The exact words
Where it comes from
Wayne Gretzky, “The Great One,” is the leading scorer in NHL history. In the 1981–82 season, playing for the Edmonton Oilers, he scored 92 goals, a single-season record that still stands. Early in 1983, The Hockey News editor Bob McKenzie reported a remark Gretzky made to him: “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.”
It is a joke and a truth at the same time. A shot that is never taken cannot go in, so the only guaranteed miss is the one you do not attempt. Coming from the greatest goal scorer in the sport, it also hints at his habit of shooting whenever he had a chance.
How it spread
The line soon left hockey behind. By the 1990s it was printed on motivational posters and quoted by business coaches, usually smoothed into “the shots you don’t take” and given as “100%.” In the 2010s it took on a second life as an internet joke: an image from the TV comedy The Office shows the quote credited to “Wayne Gretzky,” followed by “Michael Scott,” the show’s hapless boss, as if he were quoting the quote. The joke works because everyone already knows the line belongs to Gretzky.
How to use it
The quote works in any talk about taking chances: a team talk, a graduation speech, a pitch for a new idea. In writing, the original “never take” wording and the 1983 date show you have checked the source. The point is not that every shot will go in, but that the attempt is the only way to score.
What people get wrong
The exact words are “the shots you don't take.”
The earliest report has “never take.” The meaning is the same; the modern wording has been smoothed.
Timeline
- 1981–82Gretzky scores 92 goals in a single NHL season for the Edmonton Oilers, still the league record.
- Early 1983The Hockey News editor Bob McKenzie reports Gretzky saying, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.”
- 1990s–2000sThe line becomes a staple of motivational posters, usually as “...the shots you don't take.”
- 2010sA joke format circulates online in which the quote is credited first to Wayne Gretzky and then to Michael Scott, the boss in the TV series The Office.
Use it in a speech
Questions people ask
Did Wayne Gretzky really say “You miss 100% of the shots you don't take”?
Yes, in slightly different words. The Hockey News editor Bob McKenzie reported him saying “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take” in early 1983.
What does it mean?
Not trying guarantees failure. Taking a chance at least gives you the possibility of success.
What is the Michael Scott joke?
An internet meme shows the quote credited to “Wayne Gretzky,” then crossed through and credited to “Michael Scott,” the boss in The Office. The real source is Gretzky.
Cite this quote
These cite the original source directly, so you can use them in an essay or paper. Always check your teacher's required style.
Sources
- Bob McKenzie, The Hockey News, early 1983 (Gretzky interview).
- National Hockey League, Wayne Gretzky career statistics.