It was an emotional day, April 18, 1999, when hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, “The Great One,” retired a Ranger, with his final game at Madison Square Garden.
Gretzky was held scoreless by the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he did earn an assist, the 2,857th point of his amazing career. A postgame ceremony brought out more NHL legends to honor No. 99, whose number was retired that day.
Here’s how Rick Carpiniello, the Rangers beat writer for The Journal News, summed it up in the paper the next day.
“Even with all the emotions swirling in his head, with all the people who wanted a little piece of him, and with all the tears he had shed, Wayne Gretzky grasped every moment yesterday.
“Nothing got past him, nothing escaped him, including the irony of how his final NHL game ended.
“It ended with Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins putting a neat move on Rangers goalie Mike Richter with 3:38 to go in sudden-death overtime for a 2-1 victory. The final goal and the result meant nothing to the Rangers except that it touched off Gretzky’s farewell celebration.
“But that it was Jagr meant a lot to The Great One.
“Maybe it was fitting that the best young player in the game scored the goal in overtime,” Gretzky, 38, said. “And maybe it was fitting. Everyone talks about passing torches and all that stuff. He caught it. That’s what I told him after the game. I said, ‘You caught it.'”
Gretzky, the greatest scorer in hockey history, then said that Jagr apologized.
“He said, ‘I didn’t mean to do that,'” Gretzky said. “That’s what I used to say, I told him.”
(That Rick Carpiniello sure can write.)
The Journal News/lohud.com has been telling stories of the Lower Hudson Valley for generations. This regular column and photo feature takes a look back into our extensive archive.
Reach Peter D. Kramer at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Wayne Gretzky’s last game in 1999 at MSG with Rangers in photos
It was an emotional day, April 18, 1999, when hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, “The Great One,” retired a Ranger, with his final game at Madison Square Garden.
Gretzky was held scoreless by the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he did earn an assist, the 2,857th point of his amazing career. A postgame ceremony brought out more NHL legends to honor No. 99, whose number was retired that day.
Here’s how Rick Carpiniello, the Rangers beat writer for The Journal News, summed it up in the paper the next day.
“Even with all the emotions swirling in his head, with all the people who wanted a little piece of him, and with all the tears he had shed, Wayne Gretzky grasped every moment yesterday.
“Nothing got past him, nothing escaped him, including the irony of how his final NHL game ended.
“It ended with Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins putting a neat move on Rangers goalie Mike Richter with 3:38 to go in sudden-death overtime for a 2-1 victory. The final goal and the result meant nothing to the Rangers except that it touched off Gretzky’s farewell celebration.
“But that it was Jagr meant a lot to The Great One.
“Maybe it was fitting that the best young player in the game scored the goal in overtime,” Gretzky, 38, said. “And maybe it was fitting. Everyone talks about passing torches and all that stuff. He caught it. That’s what I told him after the game. I said, ‘You caught it.'”
Gretzky, the greatest scorer in hockey history, then said that Jagr apologized.
“He said, ‘I didn’t mean to do that,'” Gretzky said. “That’s what I used to say, I told him.”
(That Rick Carpiniello sure can write.)
The Journal News/lohud.com has been telling stories of the Lower Hudson Valley for generations. This regular column and photo feature takes a look back into our extensive archive.
Reach Peter D. Kramer at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Wayne Gretzky’s last game in 1999 at MSG with Rangers in photos
