Wayne Gretzky Shares Funny Story About Stalking His Idol Guy Lafleur During Team Canada Debut

Wayne Gretzky remembered a funny yet unforgettable memory of his first outing for Team Canada and his respect for hockey icon Guy Lafleur.

Gretzky was just 19 when he was in awe of Lafleur, widely considered to be the best in the game at that time. Sitting next to his hero on the bench, Gretzky stuck to Lafleur throughout the entire tournament.

Much to his delight, Lafleur took to his side, in spite of their age gap, and forged a close bond of friendship.

Gretzky was thankful to share the ice with Lafleur, alongside other legends like Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin, and Bryan Trottier. The memory was etched in his memory for a lifetime.

There was a particular incident that was etched in his mind when Gretzky noticed that Lafleur was wearing no shoulder pads. In his efforts to be just like his icon, he developed the same habit, wearing small shoulder caps throughout his career.

He credited this to having avoided serious chest injuries to himself. Years after that, Gretzky nostalgically recollected his time with Lafleur, who passed away in April 2022 at age 70 after a battle with lung cancer.