Wayne Gretzky Net Worth

What Is Wayne Gretzky's Net Worth?

Wayne Gretzky is a Canadian-born retired professional hockey player and entrepreneur who has a net worth of $250 million. In the sports world, being the "greatest" is often a matter of opinion. Every new sports season, some athlete is crowned the new "greatest." However, there have been a few athletes who have dominated a sport so completely for an extended period of time that they are truly the "greatest of all time." Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Kelly Slater, Nadia Comaneci, there are a handful of men and women who have managed to redefine what is possible in their chosen sport. Wayne Gretzky is that person for the world of hockey.

Over a professional career that spanned 20 seasons between 1979 and 1999, Gretzky shattered scoring records, collected trophies at an unprecedented rate, and elevated every team he played for. Nicknamed "The Great One," he still holds the all-time NHL records for goals (894), assists (1,963), and points (2,857)—none of which have been seriously threatened since his retirement.

Gretzky began his NHL career with the Edmonton Oilers, where he led the team to four Stanley Cup championships and won the Hart Trophy as league MVP nine times, including eight consecutive seasons. In 1988, his stunning trade to the Los Angeles Kings shocked the sports world and introduced hockey to a new generation of American fans, helping spur the NHL's expansion into southern U.S. markets. He later played for the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers before retiring in 1999.

Off the ice, Gretzky has remained deeply involved in the sport, taking on roles as coach, team executive, Olympic team director, and ambassador. He has also built a business empire that includes sports ownership, endorsements, wineries, and branded products. Universally admired for his sportsmanship, leadership, and skill, Gretzky's #99 jersey was retired league-wide—the only number in NHL history to receive that honor. His influence on hockey is unmatched, and his legacy continues to define excellence in the sport.

Career Earnings

Over the course of his 20-season NHL career, Wayne Gretzky earned an estimated $46 million in salary, with an additional $50 million or more from endorsements, appearances, and licensing deals. While those numbers may seem modest by modern standards, especially for a player widely regarded as the greatest in hockey history, Gretzky played during an era when NHL salaries were relatively restrained. His first professional contract came in 1978 when he signed a 10-year personal services deal with the WHA's Indianapolis Racers worth $1.75 million, which was soon transferred to the Edmonton Oilers. After the Oilers joined the NHL, Gretzky signed an eight-year deal reportedly worth $3 million annually. When he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988, the blockbuster deal included a $15 million contract over eight years, plus a $2.5 million cash payment to Oilers owner Peter Pocklington. In LA and later with the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers, Gretzky remained one of the highest-paid players in the league. Off the ice, he signed lucrative endorsement deals with Nike, Coca-Cola, and Upper Deck, among others. In retirement, Gretzky's earnings have continued through business ventures, team ownership stakes, and his role as a brand ambassador.

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Early Life and Career Beginnings

Wayne Douglas Gretzky was born on January 26, 1961, in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. He was the eldest of five children born to Walter and Phyllis Gretzky, with three brothers—Keith, Glen, and Brent—and a sister, Kim. His father, Walter, a cable repairman with a deep love for hockey, famously built a backyard rink at their modest home. Known as "Wally Coliseum," it became the site of Wayne's early development, where he honed his stickhandling and skating for hours each day, often guided by Walter's improvised drills and teachings. From the start, it was evident Wayne possessed an uncanny vision and feel for the game.

By age 6, he was already playing organized hockey against 10-year-olds and dominating to such a degree that opposing parents would boo him during games. His brilliance on the ice made him a target for envy and resentment in his hometown, prompting his parents to move him to Toronto when he was a young teenager so he could play at a higher level in a less hostile environment. Because residency rules prohibited players from suiting up for teams outside their region, the Gretzkys challenged the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and won, setting a precedent that allowed Wayne to compete with the Toronto Nationals in the Metro Junior B Hockey League. In the 1975–76 season, he was named Rookie of the Year at just 14 years old.

Gretzky's prodigious scoring continued to draw national attention, and in 1977, at age 16, he was selected third overall by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League draft. It was during his time with the Greyhounds that he first wore the number 99—his iconic number—because his preferred number 9, worn by his idol Gordie Howe, was already taken.

Professional Hockey Career

In 1978, at just 17 years old, Gretzky turned professional by signing a $1.75 million personal services contract with Nelson Skalbania, owner of the Indianapolis Racers in the World Hockey Association (WHA). At the time, NHL rules barred teams from signing players under 20, making the WHA Gretzky's only option. His stint with the Racers was brief—he played just eight games before Skalbania sold his contract to the Edmonton Oilers, who would soon become the centerpiece of Gretzky's rise to global stardom.

When the WHA folded in 1979, the Oilers were one of four teams absorbed into the NHL. Gretzky quickly proved he could dominate in the more competitive league, winning the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player in his first full NHL season. Over the next decade, he shattered records and elevated the sport's popularity to unprecedented heights. He became the first player in NHL history to score over 200 points in a single season, a feat he accomplished four times. With the Oilers, he led the team to four Stanley Cup championships (1984, 1985, 1987, and 1988), cementing Edmonton as a hockey dynasty.

In August 1988, Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in a blockbuster deal that shocked the hockey world and brought national attention to the sport in the U.S. His presence in Southern California transformed the Kings into a marquee franchise and sparked hockey expansion across the Sun Belt. Gretzky played for the Kings until 1996, helping the team reach the Stanley Cup Final in 1993. He then had a brief stint with the St. Louis Blues before signing a two-year, $8 million free agent contract with the New York Rangers.

