With nothing left to prove in junior hockey and still not eligible for the NHL draft, 17-year-old Wayne Gretzky signed a personal-services contract with Indianapolis Racers' owner Nelson Skalbania in the summer of 1978.
Gretzky's tenure in Indianapolis lasted only eight games before being sold to the Edmonton Oilers along with Peter Driscoll and Ed Mio for a reported $850,000. Gretzky went on to a 46-goal season in leading the Oilers to a first-place finish before losing out to the Winnipeg Jets in the AVCO Cup final.
In his only WHA season, Gretzky was named the WHA's rookie of the year, a Second Team All-Star, and played for the WHA All-Stars in a three-game series against Moscow Dynamo in January 1979.
Gretzky remained with the Oilers following their entry into the NHL and scored 894 goals in 1487 NHL games over a spectacular career that ended following the 1998-1999 season. |
