Wayne Gretzky: pretty good at hockey, you could say, even if he did once play for the St. Louis Blues.
With the Blues set to host the Chicago Blackhawks outside at Busch Stadium for the latest edition of the Winter Classic, Gretzky so happened to be there, playing for the enemy in the alumni game.
He also offered some insight into the stars of today, and that whole Hall of Fame thing.
Wayne Gretzky on Toews and Kane: “Both of them are Hall of Famers. I don’t think there’s any debate over that.” #Blackhawks
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) December 31, 2016
Whoa, okay. When it’s the Great One saying it, I don’t think there’s any arguing there. He’d know a thing or two about being a Hall of Famer.
And why wouldn’t Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane one day be in the Hall? They’ve both won three Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe each. Both are multiple-time All-Stars. Toews has been a perennial Selke nominee (and winner once); Kane’s trophy cabinet got a little bigger after winning the Hart and Art Ross, not to mention he’s over a point per game in his career.
But when someone like Gretzky puts his foot down and says it so adamantly, it becomes a little more real, you know?
The Hall of Fame should still be far off for these two – they’re still in just their 20s, after all – but it’ll definitely be something to look forward to at the end.