Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

The Simpsons to Feature Wayne Gretzky on December 11

11/18/2016 at 7:37pm EST

The Simpsons will eventually feature The Great One as the first ever hockey player who will have his voice used in the long-running TV show on their Dec 11 episode. Mr. Buns, the Homer Simpson’s boss, said that the top scorer in the history of the NHL will be part of the December 11 episode as after reaching out to him and agreeing to the deal. During his active days, Wayne Gretzky played for Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers and NHL betting still depends on his statistics to date.

The Executive Producer of the Simpsons, Al Jean, expressed his joy about reaching out to Gretzky after a long search for winter heroes, such as Jack Frost and Santa Claus. During his NHL career between 1979 and 1999, he played 21 seasons to lead in goals (894) assists (1,963) and points (2,857). Jean talked highly of Gretzky saying that people seem to forget that he is the greatest hockey player of all time. He added that while recording him for the upcoming episode, he learnt a lot from him, and no other NHL player surpasses his talent and prowess, along with his great stories.

Jean’s childhood days was in Michigan and he supports Detroit Red Wings. He declared that after vetting a long list of athletes, Gretzky stood out as one of his favorites besides Serena and Venus Williams, the tennis players as well as Magic Johnson, the NBA player.

Several players have featured in the Simpsons, but the first NHL player to lend his voice to the show is Gretzky. Over two-dozen-years ago, the show used the portrait of Gordie Howe in their Season 3 episode “Bart the Lover”. In a letter, Bart used Howe’s picture which had the words, “Strap on your skates, Gordie, you’re going in!” The episode was broadcasted on Feb. 13, 1992 as the end showed Howe’s career stats flashing across the screen.

Jean recalled that the show had to ask for consent from Gordie’s wife, Colleen before featuring his picture and the ideal paid off in the end. As a devoted fan of Red Wings, Jean added that Gordie remains one of his biggest players. He said that, along with his dad, they have always had tickets for the entire season for Joe Louis Arena even during the time they were not a good team. He has seen the Red Wings rise in ranks and one of his defining moments was in 1997 when they clinched the Stanley Cup, a game he watched with his dad.

In the Nov. 13, 1994 Season 6 episode of the Simpsons, “Lisa on Ice”, Bart and Lisa played against each other, with Lisa as a goalie and Bart as a forward on the opposite team. The defining moment of the game was in the dying seconds when Lisa’s team conceded a penalty, but rather than taking it to win the game, both remove their equipment and hug each other at center ice.

As stated by Jean, the show has many Canadians employed in the company as well as a large number of hockey fans, of which many of them spent their childhood days in Canada or the northern part of the United States. With more than 600-aired episodes so far, the Simpsons stands out as one of the longest-running sitcoms and animated programs in America. The show us currently running its 28th season, which airs every Sunday on FO at 8 p.m. ET.

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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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