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Gretzky Trade Questions [message #840983]	Wed, 12 February 2025 15:52

smyth260
Messages: 1124
Registered: November 2007

1 Cup

In light of a Luka Doncic trade in the NBA sending shockwaves through sports, it has been interesting to see the aftermath.

Mavericks fans are rightfully pissed. I saw a video of one of their owners getting heavily booed in the arena. I have seen some stories of season ticket holders getting partial refunds because of the trade. Mark Cuban is yelling at fans chanting for firings to shut the F up.

I have never seen such a thing in sports. What was it like this after Gretzky was traded? I see he was traded in offseason so perhaps emotions had time to cool. Did people boo the first game? Was Pocklington public enemy number 1? What happened…

Clean house or bust

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Re: Gretzky Trade Questions [message #840984 is a reply to message #840983 ]	Wed, 12 February 2025 16:50

Babaganoosh2.0
Messages: 402
Registered: December 2018
Location: Southern AB

No Cups

What was it like this after Gretzky was traded?

It was like a snap kick straight to the ballsack. The entire community went through the stages of grief. Watching Gretzky cry at the press conference made it extremely personal for all the fans

I see he was traded in offseason so perhaps emotions had time to cool. Did people boo the first game?

It took a very long time for emotions to cool and even mentioning it to Oiler fans of the time now will probably elicit anger. Did they boo Gretzky his first game back. Some did. Some didn't. The cup in 1990 helped give hope that we could move on from it.

Was Pocklington public enemy number 1? What happened…

Most definitly. Some fans burned Pocklington in effigy and im sure some would have done the same to the real Pocklington had they got their hands on him. Did not help matters much when Pocklington basically defended the trade by saying, "I really don't give a damn what some of the unwashed have to say". He has further defended it more recently by saying it was for the betterment of the game, or Gretzky was passed his use by date. Something many Oiler fans knew was complete BS. Pocklington sold him plain and simple to whoever could put up enough money to save his failing business endevours.

Janet Jones was public enemy number two. Many felt she was pressuring Wayne to get traded to L.A. to benefit her acting career.

Pocklington sold him but Gretzky was in on the deal, helped make it happen, and had the ability to end it right up until the press conference. There was a great documentary about 10 years ago( I cant recall the name) on the trade and it showed how much of a driving force Gretzky was behind it. All that said, I really believe it was a good for Gretzky, the NHL, and hockey in general. It was also a good deal for Pocklington who was broke and needed the $15 million. Really it was good for 97% of the hockey world, and bad only for us Oilers fans.

Just my two cents.

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Re: Gretzky Trade Questions [message #840988 is a reply to message #840984 ]	Wed, 12 February 2025 23:20

Adam
Messages: 7255
Registered: August 2005
Location: Edmonton, AB

6 Cups

I agree with a lot of this.

Pocklington was the villain to be sure - although he made a deal with Gretzky that 99 would suggest that he wanted to be in LA, to try to take the heat off him. Gretzky changed his mind on that after Pocklington specifically started suggesting it was Janet's fault. At that point he came clean and said that Janet was happy to move to Edmonton and he would have been happy to stay.

Pocklington was seeing financial difficulties and Gretzky did have an impending free agency coming. Pocklington started talking to another team - I've heard it was Vancouver about essentially a sale. Gretzky's agent and his father heard through the grapevine and confronted Pocklington on it, and they pushed for LA to be the destination when it was clear that there wasn't going to be a happy ending here.

McNall was kind of cut from the same cloth as Pocklington. Shysters made good, based on a little luck and a little bank fraud. They were made to deal with one another. Sather was brought in to the loop really late, which apparently is the only reason the deal wasn't just all cash for Gretzky. He HATED the deal, and was open that we were always going to lose it, but he managed to get the non-money return (Carson, Gelinas & 3 first round draftpicks).

I was 11 and it was maybe the worst day of my life up to that point. I remember we got a call from my aunt saying she heard we traded Gretzky. I was in full-on denial. And then we watched that press conference and I probably cried more than 99.

