Oilers Legend Wayne Gretzky Describes His First Game In Edmonton After The Trade

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Ryan Hall
November 6, 2024 (9:28 PM)

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Oilers legend Wayne Gretzky sat down on the panel of NHL faceoff and explained how he felt and what it was like to play against the Edmonton Oilers one week after being traded to the Los Angeles Kings.

Gretzky admitted that he was quite nervous the night before the game as he had played his entire career up to that point with the Oilers and had won many Stanley cups and great memories. He also described what it's like to play back in the former Northlands Coliseum and how the Edmonton fan base worked with little corporate sponsorship.

He described that he could look across the rink and see the same people in the seats game in and game out compared to other rinks like the kings where there are different fans every night due to the corporate seats.

On August 9th, 1988, the earthquake that rocked the hockey world saw Wayne Gretzky being shipped off to the Los Angeles Kings along with Marty Mcsorley and Mike Krushelnyski in exchange for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas along with three first round picks and $15 million in cash.

After many years, it was revealed it was simple fact that former late owner Peter Pocklington simply did not want to pay Gretzky the money he was looking for and told him that he would trade him to the Kings as he would find a new home in Southern California.

That trade changed the NHL forever as it helped grow the game in Southern California and lay the seeds for new franchises including the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, Arizona Coyotes who are now the Utah Hockey Club and others like the Kraken and the Golden Knights over the next 30 years.

It's safe to say that Gretzky will always have his heart with the Oilers and that it must have been extremely difficult to face his former team, teammates and the fans after so many great memories were made.