| Keith Gretzky | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1967-02-16)February 16, 1967 (age 59) Brantford, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 157 lb (71 kg; 11 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Flint Spirits Rochester Americans Phoenix Roadrunners Ayr Raiders San Diego Gulls | ||
| NHL draft | 56th overall,1985 Buffalo Sabres | ||
| Playing career | 1987–1993 | ||
Keith Edward Gretzky (born February 16, 1967) is a Canadianice hockey executive and former player who served as interim general manager of theEdmonton Oilers from January 23 to May 7, 2019. He is the brother ofWayne Gretzky, considered by many as the best player of all time, andBrent Gretzky, who also briefly played NHL hockey.
Keith,Wayne andBrent Gretzky were taught hockey by their father,Walter. He had a moderately successful career in the OHL with theBrantford Alexanders,Windsor Spitfires,Belleville Bulls, andHamilton Steelhawks, His best season as a player came in 1986–87 when he recorded 35 goals, 66 assists for 101 points in 64 games with Belleville and Hamilton. In 298 OHL games, he collected 113 goals, 222 assists and 335 points.
Keith was taken in the 3rd round (56th overall) of the1985 NHL Entry Draft by theBuffalo Sabres. Though he attended two training camps and played in several pre-season games, he never played a regular season game for the Sabres.[1] Gretzky played five seasons in theInternational Hockey League with theFlint Spirits,San Diego Gulls and thePhoenix Roadrunners (28 goals, 51 assists, and 79 points in 132 games) and two seasons in theAmerican Hockey League with theRochester Americans (11 goals, 37 assists, 48 points in 66 games). Gretzky also played one season in theEast Coast Hockey League with theWinston-Salem Thunderbirds. He then played two seasons in Europe withKetterä in Finland'sI-Divisioona, and theAyr Raiders in theBritish Hockey League.
After retiring from professional hockey in 1993, Gretzky turned to coaching and began his career behind the bench with theTri-City Americans (WHL) as an assistant coach. After one season with Tri-City, he moved to Bakersfield where he became the head coach of theWCHL'sFog. Gretzky coached three seasons with the Fog (1995–1998) before leaving to coach theAsheville Smoke of theUHL for two seasons (1998–2000). He coached his brotherBrent with the Smoke. He was also general manager of the Smoke.
Gretzky joined thePhoenix Coyotes as a scout in 2001, then was promoted to Director of Amateur Scouting for the Coyotes on July 12, 2006, after serving the previous five seasons as an amateur scout for both theQuebec Major Junior Hockey League andOntario Hockey League. In 2013, he joined theBoston Bruins organization as an amateur scout, and in August 2013 was appointed the Director of Amateur Scouting for the Bruins.[2][3]
On August 2, 2016, Gretzky was hired by the Edmonton Oilers as assistant general manager.[4] On January 23, 2019, Gretzky was madeinterim General Manager (GM) of theEdmonton Oilers, subsequent to the firing of former general managerPeter Chiarelli from the position. The team went 12-14-6 during his interim stint. He served in the position until May 7, 2019, whenKen Holland was appointed GM, and returned to the position of assistant general manager afterwards.[5][6]
Gretzky appeared in two 19817 Up commercials with his brother Wayne. Keith had the punchline in one ad: "I taught him everything he knows".[7]
| Preceded by | InterimGeneral Manager of the Edmonton Oilers 2019 | Succeeded by |