CSG Registry Featured Set: Wayne Gretzky Player Set

The 2022-23 NHL season is underway, so we decided to look back at one of the greatest hockey players of all time, Wayne Gretzky. The Great One by KB! displays 31 cards from his 20-year career, none graded lower than CSG 8 with several CSG Gem Mint 10. (See our Q&A with the set owner here.)

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Born and raised in Brantford, Ontario, Gretzky fine-tuned his skills in a backyard rink. His hockey intelligence, stamina and reading of the game were unrivalled, and he played minor hockey at a level well above his peers. Gretzky played from 1979 to 1999 for four NHL teams, including the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and finally the New York Rangers.

Gretzky won four Stanley Cup championships with Edmonton and numerous individual awards multiple times, including the Hart Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, Conn Smythe Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award. He led the league in goal-scoring five times and assists 16 times. Gretzky was immediately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame after his retirement in 1999 and the NHL retired his jersey number (99) league-wide.

The CSG Registry, launched a year ago in September 2021, has over 2,600 competitive sets available with over 3,400 Registry users and nearly 109,000 registered cards. The CSG Registry continues to be active with requests for new sets and slots and we appreciate your enthusiasm. Our CSG Registry team adds new sets daily and welcomes your requests as it provides us with the opportunity to learn your collecting interests.

Q&A with the set owner

Question: How did you get into collecting sports cards?
Answer: I started collecting in the late ’70s/early ’80s with football and baseball wax packs from the local convenience store. Sadly, all of those cards are long gone.

Question: What are your favorite current sports teams and/or athletes to follow?
Answer: I follow NASCAR very closely (Go William Byron!) and ACC basketball and football (Go Pack!).

Question: Do you have a favorite card in your collection?
Answer: A couple favs are a nice MJ Ultimate Collection auto and the four-card Gretzky UD Authentics auto set.

Question: We’re featuring your Wayne Gretzky set. What drew you to collecting and building this set?
Answer: When it comes to the GOAT of GOATS, Gretzky is arguably at the mountaintop. I didn’t start collecting hockey until UD, Score and Pro Set released their sets in the early ’90s, and that really hooked me into collecting Gretzky cards.

Question: Is there a card out there you’re hoping to add to your collection? Similarly, is there a set you hope to complete someday?
Answer: I’ve been fortunate to pick up most everything I want. Still, I would love to add a high-grade Star 101 Jordan to my collection. I’m more of a player collector than a set builder, so no sets on my radar right now.

Question: What do you enjoy most about adding your cards to the CSG Registry?
Answer: Like many in this hobby, I’m a collector, which means we’ve got a compulsion to “get them all,” whether it’s a set or series. The CSG Registry is a great place for me to track my progress with my player collections, and to hopefully one day complete the sets.

Question: What would you say to other sports cards collectors who may be on the fence about adding their cards to the CSG Registry?
Answer: One thing I like about the Registry is importing my cards with the CSG scans, saving me from having to image them. Competing in the scoring is also interesting, even though my collection is really small compared to many of the great collections out there.

About the CSG Registry

The CSG Registry is a free online platform where collectors can register and display their CSG-certified sports cards. The CSG Registry helps you to organize your collection and interact with other collectors. Begin adding your CSG-certified cards and creating CSG Registry sets here.

We are just getting started! If you don’t see a set for your cards, you may request a set. Please review our CSG Registry FAQs for details on how to add requests for sets and slots.

The CSG Registry team is here to help. Questions or comments? Go to the CSG Registry Chat Boards.

Related Links:

• More CSG Registry Featured Sets
• Congratulations, 2022 CSG Registry Award Winners!