Digits: Hockey inflation, a condom surge, and $11m wolves

Wayne ‘The Great One’ Gretzky (Source: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)

• Ice is on fire. A 1979 Wayne Gretzky rookie card sold for a record $3.75m, more than double the previous record of $1.29m for the same version of the card in a December auction. In 2011, the December auction card sold for $94k.
• The band is getting back together. In April, Walmart luggage sales surged 400%, while partyware sales more than doubled and balloon sales jumped 50% versus a year ago at the retailer.
• Wolves are keeping budgets in check. New research analyzing 22 years of data found that wolves in Wisconsin have reduced deer-vehicle collisions by 25% and saved Wisconsin $10.9m in losses each year.
• Replace lawmakers with AI? A new study found 51% of Europeans surveyed are interested, along with 75% of Chinese. Less surprising: 60% of Americans are opposed to the idea.
• Airbnb is getting a reno. The company announced 100+ upgrades to its service, including reducing the number of steps to become a host and flexible dates. Check ’em all out here.
• On the road again. Americans were expected to spend ~$4.7B on gas over Memorial Day weekend, or ~$1.18B each day. The national average price was expected to be $2.98, the highest Memorial Day price since 2014’s $3.66 per gallon.