I coached football for, I think, 15 years. I remember I couldn't wait for my son to be old enough to be on the team... I was going to be hard on him.
I never got the chance... I remember him telling me, "Dad, I want to play ice hockey".
I remember replying, "Ice Hockey? In California? Son... we got no ice in California". But he was insistent and joined the Fresno Jr. Hockey Club... won a state championship. Great days, lots of travels... lots of action and no few fights on the ice.
Anyway.. Wayne, yeah, that was my son's hero. I knew next to nothing about Ice Hockey "then"... but I soon learned and yup, my son and I were Edmonton fans as well.
Gretzky was as you say... almost not of this world. - JamesJM