Former NHL player Georges Laraque’s new book is causing waves in the sports world because he says Wayne Gretzky was the worst coach he ever had.
Laraque also acknowledges Wayne is a great guy and one of the best players to ever lace up skates but as a coach, he stunk.
I don’t see what the big deal is. Â It’s almost as if The Great One has risen above criticism and anyone who dares to say that wasn’t perfect in some aspect of his career is being a jerk. Â Hardly. Â It’s one thing to play well but it’s another to analyze and teach others to do it, too.
Funny thing – Wayne was just here in London for a hospital fundraiser. Â He apparently appeared for about five minutes and didn’t talk to anyone before skittering away. Â Our top daily newspaper here skewered him for it the next day and rightly so. Â People had paid hundreds of dollars to do more than just briefly share the air with Gretzky and they were mighty disappointed. Â He gets a do-over later this week at a United Way luncheon. Â People are paying $99 a ticket and they’re definitely hoping he’ll stay past the serving of the salad, at least.
I’m not in the business of trashing Wayne Gretzky. Â I’ve interviewed him before and found him warm and engaging, especially back in the day when I attended the opening of his restaurant in Toronto. So he can’t coach, big deal. I’m sure he isn’t crying on his MVP trophies over it.