"Originally published in Canada by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Canada 2016"--Title page verso

The first hockey star -- In the beginning -- Tex's Rangers and the Leafs -- The Bruins -- The Hawks -- The Wings -- The original six -- The Stanley Cup -- The Vezina -- The Lady Byng -- The first All-Star Game -- Fire in his eyes -- The forgotten miracle -- The greatest of them all -- Willi O'Ree -- Stand firm -- The second six -- Black, white, and silver -- The St. Louis Blues -- The Minnesota North Stars -- The Oakland Seals -- The Pittsburgh Penguins -- The Philadelphia Flyers -- The World Hockey Association -- The Summit Series -- Inside the miracle -- The 1984 Canada Cup -- The 1987 Canada Cup -- The 1991 Canada Cup -- The 1998 Winter Olympics -- The culture of winning -- Hockey on the island -- Only the good die young -- The last dynasty -- Yesterday, today, and tomorrow -- "I just love to play"

For the first time, Gretzky discusses candidly what the game looks like to him and introduces us to the people who inspired and motivated him: mentors, teammates, rivals, the famous and the lesser known. Weaving together lives and moments from an extraordinary career, he reflects on the players who inflamed his imagination when he was a kid, the way he himself figured in the dreams of so many who came after; takes us onto the ice and into the dressing rooms to meet the friends who stood by him and the rivals who spurred him to greater heights; shows us some of the famous moments in hockey history through the eyes of someone who regularly made that history. Warm, direct, and revelatory, it is a book that gives us number 99, the man and the player, like never before.--Provided by publisher

Includes index