3 Leaving Home

Chapter 3 Leaving Home Walter coached Wayne and his teammates for years. But when Wayne turned ten, Walter stopped. He thought other parents would complain. They'd think it wasn't fair that Wayne got so much playing time. Even with a new coach, Wayne got lots of ice time. Some parents did resent it. What about their kids? They didn't like Wayne's growing fame, either. They called him a puck hog and other names. They booed when he skated onto the ice. He wasn't even that good, they claimed. All those goals and assists? Just luck. Wayne felt pressure from so many adults putting him down. He thought they were wrong. He played fair. He passed the puck when it was the right move. He wasn't selfish. And he had a high assist record to prove it.

沃尔特指导韦恩和他的队友多年。 但当韦恩十岁时，沃尔特停止了。 他以为其他家长会抱怨。 他们会认为韦恩得到这么多上场时间不公平。 即使换了新教练，韦恩也得到了很多上场时间。 一些家长确实对此表示不满。 他们的孩子怎么办？他们也不喜欢韦恩的名气越来越大。 他们叫他冰球猪和其他名字。 当他滑到冰上时，他们发出嘘声。 他们声称，他甚至没有那么好。 所有那些进球和助攻？ 只是运气。这么多大人对韦恩的贬低让他感到压力。 他认为他们错了。 他很公平。当球是正确的动作时，他传球了。 他并不自私。他的高助攻记录证明了这一点。

Wayne grew even quieter, afraid to say anything to make the situation worse. But he realized he had a responsibility. People came to watch him play. He had to try his best in every game. And as hard as it was to answer questions, he had to talk to interviewers. It was all part of playing hockey.

韦恩变得更安静了，不敢说任何让情况变得更糟的话。 但他意识到自己有责任。 人们来看他打球。 他必须在每场比赛中都全力以赴。 虽然回答问题很困难，但他不得不与采访者交谈。 这都是打冰球的一部分。

Wayne still watched Hockey Night on TV. Now, though, he was serious about strategy— how to win a game. He drew a rink on a pad, and followed moves with his pencil. He studied plays. He wanted to know why the puck went one way and not the other. He understood it was all about angles. Wayne's game improved a lot. But hockey wasn't fun anymore. It was hard to play in Brantford. Everyone had an opinion about him. When he was fourteen, Wayne was invited to

韦恩还在电视上看冰球之夜。 不过，现在他开始认真考虑策略——如何赢得一场比赛。 他在便笺簿上画了一条线，然后用铅笔跟着移动。 他研究戏剧。他想知道为什么冰球往这个方向而不是往那个方向。 他明白一切都是关于角度的。 韦恩的球技进步了很多。 但曲棍球不再有趣了。 在布兰特福德踢球很难。 每个人对他都有自己的看法。 当韦恩十四岁时，他被邀请去

join a junior team in Toronto, the largest city in Canada. Toronto was an hour away. Wayne would have to play lots of late games. He'd have to move away from home. His parents didn't like the idea. Again, they thought Wayne was too young. Wayne, however, convinced them he was ready. Living with family friends would be fine, he insisted. Finally Walter and Phyllis agreed. Wayne signed with a Junior B team, a high- level amateur team, just below semipro. He'd go on to win Rookie of the Year. Even better, Wayne was making friends at his new school in Toronto. He wasn't the Great Gretzky. There, he was just Gretz. Some kids didn't even know he played hockey!

加入加拿大最大的城市多伦多的青年队。 多伦多有一个小时的路程。韦恩将不得不打很多比赛。 他得从家里搬出去。 他的父母不喜欢这个主意。 他们又觉得韦恩太年轻了。 然而，韦恩让他们相信他已经准备好了。 他坚持说，和家人朋友住在一起挺好的。 最后沃尔特和菲利斯同意了。 韦恩与一支少年B队签约，这是一支高水平的业余球队，略低于半职业球队。 他后来赢得了年度最佳新秀。 更棒的是，韦恩在多伦多的新学校交到了朋友。 他不是伟大的格雷茨基。 在那里，他只是格雷茨。有些孩子甚至不知道他会打曲棍球！

Still, it was difficult being away from home. For two months, Wayne cried himself to sleep. He couldn't wait to go home every weekend. His youngest brother, Brent, was only three years old. Wayne didn't want Brent to grow up not knowing him. In 1977, Wayne turned sixteen. Now he could play Junior A hockey. Junior A is semipro, one step away from the pros. But he'd have to move again. Everyone hoped it would be close to home.

尽管如此，离开家还是很困难。 两个月来，韦恩哭着睡着了。 他每个周末都迫不及待地想回家。 他最小的弟弟布伦特只有三岁。 韦恩不想让布伦特长大后不认识他。 1977年，韦恩16岁了。 现在他可以打少年曲棍球了。 少年A是半职业选手，离职业选手只有一步之遥。 但他必须再次搬家。 每个人都希望它离家近。

That didn't happen. Wayne wound up in Sault Ste. Marie, 480 miles away.

但这并没有发生。韦恩最后在苏圣。 玛丽，480英里外。