I couldn’t beat people with my strength I don’t have a hard shot I’m not the quickest skater in the league. My eyes and my mind have to do most of the work.

Gretzky frames his dominance as the product of perception and cognition rather than raw athletic tools. By listing what he lacked—brute strength, a “hard shot,” top-end speed—he highlights a compensatory strategy: reading the game, anticipating plays, and processing information faster and more accurately than opponents. The quote underscores a broader sports truth: elite performance often comes from decision-making, spatial awareness, and timing, not just measurable physical advantages. It also functions as a modest self-portrait of “The Great One,” reinforcing the idea that hockey intelligence—seeing lanes, predicting rebounds, and arriving early to the right place—can be a decisive competitive edge.