Wayne Gretzky Has An Interesting Connection To Vanna White

Wayne Gretzky and Vanna White have both achieved success in their chosen fields. Gretzky became interested in hockey at 2 years old in Brantford, Ontario, and scored more than 1,000 goals by the time he'd reached 13 years old. Later, he was a top NHL player for 20 seasons prior to retiring from hockey in 1999. During this time, Gretzky secured more than 60 league records, including scoring 894 goals throughout his career and carrying out 92 goals in one season alone.

Meanwhile, White is best known for her longtime position hosting "Wheel of Fortune," which has endured for more than 40 years. Her job began in 1982, when White first appeared on the game show as a co-host, per Biography. When she spoke to People in 2022 about "Wheel of Fortune," White discussed why the show's creator, Merv Griffin, selected her to work with co-host Pat Sajak. "I think when Merv Griffin chose both of us, 40 and 41 years ago, he saw something between us," White explained. "He saw that we would be able to get along, and we do. We are like a brother and sister team." But few realize that White's job also has an indirect connection to Gretzky.

Wayne Gretzky's significant other was instrumental in Vanna White getting a shot to be on "Wheel of Fortune." In 2018, White told The Believer how she scored the job of "Wheel of Fortune" co-host that made her a household name. At the time, the game show, which was created by Merv Griffin, was looking for a replacement co-host. White then went to a taping of "Dance Fever," another series created by Griffin. 

Janet Jones, who now goes by Janet Gretzky, as she's Wayne's wife, was a performer on "Dance Fever" and knew White. White asked Janet if she could meet someone to inquire about opportunities to try out to be the "Wheel of Fortune" replacement. Janet brought White into contact with one of Griffin's colleagues, and this led to a successful "Wheel of Fortune" audition. "[Janet] introduced me to Merv's right-hand man. He said, 'Here's my card. If we haven't made a decision by October 5, you can come in and audition,'" White said. "So, 10 o'clock I called him on October 5. He said they had not made a decision. So they put me on tape, and I got the job." 

Thirty-four years later, in October 2016, White and Sajak celebrated the anniversary of White reaching out to audition for the show. Following this introduction from Janet, and subsequently landing the job, White has remained a prominent game show personality.

More than forty years after Janet Gretzky helped Vanna White land her "Wheel of Fortune" audition, White continues to enjoy serving as co-host of the game show. White made her first appearance on the series alongside Pat Sajak in 1982, and she has since appeared on more than 7,000 episodes of "Wheel of Fortune," Parade wrote in 2022. In a December 2016 throwback Facebook post displaying an image of White's first day on the job, she wrote, "Still love my job and love working with Pat too!" When she talked to People in 2022, White admitted that it's tough to even ponder the idea of exiting her decades-long role alongside Sajak.

"I don't even want to think about that. I mean, we're a team," White said. "That's depressing. I don't even want to think about it." In 2022, White dedicated an Instagram post to the 40th anniversary of her debut as a "Wheel of Fortune" contributor. "It's been a wonderful 40 years, too!" White wrote, with a photo of herself and Sajak on-set. "I'm so grateful to those of you who watch and everyone behind the scenes who make us look good. We wouldn't still be here without all of you!" As "Good Morning America" wrote in 2021, White and Sajak will keep leading the show together through 2024.