There is a little boy's wonder in the voice of a middle-aged man as Gretzky says this after a recent morning practice. The millions he has made, the records he has set, the mere passage of time have not taken that wonder away. Others become jaded by fortune and fame. John Muckler worked with Gretzky in the early 1980s at Edmonton and now as coach of the Rangers. That's been his approach all his life.
Nobody is close.
He has always been able to spot openings no one else sees, to create opportunities when there appear to be none. Rangers goaltender Mike Richter says. Gretzky indeed makes like a magician as he uses the boards, the sides of the net, even body parts of unsuspecting opponents to set up teammates. His sleight of hand is particularly evident when the game is in the balance. Recent seasons, however, presented Gretzky with the impossible task of competing against himself.