Who would have thought that Wayne Gretzky and Hulk Hogan once upon a time shared a similar Christmas memory?
Or, depending on one’s viewpoint, a funny mishap around Christmas.
“It was a lot better for Gretzky,” said a joking Hogan. “He had the more expensive gifts.”
When Gretzky and Hogan were living in Thousand Oaks, a town just outside of Los Angeles, an incident happened decades ago, right before Christmas. They both remember it happening on Christmas Eve. The valet confused the almost identical automobiles of Gretzky and Hogan as the two superstars in their field hurried to finish their last-minute Christmas shopping.
As a result, a series of events unfolded in which Gretzky drove Hogan’s car—along with the presents inside—while Hogan drove Gretzky home.
Gretzky revealed on a recent episode of This Past Weekend with Theo Von how he and Hulk Hogan once unintentionally ended up with each other’s Christmas presents—and automobiles.
“I didn’t want to give the car back,” said Hogan, still smiling at the improbability of it. “He had all the expensive stuff in his trunk, I had toys in mine. I thought the presents might save my first marriage, but I had to give the car back.”
Hogan laughed over the error and said that he didn’t grow up being passionate about hockey. Nonetheless, Gretzky had the power to win over fans for life. That’s just what happened in this instance, as “The Great One” won Hogan over to hockey.
“Gretzky is the greatest to ever play the game,” said Hogan. “I was a huge fan. He’s a legend. No one could do what he did.”
I grew up playing Ball and Roller Hockey day and night somewhat religiously throughout elementary and middle school. The two don't compare though when I lace up the skates and hit the ice. I live and breathe hockey beyond the perspective of "it's just a game" and I will gladly talk hockey for hours with anyone. Hockey is more than just a lifestyle, it's a culture of passionate people who make memories every time the puck is dropped. Hockey has not only helped me get through some of the hardest times in life but has created some of the best memories to date. Want to talk hockey with me? Shoot me an email: iburdetskiy@hookedonhockey.com and let's talk some hockey!