Phyllis Gretzky, mother of Wayne Gretzky, dies

canadiancreed · 12-21-2005, 06:33 AM

Quote:

TORONTO (AP) -- Phyllis Gretzky, the mother of hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, died Monday night, the Phoenix Coyotes said. She was 64.
She was diagnosed with lung cancer late in 2004 and died two nights after her son took an indefinite leave of absence as coach of the Coyotes to return home to Ontario to be with her.
"Throughout my career, she was in the background but she was the glue," Wayne Gretzky said at the time of his mother's diagnosis. "She's always been the toughest in the family."
The 43-year-old Gretzky, the NHL's career leading scorer, left the Coyotes on Saturday night in Los Angeles.
He also is the executive director of Canada's Olympic hockey team, which is expected to announce its roster for the Turin Games on Wednesday.
It is not known when or if he will return to those jobs.
The down-to-earth mother of five was perhaps the least known of the Gretzky family as she tried to maintain privacy for her children amid the spotlight of Wayne's celebrity status.
Wayne Gretzky's phenomenal success created much curiosity about the family. His father was comfortable in the public eye, while his mother preferred to keep a low profile. She sought to maintain a normal lifestyle, and the community around her respected that.
Phyllis Hockin was born and raised in Paris, Ontario, of British ancestry. She was a descendant of Isaac Brock, a general with British forces during the War of 1812.
She met her future husband when she was 15, and the couple was married three years later in 1960. Wayne was her first-born child, and he learned how to play hockey on a backyard rink. She would drive her children to early-morning hockey practices. Her husband, Walter, would go to games after work in the evenings.
She is survived by her husband, all five children and 12 grandchildren.

Jonzard · 12-21-2005, 06:48 AM

I found this really strange that this news was the ESPN main story at the time.

I just don't understand why the death of an athlete's parent is front page news. Sure I expect it to sometimes be news in regards to that player (Think Brett Favre's dad death). But its weird to read the obit about that person on a sports news site. I dont mean to be cold and insensitive, but people die every day. Why does this get so much attention, than even someone like Father Favre?

All respect and my heart goes out to those affected, but my confusion lies with the sports media coverage of this. She got more of a story about her death than many ex-athletes have.

canadiancreed · 12-21-2005, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonzard

I found this really strange that this news was the ESPN main story at the time.

I just don't understand why the death of an athlete's parent is front page news. Sure I expect it to sometimes be news in regards to that player (Think Brett Favre's dad death). But its weird to read the obit about that person on a sports news site. I dont mean to be cold and insensitive, but people die every day. Why does this get so much attention, than even someone like Father Favre?

All respect and my heart goes out to those affected, but my confusion lies with the sports media coverage of this. She got more of a story about her death than many ex-athletes have.

Well it's probably because of both who she is the parent of, and the person she was. Wayne of coruse being oen of the best hockey players of all time, and his dad even getting some celebraty thrown upon his shoulders, so naturally any happenings in the family will be news.

She was also quite well liked in the area that she was from to my understanding, and combined that with the countries lust for hockey and admiration for quite possbily one of the most popular atheletes in Canada, that's why it's news.

Although why it is on ESPN I have no idea. I'm jsut explaining why it's big news up here

Kekkonen · 12-21-2005, 08:33 AM

My condolences to the Gretzky family.

Not to make light of this, but she was not only the mother of Wayne, but the mother of the highest scoring pair of brothers in NHL history, Wayne and Brent. And the fact that Brent Gretzky's NHL career total is 1+3, should tell you something about the true greatness of Wayne's career.

Dagrims · 12-21-2005, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonzard

I found this really strange that this news was the ESPN main story at the time.

I just don't understand why the death of an athlete's parent is front page news. Sure I expect it to sometimes be news in regards to that player (Think Brett Favre's dad death). But its weird to read the obit about that person on a sports news site. I dont mean to be cold and insensitive, but people die every day. Why does this get so much attention, than even someone like Father Favre?

All respect and my heart goes out to those affected, but my confusion lies with the sports media coverage of this. She got more of a story about her death than many ex-athletes have.

I don't understand why the death of an athlete's parent is any page news, other than in the local paper or when the parent was a newsmaker in his/her own right.

bagsangels · 12-21-2005, 10:33 AM

sad

sebastian0622 · 12-21-2005, 11:05 AM

Who cares?

canadiancreed · 12-21-2005, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sebastian0622

Who cares?

the family?

Sublimity · 12-21-2005, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kekkonen

My condolences to the Gretzky family.

Not to make light of this, but she was not only the mother of Wayne, but the mother of the highest scoring pair of brothers in NHL history, Wayne and Brent. And the fact that Brent Gretzky's NHL career total is 1+3, should tell you something about the true greatness of Wayne's career.

Just like Hank and Tommie Aaron being the most prolific home run hitting brothers in MLB history. Tommie had 13.

Cooleyvol · 12-21-2005, 12:04 PM

Its Gretsky's mother--that's why its front page.

Muppetus Galacticus · 12-21-2005, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sebastian0622

Who cares?

Mature

SoxWin · 12-21-2005, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muppetus Galacticus

Mature

What are you going to do. Once a prick, always a prick.

Goody · 12-21-2005, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sebastian0622

Who cares?

The Phoenix Coyotes and their opponents and fans. If any coach or player's family member dies and they aren't present as a result, its reported.

sebastian0622 · 12-21-2005, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muppetus Galacticus

Mature

I don't see how it's immature to say that I don't care when someone who I don't know and who doesn't know anybody I know dies. People die every day; if I cared about all of them I'd go insane.