Many of my friends and classmates became Kings fans overnight. I stuck with the Oilers but it was super hard for the first while. Oilers fans were super conflicted in 1988-89, but after he knocked us out of the playoffs that year with a huge performance against the Oilers, it became a much easier. Typically at the start of the game he'd get a big cheer, and then he'd be booed all over the ice when he touched the puck.

"Thinking that a bad team's best players are the reason the team is bad is the "Tambellini re-signing Lennart Petrell" of sports opinions." @Woodguy55
#FireBobbyNicks

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Re: Gretzky Trade Questions [message #840989 is a reply to message #840988 ]	Thu, 13 February 2025 01:52

Babaganoosh2.0
Messages: 402
Registered: December 2018
Location: Southern AB

No Cups

Adam wrote on Wed, 12 February 2025 23:20

I agree with a lot of this.

Pocklington was the villain to be sure - although he made a deal with Gretzky that 99 would suggest that he wanted to be in LA, to try to take the heat off him. Gretzky changed his mind on that after Pocklington specifically started suggesting it was Janet's fault. At that point he came clean and said that Janet was happy to move to Edmonton and he would have been happy to stay.

Pocklington was seeing financial difficulties and Gretzky did have an impending free agency coming. Pocklington started talking to another team - I've heard it was Vancouver about essentially a sale. Gretzky's agent and his father heard through the grapevine and confronted Pocklington on it, and they pushed for LA to be the destination when it was clear that there wasn't going to be a happy ending here.

McNall was kind of cut from the same cloth as Pocklington. Shysters made good, based on a little luck and a little bank fraud. They were made to deal with one another. Sather was brought in to the loop really late, which apparently is the only reason the deal wasn't just all cash for Gretzky. He HATED the deal, and was open that we were always going to lose it, but he managed to get the non-money return (Carson, Gelinas & 3 first round draftpicks).

I was 11 and it was maybe the worst day of my life up to that point. I remember we got a call from my aunt saying she heard we traded Gretzky. I was in full-on denial. And then we watched that press conference and I probably cried more than 99.

Many of my friends and classmates became Kings fans overnight. I stuck with the Oilers but it was super hard for the first while. Oilers fans were super conflicted in 1988-89, but after he knocked us out of the playoffs that year with a huge performance against the Oilers, it became a much easier. Typically at the start of the game he'd get a big cheer, and then he'd be booed all over the ice when he touched the puck.

Did free agency even exsist yet? I thought Pocklington had him signed to some bizarre "personal services contract" for 20 years.

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Re: Gretzky Trade Questions [message #840995 is a reply to message #840989 ]	Thu, 13 February 2025 12:55

Adam
Messages: 7255
Registered: August 2005
Location: Edmonton, AB

6 Cups

Babaganoosh2.0 wrote on Thu, 13 February 2025 01:52

Adam wrote on Wed, 12 February 2025 23:20

I agree with a lot of this.

Pocklington was the villain to be sure - although he made a deal with Gretzky that 99 would suggest that he wanted to be in LA, to try to take the heat off him. Gretzky changed his mind on that after Pocklington specifically started suggesting it was Janet's fault. At that point he came clean and said that Janet was happy to move to Edmonton and he would have been happy to stay.

Pocklington was seeing financial difficulties and Gretzky did have an impending free agency coming. Pocklington started talking to another team - I've heard it was Vancouver about essentially a sale. Gretzky's agent and his father heard through the grapevine and confronted Pocklington on it, and they pushed for LA to be the destination when it was clear that there wasn't going to be a happy ending here.

McNall was kind of cut from the same cloth as Pocklington. Shysters made good, based on a little luck and a little bank fraud. They were made to deal with one another. Sather was brought in to the loop really late, which apparently is the only reason the deal wasn't just all cash for Gretzky. He HATED the deal, and was open that we were always going to lose it, but he managed to get the non-money return (Carson, Gelinas & 3 first round draftpicks).

I was 11 and it was maybe the worst day of my life up to that point. I remember we got a call from my aunt saying she heard we traded Gretzky. I was in full-on denial. And then we watched that press conference and I probably cried more than 99.

