Thirty years ago today — August 9, 1988 — Wayne Gretzky was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings. That, of course, gets me thinking about Gretzky’s trading cards. We all know that his rookie cards are valuable, and his 1988-89 cards are hella cool, so I thought it would be fun to take a look at Gretzky’s more unusual hockey cards.
Gretzky Playing Golf
How many Stanley Cups did Wayne Gretzky win?
Fore!
Also, Upper Deck really could have airbrushed out the caddy scratching his face in the background.
Gretzky Playing Soccer
Nothing says “I don’t want to be here” like wearing jean shorts and a sweater to a soccer match. Yet somehow, Gretzky actually appeared in two soccer trading card sets.
Gretzky SCUBA Diving
You can thank the terrible ProStars breakfast cereal, and the equally terrible ProStars cartoon for this card. Speaking of cartoons…
Gretzky as a Looney Tunes Character
It’s never, ever flattering when the guy famous for illustrating MAD Magazine covers draws you. Maybe this is why Gretzky has to approve everything he appears on these days.
Gretzky as a 6-Year Old
Six-year old Wayne Gretzky could skate circles around me today.
Gretzky Drawn by a 6-Year Old
However, I can draw better than the 6-year old who drew this card.
Gretzky on the Avengers
“We have an army.”
“We have The Great One.”
“Wait…are those thigh-high boots?”
Gretzky on the Racers
This is actually an unlicensed card that circulated in the early 1990s, but it is pretty legendary as far as fakes go. Assist to Ted Turner for colorizing the photo.
Gretzky on the Red Wings
Or maybe he’s on the Central Red Army team?
Gretzky as a Hogwarts Professor
Meet your new “Defense Against the Dark Arts” teacher, who is also replacing Professor McGonagall as Head of House Gryffindor.
Which of these cards do you find to be the most unusual? Do you know of an offbeat or funny Gretzky card that should have made this list? Leave a comment below!
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Gretzky teaching DEFENSE? I don’t think so.
I remember the Pro Stars cartoon in the early nineties. It was terrible. I remember really, really wanting to like it because it had Gretzky, Michael Jordan, and Bo Jackson fighting crime, but it was too terrible to enjoy no matter how much I tried.
Yep, I agree 100%. I too wanted to like Pro Stars, and even watched it even though I was “too old” for cartoons by then. But it was just *so* bad.