[.ca] NHL Ultimate Gretzky

Very good, but lacking on the essential:
Not being an expert on Gretzky's career, I really enjoyed this DVD. It sounds complete (except for Gretzky's time in a Blues uniform)and is more directed towards new and casual hockey fans. Where I was disappointed, as were many others who submitted reviews before me, was that the DVD did not contained all the amazing plays, many of us got to see only once on the news or during games. Sure they have his career defining goals, which we all saw a thousand times, but few behind the net set-ups or any amazing passes. There was plenty of room left, which was filled by bloopers and his wedding, where they could have included his 100 most amazing plays for example. Nevertheless, it is a great DVD for any hockey fan. Like one reviewer before me said, you don't need to tell people why Gretzky is called the Great One, all you have to do is show them.

Buy it for the 3 good games.:
They dropped the ball (or puck) on this one by not showing nearly enough footage of Gretzky in action. There are 2 discs (in the main package). In Disc 1 Keifer Sutherland narrates??. John Davidson interviews Gretzky and they go through a general overview of Wayne's career hilites. Much more could have been shown and it could have been a great opportunity to ask some really interesting questions. Disc 2 is full of extras like bloopers, ceremonies honoring Wayne, fantasy camp, career stats, interviews with Walter Gretzky and Keifer Sutherland!!?? etc. They could have filled this 2nd disc with hilites instead. The Special Edition thankfully includes 5 bonus games in their entirety (which is why I bought this) but even there they dropped the ball. The games are: - '84 Stanley Cup Finals game 5 (vs NYI) - '93 Conference Finals game 7 (vs TOR) - 12/30/'81 50 goals in 39 games - 03/23/'94 Goal 802 (vs VCR) - '83 All-Star Game Three of those games are really good (the first 3). As for the other two, they could have picked countless other games to showcase Gretzky. How about: 1851 pts vs EDM; or Canada Cup '87; or Canada Cup '84; or knocking out EDM in '89 playoffs; or defeating MTL with hat-trick in '81 playoffs; or Stanley Cup victories 2,3 or 4; or any number of stunning performances?? Instead we get an All-Star game & Goal 802 which, although significant, is not exactly a memorable game and Gretzky is not that good in it either except for the historic goal. It's worth buying for the 3 good games. The hilites are merely OK.

Wayne at his best!:
This is a great look at Wayne Gretzky's outstanding hockey career. It starts with his childhood all the way to owner of the Phoenix Coyotes. It depicts all of his greatest hockey achievments from "Fastest to 50 goals in a season" to "All Star" games and Stanley Cups. After watching this I started to read "Gretzky: An Autobiography". You will not want to miss this last chance to see Gretzky play the coolest sport!

The Archived Footage is Worth the Price of Admission:
I recently took a close look at the newly released DVD from Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., "Ultimate Gretzky." The first thing I feel I should admit is that I am not a big Wayne Gretzky fan. I would never deny that he is one of the greatest of all-time, but I would put Gordie Howe and Bobby Orr ahead of him on my list. This being said, in a nutshell, "Ultimate Gretzky" is a DVD worth adding to your collection. The two DVD set is just over 205 minutes in length with the first DVD being the main feature and the second disc comprising bonus footage. Moments covered on the first disc include his early years; his first NHL game; his first NHL goal; numerous records being broken; Canada Cup and Olympic series highlights; The Trade; and his Hall of Fame induction. These are just a few of the extensive collection of highlights. Former hockey goaltender John Davidson and actor Kiefer Sutherland provide excellent commentary and interviews with Gretzky. You don't have to be a Gretzky fan to appreciate this DVD. Even though "The Great One's" career and more is thoroughly covered there is some tremendous older footage that isn't easy to find, including some great scenes of Gordie Howe. The makers of this DVD really knew what they were doing when they put everything together. The viewer does not become overwhelmed by too much Gretzky, but there is certainly enough there to show off his many talents. The only bad point I could really come up with after having watched this in its entirety is that I feel the second DVD is extraneous. But, hey, it is bonus footage, so who can really complain. If you are a hockey fan or even if you are just considering becoming one I would recommend this DVD be a part of your library. This easily deserves four stars out of five.

Not enough footage of Gretzky in action:
I did not get a chance to watch Gretzky play until he was near the end of his career, so I was looking to this dvd to have significant footage of Gretzky in action. It simply does not. It does provide insight into Gretzky's thoughts about his career and the NHL in general, which is interesting. Also, some of the bonus footage is decent: e.g., the 2002 Olympics segment (although again, not enough actual hockey footage); behind-the-scenes footage of the Pond of Dreams shoot.