Gretzky, who was in town to celebrate the birth of his sixth grandchild, stopped by and had two beers – and no shots, although he took plenty throughout his career.
DALLAS — Wayne Gretzky took 5,088 shots in his legendary 20-year hockey career.
Instead of taking more at Cold Beer Co. in Deep Ellum, he opted for two beers.
That’s right: “The Great One” himself was in Dallas on Tuesday afternoon, seemingly passing some time after celebrating the birth of his sixth grandchild here in town, according to Cold Beer Co. owner Kelly Wesner.
Wesner said he learned of Gretzky’s arrival at the bar when his bartender working the afternoon shift, Rodney Griffin, called to let him know that the greatest hockey player of all-time had just sat down to order a beer. Upon getting the call, Wesner said he high-tailed it to the bar to see the Hall of Famer in the flesh himself.
A big hockey fan, Griffin immediately recognized Gretzky when he entered the bar.
“It was amazing,” Griffin said.
Though Griffin admitted he was starstruck on the inside, he said he did all he could to keep things professional. He waited for Gretzky to take a seat at the bar, walked over, introduced himself, took his order and casually asked him what brought him to Dallas. In reply, “The Great One” humbly introduced himself as just “Wayne”, and he told Griffin he was in town for the birth of his sixth grandchild. Griffin said he did all he could to stay respectful of Gretzky’s celebrity, calling him “Mr. G” throughout the visit.
But Griffin wasn’t the only one to notice who’d popped into the bar. Others quickly clocked him too, and asked for pictures to prove they’d really met him. Griffin and Wesner both said Gretzky was very polite and graciously took photos with the bar’s patrons.
Before he left, the staff at Cold Beer Co. also asked him to take a photo, and he was more than happy to.
There were only a handful of folks in the bar at the time; Gretzky came in just after the spot opened at 3 p.m., and stayed for about 45 minutes. Then, with a $100 bill, he paid for his $14 tab for two cans of Alstadt Pils Pilsner. Griffin, for his part, said he had hoped Gretzky would’ve paid for his bill with a credit card – so he could’ve gotten his autograph.
It was a short trip – Griffin said Gretzky was offered a shot at the bar, but turned it town (like we said, he’s taken plenty of those on the ice in the past) – but one the bar will remember for a long time.
To commemorate Gretzky’s appearance, Wesner said Cold Beer Co. is going to put the cans he ordered on display, and add a “The Great One” burger deal to its specials list.
“I don’t want to wash my hand,” Wesner said. “I’m still giddy.”