Sports & Gaming

Don’t Rest on Your Laurels

Lesson time 06:37 min

A champion’s mindset means that success is not defined by a single victory. After winning their first Stanley Cup, Wayne and his teammates worked even harder the next year—and it resulted in three more championships.

Students give MasterClass an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars

Topics include: Hold Teammates Accountable

Wayne Gretzky

Teaches the Athlete’s Mindset

NHL star Wayne Gretzky shares his journey and his approach to a winning mindset, from tapping into your true passion to committing to success every day.

Preview

[MUSIC PLAYING] [CROWD CHEERING] WAYNE GRETZKY: Winning the first cup, it's such an overwhelming feeling lifting the Stanley Cup, and holding it, and getting a picture with it. You just can't even-- you can't really describe it because you're thinking about your teammates you had as kids, and coaches you had when you were 12, and coaches in junior hockey, and school teachers that have guided you. And you're thinking of grandparents and cousins and everything that goes with that, opening your Christmas gift, and getting a Gordie Howe jersey when you're five, and everything that goes with being a hockey player you think of when you lift the Stanley Cup. I wish every guy who ever played in the NHL could have that feeling. Unfortunately, not every guy is going to lift the Stanley Cup. And after you say that, you understand why it is so unique because not everybody is going to get their name on the Stanley Cup. And then you get this selfishness inside you of, I don't want you to win the Stanley Cup. I want to get it again. And you just keep driving and striving to be better each and every year. And that's-- that goes with being a champion. The thing that makes the Stanley Cup so unique is that most Canadians grew up at least ice skating. Most Canadians grew up playing the sport of hockey. But anyone who picks up a hockey stick grows up with the same dream of one day lifting the Stanley Cup. And that became a reality in the City of Edmonton that, my goodness, the Stanley Cup is part of our culture now, part of our heritage, part of what we grew up thinking about. We're a city of champions. It's really special. And when you win the first time, it becomes a sense of, gosh, the work, and the commitment, and everything that goes with it was so worth it. Then your pride takes over where people start saying, well, maybe it was a one-year wonder or maybe they're not that good. And I always found that it really motivated us as a group that, all right, you don't think we can win again, that we got lucky, or what have you, we're going to prove again that we're better than we were last year. And it wasn't a conscious effort of being arrogant or cocky. It was just a conscious effort of being committed to working that much harder the following year. I can't stress enough about the players, the people that were part of the team. And there was a lot of Hall of Fame guys. But the quality of character that was in that group was overwhelming. And so anybody who would come in from the outside, who would be traded there or added to the roster, I think they were overwhelmed the first couple of days because they didn't understand or realize if they went to practice that at practice, the first guys on the ice would be Paul Coffey, and the first guy on the ice would be Kevin Lowe and Mark Messier, that the hardest working guy on the ice would be Grant Fuhr. And I think that they would be taken aback and say, oh my gosh, n...

About the Instructor

Over his 21-year career, Wayne Gretzky not only rewrote the NHL record book, he also set himself apart as one of the most accomplished professional athletes of all time. Now “The Great One” shares the moments and mindset that made him successful so you can aim for greatness in your own life. Learn the power of an athlete’s mindset and tap into passion, motivation, and dedication. Get ready to take your biggest shot yet.

Featured MasterClass Instructor

Wayne Gretzky

NHL star Wayne Gretzky shares his journey and his approach to a winning mindset, from tapping into your true passion to committing to success every day.

Explore the Class