Wayne Gretzky’s Legendary Scoring Was Powered by Junk Meals and Food regimen Coke

Whereas there’s room to argue that his period made issues simpler — objectives within the Eighties don’t appear essentially the most cellular in hindsight — it’s unimaginable to take concern with Wayne Gretzky’s offensive numbers. The Nice One had a knack for piling up the factors; whether or not he was discovering the again of the online himself or dispensing assists, he actually knew make an impression on the ice.

And, like every other athlete, No. 99 had his personal pregame routine to observe. A few of it was pretty normal, like placing on the precise aspect of his tools first, however Gretzky additionally put his distinctive twist on issues. Contemplate his pregame meals.

Whilst you’d in all probability count on an expert athlete to maintain issues clear earlier than taking the ice, Wayne Gretzky did issues a bit in a different way. Actually, he was identified to chow down on the native junk meals, plus sweet and Food regimen Coke, as a part of his preparation.

Sound unbelievable? Let’s hear it from the person himself.

Wayne Gretzky required a pregame snack, which normally meant junk meals

Regardless of the game, skilled athletes are creatures of behavior. For Wayne Gretzky, that actuality manifested in a few alternative ways.

“Properly, pay attention, my dad was an enormous believer that a part of being a very good athlete was not simply observe, and never simply bodily getting ready, however to be mentally ready, whether or not it’s the right relaxation the day earlier than, the day of, correct diet, correct weight loss plan,” the NHL legend advised Graham Bensinger. “He actually was an enormous believer that in the event you didn’t have a correct meal the evening earlier than, that bodily you couldn’t be at your finest. And so, I by no means modified my routine my total profession, my total life. … I acquired dressed the identical method on a regular basis. I at all times acquired dressed on the precise aspect, my proper sock, my proper shin pad, my proper elbow pad, my proper skate. Simply, , you’ll be able to say it’s superstition, but it surely’s partly routine, additionally.”

On the weight loss plan entrance, nonetheless, some adjustments needed to be made as his schedule modified.

When he was enjoying junior hockey, Gretzky would come house from college, have some steak and potatoes, then head to the rink. As a professional, although, there was much more downtime, which, in flip, meant there was time to get hungry between the workforce meal and the beginning of the sport.

“You skate within the morning; you will have a light-weight skate to organize for that evening,” No. 99 defined. “And customarily, guys eat someplace between 12:30 and 1:30 after which type of relaxation or sleep or nap or no matter you do to prepare for the sport. However I at all times discovered that, by 4:30, 5 o’clock, I used to be ravenous as a result of my routine was I used to eat at 4:30, 5:00.”

So what did the star flip to for a pregame increase? A protein bar? Some salad or fruit? Let’s simply say that issues have been a bit totally different again within the day.

So, relying on what metropolis we have been in, if it was Chicago, there’d be pizza within the constructing. If it was Quebec Metropolis, there’d be scorching canines. Some cities, it was sandwiches. And, in these days, we didn’t have energy bars, and we didn’t have Gatorade or Powerade, , the vitality drinks. And, for me, I drank Food regimen Coke. I discovered that to be the identical type of stimulation as an vitality drink. And we had chocolate bars. We didn’t have energy bars. So, if I had a Snickers or any sort of chocolate bar, I discovered that gave me vitality. And generally, it lasted all through the sport, and different instances I’d be hungry after the primary interval or second interval, and I’d have a half a sandwich or simply one thing to provide me that little little bit of vitality.

Wayne Gretzky

And whereas that doesn’t sound just like the optimum option to put together for high-level efficiency, it actually labored for the Nice One. As each hockey fan is aware of, he lifted 4 Stanley Cups, piled up loads of particular person honors, and basically rewrote the offensive report e-book.

As I (considerably) talked about on the prime of the publish, it’s simple to marvel if Wayne Gretzky would have been as efficient if he have been enjoying towards fashionable goalies. By that very same token, although, maybe fashionable sports activities science and diet might have made him that rather more efficient.