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A Week of Gretzky
by Alanah McGinley on 08/01/08 at 03:01 PM ET
Comments (3)
From NHL.com
On August 9, 1988, a day that changed the game, Wayne Gretzky was traded from the Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers to the lowly Los Angeles Kings. The trade changed the fortunes of the Kings, was a driving force for National Hockey League expansion into the ‘Sun Belt’, and generated extensive growth of the game at the grassroots level in “non-traditional” hockey markets.
To commemorate the anniversary, The NHL Network will highlight its “Wayne Gretzky Week” programming by presenting a one-hour special that features exclusive interviews with Gretzky, former Oilers owner Peter Pocklington and former Kings’ owner Bruce McNall, among others, at 9 p.m., ET, on Wednesday, August 6. A VNR of the interview with Gretzky will be provided Tuesday.
Here is the complete NHL Network schedule of Gretzky-related programming for next week:
NHL NETWORK SCHEDULE FOR GRETZKY WEEK
Wednesday, August 6th
9:00 ET A Day That Changed The Game: August 9, 1988 – One-hour documentary chronicling the Gretzky trade. Features interviews with Wayne Gretzky, Peter Pocklington and Bruce McNall
10:00 ET Red Wings @ Kings from October 6, 1988 – Gretzky’s first Kings game in Los Angeles.
Thursday, August 7th
9:00 ET – Frozen In Time: Wayne Gretzky Trade
9:30 ET – Top 10 Wayne Gretzky Moments
10:00 ET – Kings @ Oilers from October 19, 1988 – Gretzky’s first game as a visitor in Edmonton
Friday, August 8th
9:00 ET – Top 10 Wayne Gretzky Moments
9:30 ET – NHL Cool Shots: Extended Play – Wayne Gretzky
10:00 ET – Kings @ Oilers from October 15, 1989 – Gretzky breaks Gordie Howe’s career points record
Saturday, August 9th
7:00 ET – Kings @ Maple Leafs from May 29, 1993 – Gretzky’s Game 7 Hat Trick propels LA into the Stanley Cup Final
9:00 ET – A Day That Changed The Game: August 9, 1988
10:00 ET – Canucks @ Kings from March 23, 1994 – Gretzky becomes the NHL’s all-time goal scoring leader
Filed in: NHL Talk, NHL Media, Hockey Broadcasting, NHL Network | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: hockey+history, nhl+network, wayne+gretzky,
Comments
Wait, why the hell are we commemorating this? Gretzky’s arrival in LA only hastened the process of salary escalation, continued the dismantling of the last great dynasty, and led the NHL to believe that expanding to places that wouldn’t know snow if you trucked it in from Buffalo is a good idea.
Oh, and it let that douche Pocklington line his pockets even more.
Posted by Doogie2K from Calgary on 08/01/08 at 10:55 PM ET
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About a week before the trade, a friend of mine who had connections to the NHL and the Kings tipped me off to what was going on. I can clearly remember thinking this guy was crazy—there was no way Wayne Gretzky was ever going to be traded. Wow, was I shocked (along with the rest of the hockey universe) just a week later. I know 99’s press conference in Edmonton was wretching but I’ll never forget the local LA TV stations breaking into regular programming to show the press conference. It was without question, the biggest moment ever for the game in Los Angeles.
Posted by Painer from Phoenix on 08/01/08 at 05:24 PM ET