Jan 11 2019

Kevin touched Greatness!

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I touched Greatness! Thanks to the the fine folks at @upperdecksports & @upperdeckent, I met and interviewed my hockey hero, #WayneGretzky! I first fell for the @edmontonoilers icon back in 2008-ish, when #zackandmirimakeaporno didn’t light the box office on fire. I went through what was either a mid-life crisis or a semi nervous breakdown. Locked away in my office and questioning myself as an artist, I watched old hockey documentaries. And for reasons I don’t fully understand, I was profoundly impacted by the story of the life and times of the greatest scoring genius the world has ever known. Even though I’m not an athlete and I’ve never dominated in anything, let alone in my industry, I nonetheless identified with the boy from Brantford, who always tried to give a little more and accommodate as many as he could. Gretzky’s life story became my gospel, and the advice his Dad Walter gave him became my creative mantra, leading to both @tuskthemovie and @yogahosers: “Don’t go where the puck’s been; go where it’s going to be.” Ten years back, I was looking for a savior – so I wrapped myself in #oilers colors and made #99 my higher power. On Wednesday night, I sat on a stage and talked to #waynegretzky only to discover that up close, The Great One smells like victory and Canadian Christmas. Before he skated off into the night, he signed the pictured piece of artwork that hangs in my bathroom – and if it creeped him out, he didn’t show it. #KevinSmith #upperdeckhockey #upperdeckcards #upperdeckent #thegreatone

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