"Now the game is so systematic": When Wayne Gretzky hinted at the lack of creativity in modern hockey

Back in 2016, Wayne Gretzky made certain comments that hinted that the Great One was questioning the modern game. In his opinion, modern hockey had been following too much of a pattern to evoke any sense of creativity. He backed up his opinion by questioning the new professional structure young hockey players are being forced into these days.

Gretzky recorded 2,857 points in his career and had 14 consecutive seasons with at least 100 points. Thus, for him, it was noticeable that the offensive production in hockey had dipped. In the top 20 players with the most 100-point seasons, only four - Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Sidney Crosby and Nikita Kucherov - are active, with most of it being dominated by players of the 1980s and 1990s.

The Great One credits it partly to the way future NHL stars are being incorporated into the system. For him, real creativity on the ice came from an afternoon skate with friends at the pond.

But these days, because of the long after-school practices at professional hockey rinks, players have gotten better, but their creative levels have slumped. In an interview with the CBC's Peter Mansbridge that aired on The National:

"When I was 10 years old, I went to school at 9 o'clock and I got out at 3:30. … and then you went and did hockey, baseball, lacrosse. Now these kids they go to school at 8 o'clock, they get out at 11 and they're practicing from 11 until 5 at these hockey academies and these camps," Gretzky said.

"What we've lost a little bit of is playing on the pond and just going out there and using your creativity and your imagination, and doing things with the puck and learning how to make funny plays and good plays and creative plays. We've lost a little bit of that imagination and creativity that we had in the '60s and '70s and '80s."

"I don't know if a guy like [Hall of Fame defenseman] Paul Coffey or myself. … could play in this era, because our creativity would have just naturally taken over, and now the game is so systematic."

Wayne Gretzky used to practice for the fun of the game

In the book by his father, Walter, "Gretzky: From Back Yard Rink To The Stanley Cup", it was highlighted how a generational talent like Wayne Gretzky emerged onto the NHL scene.

But as Gretzky has himself admitted in various interviews, his first ever rink was rather the Nith River in Canning, Ontario. For hours, he would play with his siblings and friends and skate without the thought of professional hockey in mind, but rather just for the love of the sport. In the 1984 book, Gretzky had himself recalled:

"But they missed the point. They say to me, 'You practiced four hours a night,' and I say, 'Yeah, I guess I did.' But looking back at it, I wasn't practicing. If I'd thought I was practicing, I'd probably never have done it. I did it because that was what I had fun doing. I never thought, 'Well, I'll practice four hours a day today because if I do that, I'll have a chance to make the NHL.' It never entered my head. We did it because we enjoyed it."

It is debatable whether modern players enjoy the love for the sport with the heavy commercialization and cut-throat competition. However, it is certainly true that hockey is still emerging.

The sport is trying to reach global markets and create a sizeable space for itself to re-emulate the glory days that once Gretzky and his peers used to enjoy.