Oct. 18, 2006

Western Michigan senior forward Paul Szczechura spent his entire playing career within the city limits of Brantford, Ont. Walter Gretzky, the father of the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, served as Szczechura's coach for three seasons. Read about Szczechura's experience in his words "Getting to Know the Great Ones."

Getting to Know the Great Ones
By Paul Szczechura

I consider myself fortunate to have grown up in the small town of Brantford, Ontario, and experience its unique hockey heritage. Brantford is not only a very hockey-oriented community, but it is also the hometown of Wayne Gretzky and his father, Walter.

I was playing major novice between the years of 1996-98 when my relationship first began with Walter Gretzky. It was only a few years after his stroke and he decided to help out our major novice AAA team as an assistant coach.

Right away I noticed how good of a person he really is. He was always cracking jokes, singing and enjoying life to its fullest. In fact, he was so fun to be around, the guys and I took to hanging out at his house. It was only about a block or two down the street from where I lived.

Walter Gretzky's positive outlook on life really influenced me as a person and as a hockey player. And he was full of sound advice. For example, he instructed us to tape our sticks from the heel of the blade to the toe, because the puck would roll less that way. He also told me that the height of my follow through on shots would determine how high the puck would go. Little tips like that stay with me to this day.

Being with Mr. Gretzky was kind of like being around a celebrity. When we traveled to tournaments, players from other teams would follow us around. Walter was always cordial; he even invited those other teams over to his house to hang out with us.

Of course, being around Mr. Gretzky also afforded me the opportunity to meet Wayne. I remember one day in December when Wayne showed up at our practice. It was totally unexpected and by the end of our practice, the entire rink was packed with fans. The amazing thing was that Wayne and Walter took the time to sign as many autographs as they could.

Walter stayed with the team for three years and I even got a chance to go overseas with him. When we played on the road, it wasn't uncommon for the elder Gretzky to receive a fax from his famous son wishing our team good luck.

In my sophomore year at WMU, Walter found time in his busy schedule to visit Kalamazoo to see Daryl Moore, another Brantford native and teammate, and myself at Lawson Arena. He was gracious enough to speak with the team before the game and took part in the ceremonial puck drop.

Walter has impacted me in so many different ways. To me, being the father of the greatest hockey player is not who I know him as. I know him as a very intelligent man who will go out of his way to help others. If you ever go to Brantford, you could see him at hospitals, elementary schools, the golf course, or your best bet - at the rink.

And if you're really lucky, he may even invite you over to see his house and to check out Wayne's amazing trophy room.