Wayne Gretzky photo provided by Bakersfield Condors. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Ty Gretzky listened to his father’s advice during an Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings celebrity/alumni outdoor hockey game at Memorial Stadium at Bakersfield College.
Wayne Gretzky told his son to simply get out of the way of former Oilers enforcer Dave Semenko who found himself on Ty’s line.
“Whatever (Semenko) says goes,” Wayne said.
Joked Ty, “He was giving us a hard time the whole time. I was trying to get Semenko the puck the whole game and he was giving us a hard time ripping us but what do you expect when your dad is behind the bench.”
The father/son bonding time between the two was a nice end to a hectic week for Wayne that saw him shuttle between the Centennial Classic in Toronto and the Winter Classic in St. Louis as the NHL’s centennial ambassador.
Wayne is also partner and vice chair of Oilers Entertainment Group, which was part of the reason why he was at the game.
A pulled groin by Wayne from the St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks alumni game prevented him from playing in this contest, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying several moments with his son and his former teammates as a coach.
On Saturday, the Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton’s AHL affiliate) are scheduled to face the Ontario Reign (Los Angeles’ AHL affiliate) in an outdoor game. Friday’s contest was set up as an appetizer for that event.
“It was a long week. We were in St. Louis ad then Toronto and back to St. Louis and then here. But you know it’s all about the game. And everything I have in my life is because of hockey. My son was so excited when I picked him up to come to be a part of this event,” Wayne said. “To be here today and be here with him is just a nice day.”
Wayne estimated that he hadn’t coached Ty since his son was six years old, which further added to the nostalgia factor of the night.
“It’s a blast. I love hockey, I’ve always played my whole life,” Ty said. “It’s cool to be a part of it and come play with the guys and my dad’s old friends and some of my own friends and stuff. It’s a blast. It’s a lot of fun.”
Overall, Ty fit in seamlessly with the older Oilers. For many of them, this was their second alumni game this year, the first coming in Winnipeg at the Heritage Classic.
“It’s a good group of guys we have,” Semenko said. “The old stories come back and the memories and everything else and it’s just enjoyable.”
Photo of Ty Gretzky provided by Bakersfield Condors. Bringing Wayne to this alumni game made it pop a little more. Though the roster included Hockey Hall of Famers such as Rob Blake and Glenn Anderson as players and Luc Robitaille as a coach, having Wayne made it more of a spectacle.

“I mean I think any time Wayne Gretzky is involved in anything especially when it comes to the hockey world, it magnifies it and brings a lot of attention to it and just goes to show you the importance of it,” Kings analyst Darryl Evans said. “I think why Wayne coming here makes it an important type of thing, hockey in California, Wayne was a big reason why the game grew with the spurt it did in the 80s when he started playing with the Kings.”
Wayne marveled at what he saw around him at the stadium with all the fans who decided to sit outdoors on the cool winter’s night in Bakersfield. The Condors have a dedicated following and Gretzky got to see it first-hand.
“Nobody probably ever thought that we’d play an outdoor game in Bakersfield in January 40 years ago so this is a bonus. The people in the city really rallied around minor league hockey here. The Kings and Luc Robitaille and of course the Ducks and Bob Murray and their organizations have done a nice job of really pushing and promoting our sport,” Wayne said. “So tonight was just a fun night for all these guys. We were laughing on the bench and having a good time. At the end of the day it’s all about promoting our sport and making the game bigger and better than it has been and tonight was just a … it was a nice night.”
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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