The Legend of Wayne Gritzky: Have you ever watched Everybody Hates Chris? If the answer to that question is a yes, then the headline above is not confusing you. No, there is not a typo. This article is not about hockey LEGEND Wayne Gretzky (even though it is), but his name with a typo in it.
The premise of the show is centered around Chris, who lives in Bed Stuy with his parents and siblings Tanya and Drew. In this one particular episode, his brother is trying to cut school and go meet Wayne Gretzky on Long Island, after his Oilers had a game with the New York Islanders.
Of course, Chris, being the older brother, doesn’t want him going. But he ends up getting dragged along for the ride. Drew, unaware at the time, is wearing a Gretzky jersey with a typo. It does not say Gretzky, but Gritzky. How exactly did this happen, you ask?
The Legend of Wayne Gritzky: Never Trust Risky
On the show, Risky is the guy you go to when you don’t have a lot of money to spend, but need something done. Going to him is as sketchy as it sounds, and It’s as shady it’s going to get. Concert tickets, car parts, knockoff jerseys, Risky’s got them all. And Chris and Drew’s father, Julius, went to him.
He’s notoriously known for being a penny pincher and his cost-cutting. They don’t even buy name-brand cereals. He’s always worked extremely hard for his family, doing what he can. But Julius went to Risky to try and do Drew a favor. He got him a Wayne Gretzky jersey. But, wait? It’s too good to be true. How can he be selling a legitimate jersey?
Here’s where it gets juicy. Julius, not being much of a hockey fan, doesn’t know how Gretzky’s name is supposed to be spelled. That, combined with the fact that he was in a hurry, leads to this classic mishap. And the selling of the first-ever Gritzky jersey. Kids, never trust Risky.
The Legend of Wayne Gritzky: What Happened Next
It was a long day for Chris, Drew, and the Gritzky jersey on Long Island. The first hotel they tried was a failure, but they did some research and figured out where he might be staying. The brothers came up with a scheme of acting as Pizza Delivery guys to gain inside access to the proclaimed place Gretzky was staying, and it got them in.
They found their way up to where the room was, but they couldn’t get in. The bodyguard outside of his room wouldn’t initially let them. As they turn to walk away, he sees Drew’s jersey and is not surprised to see that it says Gritzky.
It turned out that said bodyguard was also from Bed Stuy, and bought a Daryl Raspberry jersey from him. The bodyguard had to run out for a few hours and when he came back, he was surprised to still see the brothers there. When he broke the news that Gretzky himself would not be making an appearance, he offered something else.
He gave Drew a game-worn Wayne Gretzky jersey, and a random hockey puck, that Gretzky’s sticks never made contact with. But the game-worn jersey vindicated Drew for his spontaneous decision to skip school and try and meet his legend. They even got a limo ride back into Brooklyn.
The Legend of Wayne Gritzky: Shoutout to Wayne Gritzky
If Julius didn’t care as much about saving money and had gotten Drew a proper Gretzky jersey, then none of what happened to the siblings could have happened. Even though Risky really shouldn’t be trusted, he’s the big reason for things happening as they did.
An E instead of an O in Wayne Gretzky’s name is the reason for their wild day having the ending it did. Wayne Gritzky really is a legend huh?
I’ll throw in the “don’t skip school, kids” line now just so any parents reading this don’t think I agree with the decision. But, it’s truly incredible. Wayne Gritzky seemed to have as big a part in Drew’s life than Wayne Gretzky. Even though only one of them is a real person.
Major shoutout to Chris for being a great big brother and accompanying his brother, even if he really didn’t want to.
I think I’m going to order myself a Wayne Gritzky jersey.
