11 Last Years on Ice

Chapter 11 Last Years on Ice By the end of 1995, Wayne had played in Los Angeles for almost eight seasons. The Kings never made it to the finals again. Now he and Janet had two more children. Ty was born in 1990, Trevor in 1992. Wayne was turning thirty-five. He didn't have many hockey years left. And he wanted to play for a team that could win the Stanley Cup. The Kings agreed to a trade, and Wayne went to the St. Louis Blues. On July 22, 1996, Wayne signed a two-year deal with the New York Rangers. New Yorkers

到1995年底，韦恩已经在洛杉矶打了将近8个赛季。 国王队再也没有进入决赛。 现在他和珍妮特又有了两个孩子。 泰出生于1990年，特雷弗出生于1992年。 韦恩快35岁了。 他打冰球的日子不多了。 他想为一支能够赢得斯坦利杯的球队效力。 国王同意了一笔交易，韦恩去了圣。 路易蓝调。1996年7月22日，韦恩与纽约游骑兵队签订了一份为期两年的合同。 纽约人

welcomed Wayne with open arms. Even better, his old friend Mark Messier was captain. Back when they were nineteen, they never dreamed they'd be playing in New York, even appearing together on talk shows.

张开双臂欢迎韦恩 更棒的是，他的老朋友马克·梅西耶当上了队长。 当他们19岁的时候，他们从来没有想过他们会在纽约演出，甚至一起出现在脱口秀节目中。

That year, the Rangers made the playoffs. They lost to Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference finals. It was a good effort. Wayne looked forward to doing even better next season. But things changed. Mark left to play for Vancouver. Now many looked to Wayne for the team's success. It was a heavy burden. Wayne was in his late thirties. Many other Rangers were older, too. The team didn't make the playoffs for the next two years. But the Rangers weren't Wayne's only team. In 1998, Wayne got the chance of a lifetime: to be part of the Winter Olympics. For the first time, NHL players could play for their countries. Before, only amateurs could be on Olympic teams. Wayne, of course, played for Canada. That year, the Olympics were held in Nagano, Japan. Japanese Gretzky fans went wild when he stepped off the airplane. Wayne was having fun. He loved staying in the Olympic village with his teammates and other athletes.

那一年，游骑兵队进入了季后赛。 他们在东部决赛中输给了费城。 这是一个很好的努力。韦恩期待着下赛季做得更好。 但是事情变了。马克去温哥华打球了。 现在很多人都把球队的成功寄希望于韦恩。 这是一个沉重的负担。韦恩快40岁了。 其他许多游骑兵也比他们年长。 这支球队在接下来的两年里都没有进入季后赛。 但游骑兵队并不是韦恩唯一的球队。 1998年，韦恩得到了一个千载难逢的机会：成为冬奥会的一员。 NHL球员第一次可以代表自己的国家参赛。 以前，只有业余运动员才能参加奥运会。 当然，韦恩是为加拿大效力的。 那一年，奥运会在日本长野举行。 当格雷茨基走下飞机时，他的日本粉丝们都疯狂了。 韦恩玩得很开心。他喜欢和队友以及其他运动员一起待在奥运村。

The Canadian team had a strong start. But in the end, they didn't medal. Some say it was the coach's fault. In an overtime shoot-out, he didn't put Wayne in the lineup. Even with these disappointments, Wayne was still a force on the ice. He was still an all-star. Still team MVP. But Wayne wanted to retire while he was on top. So 1999 would be Number Ninety-Nine's last year. Wayne's very last game was in New York. He tried to keep to his usual routine. Family and

加拿大队开局很好。 但最终，他们没有获得奖牌。 有人说这是教练的错。 在加时赛的点球大战中，他没有让韦恩上场。 尽管有这些令人失望的事情，韦恩仍然是冰上的一股力量。 他仍然是一个全明星。仍然是球队MVP。 但韦恩想在他当权的时候退休。 所以1999年是99号的最后一年。 韦恩的最后一场比赛是在纽约。 他尽量保持他的日常生活。 家庭和

friends had come to New York. Like so many times before, Wayne drove to the game with his dad. At Madison Square Garden, the stands were packed. Farewell signs dotted the rows. Mark Messier was there, and so was Glen Sather, the Oilers' old coach. For Wayne, the Canadian anthem played. One line was changed from "We stand on guard

朋友们来了纽约。 就像以前很多次一样，韦恩和他爸爸一起开车去看比赛。 在麦迪逊广场花园，看台上挤满了人。 一排排的标牌上点缀着告别的标志。 马克·梅西耶（Mark Messier）和油人队的老教练格伦·萨瑟（Glen Sather）也在场。 为韦恩奏响了加拿大国歌。 其中一句话从“我们站岗”改成了“我们站岗”

for thee," to "We're going to miss you, Wayne Gretzky." Then came "The Star-Spangled Banner." The singer switched the words "the land of the free" to "the land of Wayne Gretzky." Before the game even began, commissioner Gary Bettman retired Wayne's number. No other hockey player would wear ninety-nine— ever! Then the commissioner spoke about the Hockey Hall of Fame. He said they'd change the rules for Wayne. He didn't have to wait years to be admitted. He was practically in right then— before he was even officially retired! The game went into double overtime. Wayne scored his final point, number 2,857, on an assist. It was the Rangers' only goal. And the Rangers lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins. OLYMPIC HOCKEY THE FIRST OLYMPIC HOCKEY TOURNAMENT TOOK PLACE IN 1920 AT THE SUMMER OLYMPICS! CANADA WON GOLD. FOUR YEARS LATER, MEN'S HOCKEY OFFICIALLY BECAME A WINTER SPORT, AND CANADA WON AGAIN. CANADIANS WOULD DOMINATE FOR THE NEXT FOUR DECADES. THEN

到“我们会想念你的，韦恩·格雷茨基。” 然后是《星条旗永不落》。 这位歌手把“自由的土地”改成了“韦恩·格雷茨基的土地”。 比赛还没开始，总裁加里·贝特曼就把韦恩的号码退役了。 没有其他曲棍球运动员会穿99号球衣——永远不会！然后，专员谈到了冰球名人堂。 他说他们会为韦恩改变规则。 他不需要等好几年才被录取。 在他正式退休之前，他几乎就在那里了！比赛进入了双加时。 韦恩在一次助攻中得到了他的最后一分，2857分。 这是流浪者队唯一的进球。 游骑兵队输给了匹兹堡企鹅队。 第一届奥运会曲棍球比赛在1920年的夏季奥运会上举行！加拿大获得金牌。 四年后，男子曲棍球正式成为冬季运动项目，加拿大再次获胜。 加拿大人将在接下来的40年里占据主导地位。 然后