DETROIT – Like a lot of kids growing up in Brantford, Ontario, Wayne Gretzky dreamed of playing in the NHL.
But Gretzky didn't want to wear the blue and white of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the closest team to Brantford, maybe an hour's drive across Highway 403.
No, Gretzky's allegiance lay with a team to the West, one that was located in the United States.
"I made no secret my childhood dream was to play for the Red Wings," Gretzky said Tuesday at Joe Louis Arena, where he attended the public visitation for Gordie Howe, who died last week at age 88.