Gretzky retired in 1999 after 20 seasons in professional hockey. At the time of his retirement, he held or shared 61 NHL records, including most career goals (894), assists (1,963), and points (2,857)—marks that still stand today. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame later that year, with the standard three-year waiting period waived in recognition of his extraordinary legacy. The NHL also retired his number 99 league-wide, a first and only for any player in the sport. His influence on the game—on and off the ice—remains unparalleled.

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Post-Retirement Engagements

Following his retirement from professional hockey in 1999, Wayne Gretzky remained deeply involved in the sport through executive and coaching roles. He was named executive director of the Canadian men's national hockey team for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, helping lead the squad to its first Olympic gold medal in 50 years. The victory was a defining moment for Canadian hockey and further solidified Gretzky's status as a national icon.

In May 2000, Gretzky became part-owner of the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes, acquiring a 10% stake in the team alongside real estate developer Steven Ellman. In 2005, he took a more hands-on role by becoming the team's head coach, a position he held until 2009. Though his coaching tenure was met with mixed results on the ice, it marked his continued commitment to growing the game in non-traditional hockey markets.

In 2016, Gretzky returned to Edmonton in an executive capacity when he was named vice-chairman and partner of Oilers Entertainment Group. In this role, he served as an advisor and public face for the franchise he helped build, attending events and strengthening ties with the fanbase. He has also remained active in NHL ceremonial and ambassadorial roles, often representing the league at major events.

Business Ventures And Endorsements

Beyond the rink, Wayne Gretzky has built a substantial portfolio of business interests, partnerships, and endorsements. One of his earliest entrepreneurial moves came in 1985, when he purchased the Hull Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for $175,000 CAD. Under his ownership, the team won the 1986 Memorial Cup, and he later sold it in 1992 for $550,000 CAD. In 1991, he teamed up with Bruce McNall and comedian John Candy to become part-owner of the Toronto Argonauts football team, who went on to win the Grey Cup that same year. The trio sold the team in 1994.

Gretzky has also invested in sports memorabilia and niche ventures. He famously partnered again with McNall to purchase a rare Honus Wagner T206 baseball card in 1991 for $451,000 USD. The card, one of the most valuable in existence, was later sold for a profit. He held a stake in First Team Sports, a manufacturer of sports equipment, and was involved with Worldwide Roller Hockey, Inc., a business promoting roller hockey facilities and leagues during the sport's '90s boom.

As an endorser, Gretzky was among the most marketable athletes of his era. By the mid-1990s, he ranked among the top five highest-paid athlete endorsers in North America, signing lucrative deals with global brands including Coca-Cola, Domino's Pizza, Sharp Electronics, and trading card company Upper Deck. His clean-cut image and massive popularity made him an ideal pitchman.

In more recent years, Gretzky has expanded into lifestyle branding. In 2017, he partnered with Andrew Peller Ltd. to launch Wayne Gretzky Estates, a winery and distillery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, featuring a tasting room, whiskey bar, and visitor center. He also opened themed restaurants, including No. 99 Gretzky's Wine & Whiskey at Edmonton International Airport in 2016 and Studio 99 inside Rogers Place in 2018. In 2023, he added to his product line with the launch of Wayne Gretzky CBD Gummies, tapping into the wellness and supplement market under his iconic brand.

Personal Life

Gretzky met actress Janet Jones while he was serving as a judge on the television show "Dance Fever." They began dating in 1987, he proposed in January 1988, and the couple got married in July that same year. Their wedding ceremony, which reportedly cost him over $1 million, was dubbed "The Royal Wedding" by the Canadian press. Together, the couple has five children: three sons and two daughters. Their son Trevor is a former minor league baseball player. One of their daughters, Paulina Gretzky, a singer and model, has been in a relationship with professional golfer Dustin Johnson since 2013, and they have two kids together. Paulina and Dustin married in April 2022.

Real Estate

In the late 1980s, soon after moving over to the LA Kings, Wayne purchased a large property in the exclusive Beverly Hills gated community of Beverly Park. He sold his house a few years later to a billionaire named Eric Smidt (not the Google billionaire Eric Schmidt). Smidt bought the vacant lot next door for $3 million, and in 2014, he sold the combined estate for $40 million.

In 2007, Wayne and his wife custom-built a mansion located within a gated country club in Thousand Oaks, California. Wayne Gretzky's house in Thousand Oaks is 10,815 square feet. It has two guest houses and sits on 6.5 acres of land in the very exclusive Sherwood Country Club community. Gretzky's house was designed by famed architect Richard Landry in close consultation with Wayne. The house features hardwood floors, plaster detailing, an open floor plan, a state-of-the-art kitchen, a home theater, an outdoor wood-burning pizza oven, and a pool. The main house has six bedrooms and seven and a half bathrooms. Additionally, one of the guest houses has a full gym, and there is a sunken tennis court out back, as well.

The Gretzkys sold the house in 2014 to former baseball player Lenny Dykstra, who at this time was touting himself as a financial guru, for a mind-numbing $18.5 million.

A year later, the real estate market collapsed, as did Lenny's guru status. Lenny tried to sell the house for $18.5 million at what might have been the worst time in history to sell a house. He lowered the price over and over, eventually losing it in foreclosure after he declared bankruptcy and was arrested on fraud charges. To bring it all full circle, Wayne and Janet Gretzky re-acquired the house in 2018 for $13.5 million.

In October 2020, Wayne and Janet listed the coveted property for sale for $22.9 million.

In 2022, soon-to-be-son-in-law Dustin Johnson sold his North Palm Beach home in South Florida to the Gretzkys for $4.5 million.

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