As has been said by others in this thread, it is ridiculous that this is being reported as news.

rem · 12-21-2005, 04:39 PM

People care, and always have, when things happen to celebrities. That is what makes it news.

Muppetus Galacticus · 12-21-2005, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sebastian0622

I don't see how it's immature to say that I don't care when someone who I don't know and who doesn't know anybody I know dies. People die every day; if I cared about all of them I'd go insane.

As has been said by others in this thread, it is ridiculous that this is being reported as news.

Heaven forbid any of the following but what if...

One of Barry Bonds' children dies - care?

An All-Star basketball player's wife and child die in labour - feel anything?

There are people here don't know you, if you reported the sad loss of a member of your family do you think it would be fine if someone posted in that thread that they really couldn't care less?

If you don't believe it is newsworthy then fine, I don't dispute that the suffering of the Gretzky family is any more than other people in the world. But surely if you have nothing good to say in a situation like this then isn't best to just not say anything rather than look like a tit saying you don't care?

sebastian0622 · 12-21-2005, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muppetus Galacticus

There are people here don't know you, if you reported the sad loss of a member of your family do you think it would be fine if someone posted in that thread that they really couldn't care less?

If you don't believe it is newsworthy then fine, I don't dispute that the suffering of the Gretzky family is any more than other people in the world. But surely if you have nothing good to say in a situation like this then isn't best to just not say anything rather than look like a tit saying you don't care?

If Gretzky himself posted the thread, I wouldn't tell him I didn't care. I very much doubt he's reading this.

As for your golden rule-esque comment, I don't think it's a bad thing to say I don't care . If anything, it just shows that I don't value the life of an athlete's parent any more than the lives of others. I don't see why we should care about Gretzky's senior-citizen mom dying when her son is 40+ years old when there are children losing their parents in much sadder (and more newsworthy, which is the point) stories every day.

Goody · 12-21-2005, 05:23 PM

My gf's 84 year old grandfather passed away last month. None of you even took the time to say you don't care. I bet you didn't. Damn immature @#$@#-holes!

Long_Long_Name · 12-21-2005, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muppetus Galacticus

There are people here don't know you, if you reported the sad loss of a member of your family do you think it would be fine if someone posted in that thread that they really couldn't care less?

If you don't believe it is newsworthy then fine, I don't dispute that the suffering of the Gretzky family is any more than other people in the world. But surely if you have nothing good to say in a situation like this then isn't best to just not say anything rather than look like a tit saying you don't care?

The thing is, unless you know a person, it can't be sad. If my mother dies, I don't expect you to be sad. If you say you don't care, it's not really nice, but I don't expect you to care.

The death of a person is not sad. if it were, well, we'd be sad all the time, since people die all the time. It annoys me when people see random people who die and say "sad". Everyone dies, death is not sad in itself.

Cooleyvol · 12-21-2005, 05:31 PM

Anytime a mother, or father, for that matter, dies, I care. Someone just lost a parent.

Knowing that feeling makes my heart go out to anyone who loses a loved one.

12-21-2005, 06:48 AM	#2
Jonzard Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,647	I found this really strange that this news was the ESPN main story at the time. I just don't understand why the death of an athlete's parent is front page news. Sure I expect it to sometimes be news in regards to that player (Think Brett Favre's dad death). But its weird to read the obit about that person on a sports news site. I dont mean to be cold and insensitive, but people die every day. Why does this get so much attention, than even someone like Father Favre? All respect and my heart goes out to those affected, but my confusion lies with the sports media coverage of this. She got more of a story about her death than many ex-athletes have. __________________ For a scientist must indeed be freely imaginative and yet skeptical, creative and yet a critic. There is a sense in which he must be free, but another in which his thought must be very precisely regimented; there is poetry in science, but also a lot of bookkeeping. — Sir Peter B. Medawar FTB

12-21-2005, 04:39 PM	#15
rem Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: College Park, Md. Posts: 5,024	People care, and always have, when things happen to celebrities. That is what makes it news. __________________ OTBA: Washington Filibusters CLBR: Minnesota Twins 2005 Winner of LL's Pick the Loser Contest! - 15-0

12-21-2005, 08:33 AM	#4
Kekkonen All Star Reserve Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Putting the 'in' in Finland Posts: 739	My condolences to the Gretzky family. Not to make light of this, but she was not only the mother of Wayne, but the mother of the highest scoring pair of brothers in NHL history, Wayne and Brent. And the fact that Brent Gretzky's NHL career total is 1+3, should tell you something about the true greatness of Wayne's career.

12-21-2005, 10:33 AM	#6
bagsangels Major Leagues Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 332	sad

12-21-2005, 11:05 AM	#7
sebastian0622 Banned Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 3,465	Who cares?

12-21-2005, 12:04 PM	#10
Cooleyvol Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Union City, TN Posts: 6,383	Its Gretsky's mother--that's why its front page.

12-21-2005, 05:23 PM	#18
Goody Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: South Korea Posts: 3,530	My gf's 84 year old grandfather passed away last month. None of you even took the time to say you don't care. I bet you didn't. Damn immature @#$@#-holes!

12-21-2005, 05:31 PM	#20
Cooleyvol Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Union City, TN Posts: 6,383	Anytime a mother, or father, for that matter, dies, I care. Someone just lost a parent. Knowing that feeling makes my heart go out to anyone who loses a loved one.