It was 25 years ago, on April 18, 1999, that Wayne Gretzky played in his final NHL game. Nicknamed “The Great One” as hockey’s best player ever, Gretzky took to the ice for the final time at New York’s Madison Square Garden in a 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Even a Rangers defeat following Jaromir Jagr’s overtime goal did little to dampen the mood. By game’s end, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place and Gretzky’s teammates bid him farewell.
Gretzky skated a few laps before the cheering crowd, which featured many of the greatest players of his era such as former teammate Mark Messier and rival Mario Lemieux.
“It’s hard to take it off right now,” Gretzky told reporters after the game when asked about his jersey. “I have to be honest with you, I don’t want to take it off.”
That same jersey sold in 2023 for $715,120. It
