"The Trade"
Two hours after the Oilers won the Stanley Cup in 1988, Wayne learned from his father that the Oilers were planning to deal him to another team. Walter had known for months, but kept it from Wayne so as to not upset him. According to Walter, Wayne was being "shopped" to Los Angeles, Detroit, New York, and Vancouver. According to Wayne, Pocklington needed money as his other business ventures were not doing well, and had gone "sour" on Wayne and wanted to move him. At first Gretzky did not want to leave Edmonton, but he later received a call from Los Angeles Kings owner Bruce McNall while on his honeymoon asking permission to meet and discuss the deal. Wayne informed McNall that his prerequisites for a deal to take place were that Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski join him as teammates in Los Angeles. After the details of the trade were finalized by McNall and Pocklington, one final condition had to be met: Gretzky had to call Pocklington and request a trade.
On August 9, 198
More about Wayne Gretzky (From Wikipedia)
After The World Hockey Association Folded In 1979, The Edmonton Oilers And Three Other Teams Joined The NHL. Gretzky's Success In The WHA Carried Over Into The NHL, Despite Some Critics Suggesting He Would Flounder In What Was Considered The Bigger, T
After the World Hockey Association folded in 1979, the Edmonton Oilers and three other teams joined the NHL. Gretzky's success in the WHA carried over into the NHL, despite some read more...
Edmonton Oilers (1979–1988)
In his first NHL season, 1979–80, Gretzky proved his critics wrong. He was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the League's Most Valuable Player (the first of eight in a row) read more...
"The Trade"
Two hours after the Oilers won the Stanley Cup in 1988, Wayne learned from his father that the Oilers were planning to deal him to another team. Walter had known for months, but read more...
Los Angeles Kings (1988–1996)
The Kings named Gretzky their captain (a position he held until his trade to St. Louis in 1996). He made an immediate impact on the ice, scoring on his first shot on goal in the read more...
St. Louis Blues (1996)
On February 27, 1996, Gretzky joined the St. Louis Blues in a trade for Patrice Tardif, Roman Vopat, Craig Johnson, and two draft picks. He partially orchestrated the trade after read more...
New York Rangers (1996–1999)
Gretzky ended his professional career with the New York Rangers, where he played his final three seasons and helped the team reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 1997. The Rangers read more...
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, OC (born January 26, 1961) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He is the current part-owner, head of hockey operations and head coach of read more...