DCHP-2

The Great One the Great One DCHP-2 (June 2016)

• n. — Hockey, informal

  a nickname for hockey player Wayne Gretzky.

  Type: 4. Culturally Significant — Although The Great One has been used for other famous figures in sports and entertainment, in Canada the nickname is strongly, and perhaps exclusively, associated with Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky is perhaps the most famous hockey player in Canadian history, and has been called a hockey prodigy. Gretzky holds or shares 61 NHL records, and his jersey number 99 has been retired league-wide by the NHL, an honour never accorded to any other player (see Canadian Encyclopedia reference). The Great One is emblematic of the Canadian zeal for hockey, as demonstrated by the Wayne Gretzky stamp (see the second 1999 quotation), his statue in Edmonton (see Image 1), and the emotional demonstrations upon his retirement (see, e.g., the 2013 quotation).
  The term, when used in reference to Wayne Gretzky, is most prevalent in Canada, although Gretzky enjoyed a successful career in the US (see Chart 1).

  See also: Gretzky effect  short-handed  

  • Note that the term is not used in jest.