20 years ago…when I was just a wee lad of 13, having completed grade 7 and my first experience in French immersion, awkward as many of us were in our first years in high school.
Many people say they can remember where they were when they first heard the news Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings.
I can’t quite remember it that well, but I do remember one thing: I was pissed.
At the time, I was what I would refer to as a reasonable, level-headed hockey fan. My favourite team was the Montreal Canadiens, followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and pretty much any Canadian hockey team that was still in contention in the playoffs. So when the Habs were knocked out each year (exception being their 1986 Cup win) I’d usually cheer on the Oilers to defeat an evil American opponent (usually the New York Islanders). And of course, we all knew Wayne Gretzky as the best and most famous athlete Canada has ever produced. It was hard not to like the guy.
When the trade was announced, the first person this awkward 13 year-old snot-nosed kid pointed a finger at was Gretzky’s new wife, Janet Jones. Yes, that no-good Hollywood actress wannabe did not have Canada’s best interests at heart when she married Wayne. Instead, she was nothing more than a no-talent, gold digging skank and I couldn’t believe Wayne was letting her dictate his life (Janet, if you’re reading this, I’m sorry. I saw you decked out in Roots Canada clothes every Winter Olympics cheering on your husband and were probably one of Canada’s biggest supporters, even though you are American). Of course, I had no basis for these accusations, other than what rumours circulated in the media (local TV and newspapers; there was no internet at the time!) and it ended up just revolving around what it usually revolves around: money. Oilers owner Peter Pocklington had an opportunity to make tons of dough by trading Gretzky, and still have a competitive club at the same time. Years later, he says he regrets it, but like many old, rich white men, it’s hard to believe them when they speak.
Anyway, some say this trade ended up being an overall good thing for hockey and the NHL, as more teams play in the United States and participation seems to have increased in their general population. To an extent, maybe, but I argue this trade actually weakened the sport in the country where it mattered most. Soon afterwards, Winnipeg and Quebec City would see their franchises move to the States. We started hearing of the term “small market” to describe Canadian franchises as expansion loomed, something fans never heard of before. Hockey started to have dollars and cents dictate everything, and during the late 90s-early 00s, Canadian hockey fans outside of Toronto had to endure countless rumours of their team being moved to cities that simply didn’t care about hockey. Things rebounded eventually, but still, with games being played in front of half-empty arenas in places like Atlanta, Phoenix, Florida…maybe if Gretzky stayed put perhaps we’d still be talking about the Jets and Nordiques, and maybe Hamilton and Halifax would be on the NHL map.
Gretzky still recognizes how important hockey is to Canada, and continues to selflessly volunteer his time for Hockey Canada & various charities in his home country and always talks about how much he missed Edmonton when he was dealt. He didn’t have much say in being traded on August 9, 1988, and I’m sure if there was something he could have done to have stopped it, he would of. He knew that, while humble in all the gifts he was given as a hockey player, Canada lost a bit of its soul that one day in Canadian sports history.
# posted by SBP : 2:38 PM
