Wayne Gretzky was an absolute perfect storm. A dozen planets aligned at just the right moment to create a hockey "David" who slew all kinds of "Goliaths" over the course of 20 NHL seasons. If one had a mind to do so, one could write an entire thesis on several facets of Gretzky's career. The hows and whys of what made him so great will be discussed long after all of us are in the ground, much the same way Babe Ruth's hitting AND pitching are still discussed in baseball circles.
Here's my Cliffs Notes thesis...
First of all, Gretzky just had mind-blowing God-given talent. That is the number one ingredient in all this. To be a transcendent player like a Gretzky or an Orr, that is a MUST. Not much more to say about that.
Secondly, Gretzky played in an era of wide open hockey. Whatever the reasons were, there was just more scoring in the 1980s. He had the benefit of playing in the highest scoring era of all time. Nobody could have any control over that, but it certainly didn't hurt Wayne's numbers. Sure, lots of guys scored lots of goals, but it comes back to my first point - talent. Wayne had a little more talent and that helped him alot.
Thirdly, this amazing phenom played on the most talented team of his era. Not only was Wayne Gretzky more talented than his peers, his teammates were pretty amazing themselves. They fed off each other and feasted on the rest of the NHL in a way that nobody else really ever has. Had Gretzky played for the Minnesota North Stars, I think the Oilers would still have contended for the Cup, but I think Gretzky's numbers would be more in line with the other top scorers of the early and mid-1980s.
Another factor that helped Gretzky was the fact that he played in the Smythe Division. The Oilers were fed a steady diet of Kings, Canucks, Jets, and Flames hockey. Living on the East Coast myself, I couldn't follow the Smythe Division that closely, but I do know that the Oilers were the class of that division for many years and Gretzky scored A LOT on those teams. Just like Tom Brady and the Patriots playing in the AFC East - it's almost not fair. Had the Oilers been in the Adams or Patrick Divisions, I think it may have hurt his numbers a little. I'm not saying we'd have never heard of him, I'm just saying his numbers would be a little less. If the Oilers were still in the Smythe and Gretzky played for one of the Adams or Patrick Division teams, I think his numbers would be even lower without the high-powered Oilers backing him up.
So, all those things came together to create a high-scoring juggernaut. His numbers were too good to ignore, and even if you play in Edmonton, people will notice. "Sport" magazine, "Sports Illustrated," "Time," and numerous other publications covered every single milestone. The "news" was reported. If another player is going to garner Gretzky-like appeal, he's going to have to put up numbers and break some records.
Now that we have that, what ELSE made him such an icon? This is where the real speculation comes in...
He's "relatable." Beside his otherworldly hockey skills, Wayne Gretzky was exactly like hundreds of people I know personally. Working/middle class, and just a regular joe. Not too handsome; not much bigger or heavier than the guys watching on TV at home; not much of a big mouth; modest; and hard working. Kind of an "everyman" in skates.
I also think he kind of broke the image of the knuckle-dragging thug that most Americans had at that time of NHL hockey players. As great as Bobby Orr was, he loved a good fight, and the whole world knew it. Gretzky wasn't like that. He played the game differently and people noticed. He did all the interviews and didn't make it seem like a chore. I heard Connor McDavid say very awkwardly on NHL Network Radio that he does interviews because he has to. Whether he feels that way or not, Wayne Gretzky would NEVER say that! Gretzky is articulate and well-spoken, and always made time for the press. The public got to know him because he let us in in a way McDavid, Crosby, and Matthews just don't. They just seem a little awkward to me, and hockey isn't mainstream enough where the American media and public would get past that. Gretzky never shied away from the media, and when he left the Oilers, he made stops in the two biggest media markets in the Western Hemisphere. Having already moved into the spotlight in Edmonton, playing for the Kings and Rangers intensified and kept him in the spotlight. Not to mention that people's attention spans are shorter these days, and unless someone really makes themselves noticeable, non-hockey fans will just move on to something else.
For another NHL hockey player to achieve the fame and recognition that Wayne Gretzky had, it would take a serious attention grabber with ungodly talent and record-shattering stats that is also super-accessible to the media. That being said, I doubt we will see another phenomenon like Wayne Gretzky anytime soon. He was once in a lifetime. To put it in perspective - Babe Ruth retired in 1935 and baseball STILL hasn't seen anything like him! Just like Ruth; Muhammad Ali; and Michael Jordan; Gretzky was one of a kind and we'll never see anyone like him ever again.