gretzky. "Marty was a pretty good playmaker and I was probably in more shock than anybody that that puck ended up on my stick. He made such a good play that he basically took a defenceman and the goaltender out of the play to ultimately leave me the empty net. So he made the whole goal happen and I just happened to be in the right spot."

Gretzky would end his career with 894 regular season goals, along with pretty much every NHL record in the books. But Gretzky really cherished the 802nd goal.

"I really savoured the moment, I really took it all in - as far as my family being there and my friends being there," said Gretzky. "It was an historic day for me, it was a nice event. As a child everybody knows Gordie was my idol and I was fortunate enough to be friends with Gordie and to have that opportunity to break his record...obviously I played with a lot of great players."

Ferraro also asked the question that Gretzky must get most commonly these days - when will Gretzky return to the NHL?

It does not sound like the now-laid back Gretzky has any intentions of returning any time soon.

"Right now I'm really enjoying my life what I'm doing," explained Gretzky. "The stress and pressure of having to win and compete every night, it's sort of, I'm enjoying being a fan. I love the game, I love the players that are in the game today, I enjoy it, I sit back, I enjoy going to games here and there."