Very Interesting Article

[RichardGraham]

Hi Folks,

This is a really interesting story about the impact of Wayne Gretzky's trade to the Los Angeles Kings on both ice and inline hockey. Fascinating stuff. Your thoughts?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=3523940

[Jon Niola]

I would have to say that the article is right - we probably would not have had the proliferation of hockey (both ice and inline) that we have now.

One Gretzky quote from the article struck me odd:


"My favorite team as a kid was Detroit. My dad wanted me to go to Detroit but my gut was telling me there was a huge challenge in Los Angeles and I just really felt like it was the right thing to do in my heart, that's all, gut feel. And I wound up in L.A.," Gretzky said.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I could have sworn back then his primary reason for going to LA - at least publicly in the press - was to be near Hollywood for Janet's career? This quote almost seems like a little bit of revisionist history to me.

[zipyaj]

Gretzky's arrival also heralded unheard-of growth for youth hockey in Western and Southern states. Children born in and around 1988, and later, grew up playing hockey in record numbers, and continue to do so, and some of them have developed into legitimate NHL prospects.
Dan Woods
Why is this weekend special, Ducks fans? Hint: Gretzky
The Orange County Register
Friday, August 8, 2008
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/hockey-gretzky-nhl-2117868-california-trade

[RichardGraham]

Hi Jon,

I think that he meant that at the TIME of the trade, his father wanted him to go to Detroit, but Wayne wanted to go to L.A. (I've met his father, Walter Gretzky, and he is a great ambassador for inline hockey. Who woulda thunk it?)

And actually, Wayne came to L.A. because he knew that I was here. ;)

[RichardGraham]

Hi Jay,

Excellent article. Thanks for sharing.