ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky and his wife Janet will receive the highest award for sportsmanship: the Stan Musial Lifetime Achievement Award. They'll be honored during this year's Musial Awards at Stifel Theatre in St. Louis on Nov. 20.
Awarded annually at the Musial Awards, the Lifetime Achievement Award honors iconic sports figures who are synonymous with sportsmanship and the qualities for which St. Louis Cardinals legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Stan Musial was known.
Wayne Gretzky is one of the greatest hockey players of all time and is a five-time winner of the Lady-Byng Memorial Trophy – awarded annually to the NHL player who exhibits the best type of sportsmanship. No other living NHL player has won the award as many times.
Janet Gretzky is a St. Louis native and former actor who stared in movies, TV shows and musicals like Annie, Staying Alive, The Flamingo Kid and A League of Their Own. Behind the scenes she has made an impact in raising awareness and funds for several charities. Having lost two sisters to breast cancer, she is especially active in efforts to fund research and support those battling the disease.
“Knowing how beloved Stan was and the way he carried himself on and off the field, it is tremendously humbling to receive an award named for him,” Wayne said. “It also means a lot to me that Janet and I are being honored together because I’m so proud of the work she has done and the generosity she has shown to important causes. I hope this recognition inspires more families to get involved with charitable efforts and encourages us all to be good sports in every aspect of life.”
The Gretzkys join a prestigious group of past winners that includes Joe Torre (2014), Arnold Palmer (2015), Cal Ripken Jr. (2016), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (2017), Jim Thome (2018), Bart Conner & Nadia Comaneci (2019), and Hank Aaron (2020).
The Musial Awards will air throughout the country as a one-hour special on CBS at 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT on Christmas Day. The broadcast will feature the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award plus all of the inspiring stories and honorees celebrated at the live show in St. Louis. This is the third year the Musial Awards will be on CBS.
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