Gretzky on his future: “I don’t know what I want to do”

Last week, rumors flew that Wayne Gretzky was in discussions with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment about becoming the new president of the Leafs.

Granted, almost as quickly as the rumors took flight, they were shot down. But the affair demonstrated the buzz the Great One can still create in the hockey world.

Today in Las Vegas, NHL.com’s Dan Rosen went straight to the source and asked Gretzky about his plans for the future.

Short answer: he doesn’t really have any, at least so far as the NHL is concerned.

“I don’t know what I want to do,” Gretzky said. “I don’t really overly think about it. My life is pretty busy right now in the sense that I’m busy but I’m home a lot, which is sort of new.

“When you’re a professional hockey player, a professional athlete, your life is that. To explain that to people, it’s hard, because you almost have to be very selfish to be successful as a professional athlete. But with that selfishness you have to have the right core of people around you, whether it be your wife and kids, or if you’re single, your mom and dad. They have to understand that at that point in time that’s what your concentration is about, the sport itself. Now that I don’t have that, obviously more time is spent just being around my group, my family.”

Obviously, if Gretzky wanted a job in the NHL, he could get one. And while he admits he misses the “peaks and valleys” of pro sports, for now it appears he’s happy to sit on the sidelines and watch.

Gretzky is in Las Vegas to host his 11th annual fantasy camp.

Following is an interview he did with NHL Live in which he addresses the MLSE rumors and talks about enjoying the good life.