99: Stories of the Game

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 928 ratings

Price: 17.72

Last update: 01-07-2025


About this item

In this sports memoir, Wayne Gretzky weaves memories of his legendary career with an inside look at professional hockey and the heroes and stories that inspired him. From minor-hockey phenomenon to Hall of Fame sensation, Wayne Gretzky rewrote the record books, his accomplishments becoming the stuff of legend. Dubbed “The Great One”, he is considered by many to be the greatest hockey player who ever lived. No one has seen more of the game than he has - but he has never discussed in depth just what it was he saw.

For the first time, Gretzky discusses candidly what the game looks like to him and introduces us to the people who inspired and motivated him: Mentors, teammates, rivals, the famous and the lesser known. Weaving together lives and moments from an extraordinary career, he reflects on the players who inflamed his imagination when he was a kid, the way he himself figured in the dreams of so many who came after; takes us onto the ice and into the dressing rooms to meet the friends who stood by him and the rivals who spurred him to greater heights; shows us some of the famous moments in hockey history through the eyes of someone who regularly made that history. Warm, direct, and revelatory, it is an audiobook that gives us number 99, the man and the player, like never before.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Brian Bahnsen
    5.0 out of 5 stars He Shoots...
    Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024
    He scores! What an amazing book this is and likely the easiest 400 page read you'll find in print. The Great One shares stories, history, facts, and fun that made this impossible to set down. A boyhood idol of mine (along with many Islanders of their dynasty era) his accounts are very balanced and evenly representative for those he both played beside and against. That style allows the reader to appreciate the heroes of the game from all sides of the storyline. I simply loved this book and put it near or at the top of my all-time favorites!
  • D. Buxman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gretzky Scores Again!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2016
    Even the casual hockey fan knows the name and the legend of Wayne Gretzky and it's hard to separate the person from his reputation as The Great One. This is a wonderful book because it celebrates Gretzky's love and reverence for the game by examining the 99 year history of the NHL through the eyes of its greatest player. The stories of the players that made hockey such a wonderful sport through the early years are interspersed with Gretzky's stories of how those players impacted his development as a person and as a player. As such, this book is not only a terrific work of sports history, but also a fabulous autobiography that yields compelling insights into Gretzky himself. Much like Gordie Howe's autobiography, Mr. Hockey, I was left with an overwhelming sense of just how down to earth some sports superstars can be. Rather than extolling their own virtues, these players constantly talk about Gratitude. It's all about how grateful they are to their parents, coaches, teammates and their fans. If you are sick and tired of the typical ego-maniacal professional athlete, read this book for a breath of fresh air.
  • Sandra Cavender
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wayne is truly amazing
    Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2024
    If you have a hockey player in your life, get this for them! It’s literally the Bible of Ice hockey ????
  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars I'm a Sports Hypnotherapist who works with hockey players on the mental game of hockey and I love this hockey book
    Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2017
    I'm a Sports Hypnotherapist who works with hockey players on the mental game of hockey. I bought this the day it came out because I'm writing a book on the mental game of hockey that I can give to my clients and thought this was great timing to read this hockey book. There are 95 hockey stories in this book. 90 of them are GREAT and so vivid that you can smell the ice. 2 of the stories are ok and 3 of them suck. But thats ok because when you do the math on the price per story its still a great deal. I love how Wayne tells about his passion of hockey, discusses Gordie Howe playing different teams and games and more.

    If you are looking for tips. This isnt really the book for that but he does discuss how it comes down to Aggressiveness, passion and hard work of course.
    Hockey fans and players will love this awesome hockey book by Wayne Gretzky, " The Great One"
  • Tired Parent
    5.0 out of 5 stars "Jesus saves! (But Gretzky scores on rebound.)"
    Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2019
    Not only could he skate... Not only could he score... As it turns out, he can also write!
    The book is an absolutely unputdownable tour de force of sports literature genre. Probably the most eloquent summary of what the book is all about can be gleaned not from the literary reviewers, but from the author himself: "I was lucky enough to play with guys who were in the league [NHL] in the 50's and 60's... I am just one guy, and I was on ice with players who had skated in eight different decades. Through coaches and teammates and guys on other teams ... I made connections to many more. Every player does. Recently, the sons of the guys who were in the league with me have been showing up in the NHL. That's just one more way that the stories of our game come together."
    And what stories! Written in a language that is as lively as the game itself, Wayne Gretzky tells the story of the game, players, coaches, managers, owners, teams, arenas, leagues, cities, and even countries... Yes, it is one story of all these many things: from the fabled "Miracle on Ice" (USA vs. USSR, 1980), to heartbreak on ice (LA Kings vs. Montreal Canadiens, 1993); from the humble beginnings of the game in North America, to it's expansion into Europe and formation of the Russian Kontinental Hockey League... What is the smallest hockey arena in NHL? ... Why is Smythe Trophy, named "Smythe" tropy?... Why is Stanley Cup, "Stanley" cup?... As it turns out, when it comes to hockey, every inside story has an inside story of its own, and there is no one better to tell it than Wayne Gretzky.
    Personally, one of the most striking features of the book is the style of its narrative. The tone is that of someone who does not need to boast of his accomplishments. It is as if the reader is lucky enough to listen to "one of the guys." And, IMHO, it is that sense of humility that truly earns Mr. Gretzky the title of "The Great One."
  • Eric
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Great One!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2023
    Always was a huge fan of Wayne Gretzky, and this book is excellent.
  • Bob Rushok
    5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely GREAT book!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2019
    I absolutely loved this book - it starts with some amazing stories from the old history of hockey, most very interesting and heartwarming - it appears to me that Wayne Gretzky found a way to mention every single great old star of the game along with many current stars too. The book later goes on Into some of the stories from Gretzky's career too. All told, an absolutely great book!
  • Roland B
    3.0 out of 5 stars 1
    Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2017
    Perhaps due to being part of the 50's/60's generation I found the first half of the book more interesting than the later. Wayne's insights of the game is informative, even if at times the omission of over praising some questionable players and their contributions to hockey/NHL might not have produced a better read.

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