Wayne Gretzky: The Authorized Pictorial Biography

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

No true Gretzky fan or library with a sports section should be without
this authorized biography of the Great One, which briefly chronicles the
first 33 years of his life. Taylor, a Gretzky family friend and a
Vancouver sports columnist with the Province, provides a interesting,
informative, and readable text. The photos will likely first capture
readers’ attention, however. Besides the expected selection of action
photos depicting milestones in Gretzky’s record-setting career in both
amateur and professional hockey, there are less-predictable choices: a
photo of Gretzky’s four Stanley Cup Championship rings; a spread on
which are reproduced some 200 hockey cards featuring #99; and family
photos both of Gretzky’s childhood and adult years.

Also included in the book are sidebars that deal with some specific
aspect of Gretzky’s life. “The Tuck,” for example, explains the
practical origins of Gretzky’s signature habit of tucking the right
side of his hockey sweater into his pants. In addition to an index, this
highly recommended book concludes with a “Wayne Gretzky Statistical
Appendix,” which lists, among other things, 60-plus NHL records he
holds or shares.