Many of my friends and classmates became Kings fans overnight. I stuck with the Oilers but it was super hard for the first while. Oilers fans were super conflicted in 1988-89, but after he knocked us out of the playoffs that year with a huge performance against the Oilers, it became a much easier. Typically at the start of the game he'd get a big cheer, and then he'd be booed all over the ice when he touched the puck.

Did free agency even exsist yet? I thought Pocklington had him signed to some bizarre "personal services contract" for 20 years.

That personal services contract had been torn up some years before and replaced with something more conventional. Free agency was not the same, but there was apparently a feeling that the Oilers might not be able to afford a big increase, because the owner was a crook whose house of cards had started to fall.

"Thinking that a bad team's best players are the reason the team is bad is the "Tambellini re-signing Lennart Petrell" of sports opinions." @Woodguy55
#FireBobbyNicks

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Re: Gretzky Trade Questions [message #841000 is a reply to message #840995 ]	Thu, 13 February 2025 19:39

welcometotheOC
Messages: 651
Registered: April 2010
Location: Also, sadly, Cowtown

No Cups

Adam wrote on Thu, 13 February 2025 12:55

Babaganoosh2.0 wrote on Thu, 13 February 2025 01:52

Adam wrote on Wed, 12 February 2025 23:20

I agree with a lot of this.

Pocklington was the villain to be sure - although he made a deal with Gretzky that 99 would suggest that he wanted to be in LA, to try to take the heat off him. Gretzky changed his mind on that after Pocklington specifically started suggesting it was Janet's fault. At that point he came clean and said that Janet was happy to move to Edmonton and he would have been happy to stay.

Pocklington was seeing financial difficulties and Gretzky did have an impending free agency coming. Pocklington started talking to another team - I've heard it was Vancouver about essentially a sale. Gretzky's agent and his father heard through the grapevine and confronted Pocklington on it, and they pushed for LA to be the destination when it was clear that there wasn't going to be a happy ending here.

McNall was kind of cut from the same cloth as Pocklington. Shysters made good, based on a little luck and a little bank fraud. They were made to deal with one another. Sather was brought in to the loop really late, which apparently is the only reason the deal wasn't just all cash for Gretzky. He HATED the deal, and was open that we were always going to lose it, but he managed to get the non-money return (Carson, Gelinas & 3 first round draftpicks).

I was 11 and it was maybe the worst day of my life up to that point. I remember we got a call from my aunt saying she heard we traded Gretzky. I was in full-on denial. And then we watched that press conference and I probably cried more than 99.

Many of my friends and classmates became Kings fans overnight. I stuck with the Oilers but it was super hard for the first while. Oilers fans were super conflicted in 1988-89, but after he knocked us out of the playoffs that year with a huge performance against the Oilers, it became a much easier. Typically at the start of the game he'd get a big cheer, and then he'd be booed all over the ice when he touched the puck.

Did free agency even exsist yet? I thought Pocklington had him signed to some bizarre "personal services contract" for 20 years.

I don't have a quote or a link and I am too lazy/down to look it up, but I believe he was still under that personal services contract, but it had an "out" clause at the mid-point (1989) where it could be renegotiated or something like that and that if an agreement couldn't be reached Gretz could seek a deal with another team.... just memory.

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Re: Gretzky Trade Questions [message #841002 is a reply to message #841000 ]	Fri, 14 February 2025 00:16

Babaganoosh2.0
Messages: 402
Registered: December 2018
Location: Southern AB

No Cups

welcometotheOC wrote on Thu, 13 February 2025 19:39

Adam wrote on Thu, 13 February 2025 12:55

Babaganoosh2.0 wrote on Thu, 13 February 2025 01:52

Adam wrote on Wed, 12 February 2025 23:20

I agree with a lot of this.

Pocklington was the villain to be sure - although he made a deal with Gretzky that 99 would suggest that he wanted to be in LA, to try to take the heat off him. Gretzky changed his mind on that after Pocklington specifically started suggesting it was Janet's fault. At that point he came clean and said that Janet was happy to move to Edmonton and he would have been happy to stay.

