How to play the Wayne Gretzky career timeline game

You're rebuilding Wayne Gretzky's career in order, one moment per card, from his teenage pro debut to the honors he picked up long after his last game. A short hint sits under each card. One moment begins on the timeline with its year in view. Place each new card into a gap; a correct pick reveals the year, while a miss sends the moment to its true spot and costs one of three lives.

Gretzky broke records so often that the scoring cards blur together, so look for the detail that separates one from another. Trades and moves between cities are useful anchors, as are the Stanley Cup cards. The front-office and ceremonial moments after he hung up his skates are spread thinly, which makes them surprisingly hard to place.

Want a longer game? On the deck tree you can tick this deck alongside any other one measured in release years and dates, and they shuffle into a single timeline together.

What's in the deck

Here are 27 of the 27 cards you might be dealt. Their values stay hidden until you place them.

Turned professional with the WHA's Indianapolis Racers A teenage pro debut
Was sold to the Edmonton Oilers A franchise-altering transaction
Played his first NHL season as the Oilers joined the league Arriving in the NHL
Won his first Hart Trophy as league MVP Named the league's most valuable
Scored fifty goals in thirty-nine games The fastest to fifty ever
Became the first player to reach two hundred points in a season Shattered the single-season scoring ceiling
Set a single-season record with ninety-two goals An unmatched goal-scoring year
Won his first Stanley Cup with the Oilers A first championship in Edmonton
Won a second consecutive Stanley Cup Repeated as champions
Set the single-season points record with two hundred fifteen A scoring peak never surpassed
Won a third Stanley Cup Another title for the dynasty
Won the Canada Cup alongside Mario Lemieux A legendary international pairing
Won a fourth Stanley Cup and the playoff MVP award Capped a dominant postseason
Was traded to the Los Angeles Kings A blockbuster deal that stunned Canada
Passed Gordie Howe as the all-time leading scorer Climbed to the top of the points list
Won his ninth Hart Trophy A final most-valuable award
Recorded his two-thousandth career point A milestone tally
Broke Gordie Howe's career goals record Became the all-time goals leader
Was traded to the St. Louis Blues A brief midseason stop
Signed with the New York Rangers A move to Broadway
Played his final NHL game The last time on the ice
Was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Enshrined among the legends
Had his number ninety-nine retired across the whole league A jersey number honored league-wide
Joined the Phoenix Coyotes as part owner A front-office and ownership role
Led Canada's Olympic team as executive director to gold Built a gold-winning roster
Became head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes Stepped behind the bench
Lit the Olympic cauldron in Vancouver A ceremonial honor at the Games