A Follow-up to: How Much Can We Copy From The Stars?

I really hope those who read this entry will take a little time to first check out the original post, “How Much Can We Copy From The Stars?” I believe it’ll help to better explain what is to follow.

Like many other posts here, this one was inspired by some enthusiastic hockey friends. In fact, this one comes from an awesome Facebook group called “GOAL ! Hockey in the 70’s“, a group I enjoy visiting at least several times per day.

Anyway, a few days ago a post titled “All time All Star points leader” sparked a great deal of positive comments about “The Great One”. So much so, though, that I started to think about my previous post, where I cautioned serious hockey folks about copying too much from the stars.

Now, right up front, I’ll be the first to admit that Wayne Gretzky is one of the (if not THE) best to ever lace-up a pair of skates. But, as you’ll shortly see, that thing about not following your favorite star players might be said about Number 99, as well as about Ovechkin, Howe, Richard, Orr, and a whole lot more.

Why do I dare say that? It’s because — or at least I believe — it’s because few of the greats really know or knew how they came to be head and shoulders better than the rest.

As an aside here, let me set something else straight… That thing about not following others is only partly so. I mean, I have video of each player named above, and I’ve practically worn out the (mostly VHS) tapes, just running and running and running their unique moves. And I’ve gotten so I can easily teach Denis Savard’s famous spinarama, Orr’s evasive move at the point, and something interesting and deceptive The Great 8 does while shooting. So, yes, I do study the greats as much as I can, and I’ve shared many of my findings within this site’s pages. What I don’t do is follow any players blindly.

Now, have you ever heard the old expression, “Those who can do; those who can’t teach”? Well, it helps me challenge the reader to tell me (down below) one great player who eventually retired to become as successful as a coach or manager. Most of them never even tried, but the ones who did didn’t fair so well. As a matter of fact, as I think back to following all the popular North American sports over many decades, I’ll suggest that most successful coaches or managers came from the bottom of a major league roster, from the minor leagues, or from the college ranks.

A slightly humorous one I recall from long ago… A minor league baseball team found itself stuck attempting to fit the team’s bus through a low tunnel opening. I guess just a matter of inches spelled the difference between making it through or not. As the story goes, a guy from the back of the bus stepped out to assess the situation, and then suggested the driver let some air out of each tire. One of that player’s old teammates related years later something to the effect that, “That’s when I knew Gene Mauch would someday be a great manager.” (Well, didn’t I say it was going to be slightly humorous? Oh, but Mauch did become a pretty brainy MLB manager.)

Okay, so about Gretzky… I can remember him long ago saying something like, “I’ll start lifting weights when I see a barbell score a goal!” I few years later, however, he endorsed a video on off-training that included lots of weightlifting. (My point isn’t to bash Wayne — he’s still The Great One in my book, but…)

I might as well come out with my feelings right now, and that’s that Wayne only became great because of Walter. And I’ll suggest further that most greats haven’t a clue what driving forces were happening (and aiding their growth) — when they were toddlers, when they were pre-teens, and when they were teens. My bet: Wayne’s dad’s wheels were turning all the time, and he was influencing Wayne’s growth mostly at times when Wayne didn’t even know it.

Today Wayne tells of his dad substituting lively tennis balls for dribbling, mainly because they were livelier than pucks, and thus helped quicken his reflexes. But then, a better one…

The story is now famous, about Wayne being urged (at a very young age) to watch games on TV while tracing the movements of the puck on a large sheet of paper. That practice evidently showed patterns of where the puck always seemed to move, as well as areas where it seldom did. And, with that, one has to wonder who really inspired the now well known expression, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”

With that, I’m going to be bold enough to suggest that the original Great One was none other than Walter Gretzky. I’ll go a step further to suggest that most top athletes were inspired to greatness by someone and/or some circumstances in their distant past. Then, daring to go even further, I’ll suggest — again, that most greats haven’t a clue as to what their guides were thinking and influencing during their most important, formative years.

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Okay, if there are any firebombs heading my way, just know that pretty Brenda picks up our mail (LOL).