Pocklington was seeing financial difficulties and Gretzky did have an impending free agency coming. Pocklington started talking to another team - I've heard it was Vancouver about essentially a sale. Gretzky's agent and his father heard through the grapevine and confronted Pocklington on it, and they pushed for LA to be the destination when it was clear that there wasn't going to be a happy ending here.

McNall was kind of cut from the same cloth as Pocklington. Shysters made good, based on a little luck and a little bank fraud. They were made to deal with one another. Sather was brought in to the loop really late, which apparently is the only reason the deal wasn't just all cash for Gretzky. He HATED the deal, and was open that we were always going to lose it, but he managed to get the non-money return (Carson, Gelinas & 3 first round draftpicks).

I was 11 and it was maybe the worst day of my life up to that point. I remember we got a call from my aunt saying she heard we traded Gretzky. I was in full-on denial. And then we watched that press conference and I probably cried more than 99.

Many of my friends and classmates became Kings fans overnight. I stuck with the Oilers but it was super hard for the first while. Oilers fans were super conflicted in 1988-89, but after he knocked us out of the playoffs that year with a huge performance against the Oilers, it became a much easier. Typically at the start of the game he'd get a big cheer, and then he'd be booed all over the ice when he touched the puck.

Did free agency even exsist yet? I thought Pocklington had him signed to some bizarre "personal services contract" for 20 years.

Im thinking your correct. Didnt salary disclosure start around that time period and everyone found out Gretzky was making less then alot of other players.

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Re: Gretzky Trade Questions [message #841005 is a reply to message #841002 ]	Fri, 14 February 2025 12:36

Adam
Messages: 7255
Registered: August 2005
Location: Edmonton, AB

6 Cups

Looks like that's the correct answer. This from Google's AI:

Wayne Gretzky's 21-year personal services contract with the Edmonton Oilers ended when the Oilers sold it to the Los Angeles Kings.
Explanation
- Gretzky signed the 21-year contract after reaching the age of majority.
- The contract included a renegotiation clause after 10 years.
- When Pocklington didn't renegotiate the contract, he sold it to Bruce McNall and the Los Angeles Kings.
- McNall immediately terminated Gretzky's contract and gave him a new long-term contract with the Kings.

"Thinking that a bad team's best players are the reason the team is bad is the "Tambellini re-signing Lennart Petrell" of sports opinions." @Woodguy55
#FireBobbyNicks

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Re: Gretzky Trade Questions [message #840993 is a reply to message #840988 ]	Thu, 13 February 2025 12:05

Mike
Messages: 1421
Registered: August 2005
Location: Moncton, New Brunswick

1 Cup

Adam wrote on Thu, 13 February 2025 02:20

I was 11 and it was maybe the worst day of my life up to that point.

Yeah - that day sucked. I was out mowing the lawn, a kid with basically no money, but I did for some reason have a $20 in my pocket that day. Well - it fell out out my pocket and within seconds got shredded into a million pieces. As I stood there teary eyed because I just lost my small fortune, my best friend at the time came running over all to happy to give me the news.

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Re: Gretzky Trade Questions [message #840996 is a reply to message #840984 ]	Thu, 13 February 2025 13:02

bigEfromGP
Messages: 825
Registered: July 2006
Location: GP, AB

No Cups

Babaganoosh2.0 wrote on Wed, 12 February 2025 16:50

The documentary is called "Kings Ransom" and was actually the first ESPN 30 for 30. My understanding is that the popularity of that documentary is what kickstarted 30 for 30 into what it is now (as it wasn't intended to be a long running series originally).

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1503202/

Similar to Adam, I was young when the trade happened (I was 9 years old), but it was one of those few moments in life when you remember where you were and what you were doing when it happened. Keep in mind, this is also in a time where there wasn't internet (as we know it) and tv's weren't everywhere like they are now. So lots of people found out from the headline in the newspaper the next morning. It was a pretty crazy time, it was all anyone could talk about.

CrusaderPi wrote on Fri, 09 October 2020 13:17

CrudeRemarks wrote on Fri, 09 October 2020 13:00

The president thinks he has the ideal male body.
It's hard to disagree that he has the ideal male body.

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