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Who really said it

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take

Attributed to Wayne Gretzky Provenance and wording checked
Attributed In copyright

ESPN traces Gretzky’s remark to a January 1983 conversation with The Hockey News editor Bob McKenzie, but prints never take rather than don’t take. The original interview has not been independently retrieved here.

Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?

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Unconfirmed quote & credit

“You miss 100% of the shots you don't take” — Wayne Gretzky

Can you use it?

Still under copyright (rights held by Rights holders in the interview and ESPN report). A short, credited quote is generally fine for talks, teaching, and internal decks; for commercial, published, or large-scale reuse, get permission.

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In context

Evoking the world of Wayne Gretzky — The name in the evidence. Theme: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

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Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Provenance

The source

Documented source
The Hockey News interview, as reported by ESPN
Date
1983

You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.

Read the documented evidence

How we verified this

  • ESPN traces Gretzky’s remark to a January 1983 conversation with The Hockey News editor Bob McKenzie, but prints never take rather than don’t take. The original interview has not been independently retrieved here. Read the source
In copyright

The interview is from 1983. Neither its wording nor the later report is treated as public domain.

Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.

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Filed under

More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.

Courage Failure

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Source and contextwww.espn.com

Read the evidence used here; the scope of the claim is stated in the provenance trail.

The author

About Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky

The name in the evidence

Gretzky is the hockey player to whom ESPN assigns the remark. A documented attribution is distinct from verification of every word in the popular version.

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The primary source (Chicago)

The Hockey News interview, as reported by ESPN. 1983. Evidence and bibliographical details reproduced in the linked source; no independent access to an original edition is claimed unless stated.

This verification page

Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘You miss 100% of the shots you don't take’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/you-miss-100-of-the-shots-you-dont-take/

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