Gretzky's size and strength were unimpressive—in fact, far below average for the NHL—but he is widely considered the smartest player in the history of the game.
His reading of the game and his ability to improvize on the fly were unrivaled, and he could consistently anticipate where the puck was going to be and execute the right move at the right time.
His coach at the Edmonton Oilers, Glen Sather, said, "He was so much more intelligent.
While they were using all this energy trying to rattle his teeth, he was just skating away, circling, analyzing things."

He was also considered one of the most creative players in hockey. "
You never knew what he was going to do", said hockey Hall of Famer Igor Larionov. "
He was improvising all the time.
Every time he took the ice, there was some spontaneous decision he would make.
That's what made him such a phenomenal player."
Gretzky's ability to improvize came into the spotlight at the 1998 Olympics in Japan.
Then an older player in the sunset of his career, he had been passed over for the captaincy of the team.
But as the series continued, his unique skills made him a team leader.

The Canadians had trouble with the big ice.
They had trouble with the European patterns and the lateral play and the endless, inventive cycling. …
Slowly, as game after game went by and the concern continued to rise, Wayne Gretzky began climbing through the line-up.
He, almost alone among the Canadians, seemed to take to the larger ice surface as if it offered more opportunity instead of obligation….
His playing time soared, as he was being sent on not just for power plays but double shifts and even penalty kills.
By the final round … it was Wayne Gretzky who assumed the leadership both on and off the ice.

He passed and shot with prodigious skill.
Hall of Fame defenceman Bobby Orr said of Gretzky, "He passes better than anybody I've ever seen."
In his first two seasons in the NHL, his deft passing skills helped earn him a reputation as an ace playmaker, and so opposing defencemen focused their efforts on foiling his attempts to pass the puck to other scorers.
In response, Gretzky started shooting on goal himself—and with exceptional effectiveness.
He had a fast and accurate shot. "
Wayne Gretzky was one of the most accurate scorers in NHL history", said one biography.
Statistics support the contention: whereas Phil Esposito, who had set the previous goal-scoring record, needed 550 shots to score 76 goals, Gretzky netted his 76th after only 287 shots—about half as many.
He scored his all-time record of 92 goals with just 369 shots.
Because he was so light compared to other players, goalies were often surprised by how hard Gretzky's shot was.
Goalies called his shots "sneaky fast."
He also had a way of never shooting the puck with the same rhythm twice, making his shots harder to time and block.
Gretzky's size and strength were unimpressive—in fact, far below average for the NHL—but he is widely considered the smartest player in the history of the game. His reading of the game and his ability to improvize on the fly were unrivaled, and he could consistently anticipate where the puck was going to be and execute the right move at the right time. His coach at the Edmonton Oilers, Glen Sather, said, "He was so much more intelligent. While they were using all this energy trying to rattle his teeth, he was just skating away, circling, analyzing things."
He was also considered one of the most creative players in hockey. "You never knew what he was going to do", said hockey Hall of Famer Igor Larionov. "He was improvising all the time. Every time he took the ice, there was some spontaneous decision he would make. That's what made him such a phenomenal player." Gretzky's ability to improvize came into the spotlight at the 1998 Olympics in Japan. Then an older player in the sunset of his career, he had been passed over for the captaincy of the team. But as the series continued, his unique skills made him a team leader.
The Canadians had trouble with the big ice. They had trouble with the European patterns and the lateral play and the endless, inventive cycling. … Slowly, as game after game went by and the concern continued to rise, Wayne Gretzky began climbing through the line-up. He, almost alone among the Canadians, seemed to take to the larger ice surface as if it offered more opportunity instead of obligation…. His playing time soared, as he was being sent on not just for power plays but double shifts and even penalty kills. By the final round … it was Wayne Gretzky who assumed the leadership both on and off the ice.
He passed and shot with prodigious skill. Hall of Fame defenceman Bobby Orr said of Gretzky, "He passes better than anybody I've ever seen." In his first two seasons in the NHL, his deft passing skills helped earn him a reputation as an ace playmaker, and so opposing defencemen focused their efforts on foiling his attempts to pass the puck to other scorers. In response, Gretzky started shooting on goal himself—and with exceptional effectiveness. He had a fast and accurate shot. "Wayne Gretzky was one of the most accurate scorers in NHL history", said one biography. Statistics support the contention: whereas Phil Esposito, who had set the previous goal-scoring record, needed 550 shots to score 76 goals, Gretzky netted his 76th after only 287 shots—about half as many. He scored his all-time record of 92 goals with just 369 shots. Because he was so light compared to other players, goalies were often surprised by how hard Gretzky's shot was. Goalies called his shots "sneaky fast." He also had a way of never shooting the puck with the same rhythm twice, making his shots harder to time and block.
Wayne Gretzky