No miracle in New York today, Wayne Gretzky has retired. The Great One made it official at an emotional news conference this afternoon, two days before his final National Hockey League game.

At a news conference at the Paramount Theater in Madison Square Gardens, Gretzky confirmed he's leaving the game he loves. "In my heart I know I've made the right decision," he said as he announced his retirement.

Gretzky retires News and reaction to the end of an era Excerpt from Gretzky's Friday news conference A collection of some of Gretzky's great moments Tom Alderman reflects on losing 99 Your memories of the Great One
Gretzky retires News and reaction to the end of an era Excerpt from Gretzky's Friday news conference A collection of some of Gretzky's great moments Tom Alderman reflects on losing 99 Your memories of the Great One

His wife, Janet, sat at the table as he spoke, with their sons, Ty and Trevor.

Earlier, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stood at the podium to say directly to Gretzky, "You have contributed so much to our game. You have been the consummate ambassador for sport everywhere. We'll miss you."

The Gretzky family
The Gretzky family

Gretzky wore a sombre dark suit and tie, once coming close to tears as he spoke. He said he told his teammates with the New Yorker Rangers that he was retiring. On the flight back to New York from Ottawa he wore an old New York Rangers jacket and had his teammates sign it.

"It's been one of the greatest thrills of my life to play in this city," Gretzky said. He thanked players on teams he played for, as well as hockey fans and members of the media who have covered his career.

He thanked Janet for her help in assisting his career, saying hockey players do bring their games home with them. Looking across at his wife, he said, "We both have peace of mind today. We want to celebrate this."

Answering questions, Gretzky said his greatest thrill in hockey was winning his first Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers. "There's no feeling like lifting the Stanley Cup. It's the greatest thrill...like lifting a newborn child."

Gretzky had been dropping hints for the past week that he might be edging towards retirement. Asked Thursday if anything could change his mind, Gretzky replied, "Unless a miracle happens between now and Saturday, I'll probably make it official."

It was a love-in for Gretzky at the Corel Centre in Ottawa the night before, when the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators played to a 2-2 tie. With minutes left in the game, the Ottawa fans began a chant of "One more year!"

When the game ended, Gretzky was anounced as the game's "only star." Janet Gretzky, watching from the stands, was in tears as her husband skated out and acknowledged thunderous cheers from the 18,449 fans. It turned out to be the last time his blades would cut into Canadian ice as a professional hockey player.

He retires as the game's all-time leading scorer, with 894 goals and 1,962 assists in 1,486 games. for 2,856 points. He has been named the league's most valuable player nine times and led the league in scoring 10 times. With the Edmonton Oilers he won four Stanley Cups in five years.

Gretzky has expressed his disappointment about the Rangers missing the playoffs. He would have liked to end his career on a winning note, which for him meant being on another Stanley Cup winner. "Everybody wants to go out like Michael Jordan did, but it's not a perfect world," Gretzky said.

Gretzky holds 61 NHL scoring records, some of which may never be broken.