"He was actually preaching 'Let's make sure we have a third guy high and let's make sure we don't give up too many crazy chances," Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk said. "It was funny, the best scorer, best player in the world, the best scorer saying that. It was awesome."
Gretzky, the NHL's all-time leading scorer, was on the bench as honorary captain for the Pacific Division, which defeated the Atlantic Division 5-4 in the championship game following a 10-5 win against the Central Division in the semifinals.
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Most of the players echoed Tkachuk's description of what it was like to have Gretzky on the bench displaying the same intensity and competitive spirit that he showed as a player who scored 2,857 points (894 goals, 1,963 assists) in 1,487 games in 20 NHL seasons.
"To hear him get intense, to hear him talking about plays and players on the ice from the best ever is something special, and I'll always remember it," Vegas Golden Knights forward Max Pacioretty said. "He wanted to win. He still has the fire in the belly. He's walking around now, he's so happy with everyone, so I know he had a lot of fun."