Wayne Gretzky
Article 71

Gretzky was dealt while babysitting

Wayne Gretzky may be the greatest hockey player to ever skate on ice, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t too busy to sneak in some side work during his legendary career.

According to an interview, during the offseason in 1988, Gretzky had been housesitting for longtime friend and famous Canadian Alan Thicke.

Thicke, who is most known for his career as an actor, game-show host and songwriter, was in Norway while Gretzky watched over the house with Thicke’s youngest son, Robin, who is now a famous R&B singer.

Thicke picked up the Oslo newspaper in the morning, and saw Gretzky’s face adorning the cover. Since he could not understand the text, Thicke called home to learn of the news.

He later found out that Gretzky had been traded from Edmonton to Los Angeles, and that Gretzky had left the house to join his new team. Thicke had to find a replacement nanny for the house and Robin immediately.

So while Thicke was tasked with replacing Gretzky to find a new babysitter, Edmonton had to find a way to replace the world’s greatest hockey player.