Gretzky on late Al Arbour: 'I don't know if hockey has ever had a classier man'

He may be known as "The Great One," but Wayne Gretzky recalls the late Al Arbour as one of the most respected men in hockey.

Gretzky, who was at The Barclays following his son-in-law, golfer Dustin Johnson, took time to reflect on Arbour, who passed away Friday.

"Oh my gosh. I don't know if hockey has ever had a classier man involved with the game. He was so well respected," Gretzky told Newsday's Mark Herrmann.

"My dad always said, one thing in life you can't do is buy respect," Gretzky said. "You have to earn respect. Al was the kind of person who everybody really liked and gravitated to, but really respected. And the game of hockey is not the same today without him. Just a good man."

Arbour is enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame - inducted in 1996 - and sits second all-time in wins and games coached in the NHL. He also coached the New York Islanders to four Stanley Cups in the 1980s.

"The hockey community is a small world," said Gretzky. "Every player knows the respect factor that people have for someone like Al Arbour - a wonderful person who got respect from everybody who played with him, against him or for him."