Jun 14, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Canadian former ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky is present for the game between Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers in game five of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Jun 14, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Canadian former ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky is present for the game between Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers in game five of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
The name "Joey Moss" may not ring a bell to many NHL fans. But it was a lifelong friendship with this man that made Wayne “The Great One” Gretzky a champion off the ice, too.
“Pretty much from the day I met him, I was conscious that I wanted to make sure he was taken care of,” Gretzky told People Magazine in 2016, a segment written by senior writer Johnny Dodd. “He’s everywhere, and I think it’s wonderful.”
The Hockey phenom met Moss in 1981, who was the brother of the then 20-year-old NHL star’s girlfriend at that time. Gretzky, who grew up with his Aunt Ellen (who had Down syndrome), quickly recognized a kindred spirit in Moss.
1987; Landover, MD, USA; Edmonton Oilers Wayne Gretzky. Mandatory Credit: Porter Binks/USA TODAY NETWORK
1987; Landover, MD, USA; Edmonton Oilers Wayne Gretzky. Mandatory Credit: Porter Binks/USA TODAY NETWORK
But this friendship had a longer road ahead. During their first meeting, Moss worked at a bottle depot. But Gretzky landed him a job as the locker room attendant for the team he played for at that time, the Edmonton Oilers.
It didn't stop at finding Moss a job, though. He also ensured Moss had a place to live after his mother passed in 2007, Dodd noted in the same segment.
As a result, Moss quickly became a fixture in the Oilers' locker room and a beloved figure in Edmonton.
The Impact Joey Moss Left Behind
Surely Gretzky changed Moss’s life significantly. But following his friend’s death in 2020 at 57, the NHL icon revealed how much Moss impacted the Oilers to CBC’s As It Happens host Carol Off in the same year.
“I think when people who came in that locker room just looked at him, (they) understood that life is not that tough right now. And we have this young man here that's telling us that everything is going to be OK. That goes a long way,” he said. “He had an impact on our lives.”
"He will be missed dearly, but he won't be forgotten," he added further about Moss. "He was just a tremendous young man."
If on-ice victories weren’t enough, Gretzky’s capacity to stand by his friend despite the trials of time only adds to his nickname, “The Great One,” even more.
Can you name another unique NHL duo like Gretzky and Moss? Let us know in the comments.
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Written by
Deblina Roy