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wal66

wal66

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Some of you (some of GameLive'rs in general) don't come of as overly sentimental but there are a few that are at least nostalgic. I am NetFlix'n one of the 30 For 30 ESPN things and it's about Gretsky.

When he left Canada for LA did you feel anything? Maybe even then you were seasoned enough to realize it's just sports and things happen but just maybe there was a sense of loss for one of the best players and a Canadian to boot.
 
I remember when he went to the kings, my youth hockey organization changed its uniform colors to black and silver. Or maybe they just wanted to pay homage to the NWA and the raiders not sure.

The trade changed hockey for the worse in the US, in my opinion. Yes more kids are playing hockey, in non traditional markets, but the Gretzky trade led to expansion which had hurt the game.
 
It was dramatic for him to leave the Oilers, period. I'm not sure that him leaving Canada had anything to do with the commotion caused by the Trade, but then again I'm not really Canadian so I can't relate to the feelings of the average Pucky, Betplom et al.

We don't really think of the 7 Canadian teams as Us vs. Them. It's more like the Original Six vs. The Unwashed Expansion Teams.

But here again I may well be wrong.
 
We saw a great photo of Bobby Orr playing with the Oshawa Generals at some fancy sports gallery here in TO:

orrgenerals-water.jpg


Limited print can be yours for a mere $450. :jerk:
 
wal66
Some of you (some of GameLive'rs in general) don't come of as overly sentimental but there are a few that are at least nostalgic. I am NetFlix'n one of the 30 For 30 ESPN things and it's about Gretsky.

When he left Canada for LA did you feel anything? Maybe even then you were seasoned enough to realize it's just sports and things happen but just maybe there was a sense of loss for one of the best players and a Canadian to boot.
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I remember the day and exact spot and time of day when he was traded. The radio station broke the news with a special "bulletin" type of announcement. When reg season opened, CBC televised the game live I think on a Thursday night or whatever. It was a pretty huge deal for die hard puckheads.

At the time he was my fav player, but for me it didn't matter one single bit. A lot of crazy die hard hockey fans especially Oiler fans blamed his wife when it was all the owners doing because he was in big time debt at the time and needed the money.

Gretzky being traded to L.A. was excellent for the game especially growth in the California (west coast) market. Blitty would agree.
 
tullamore
I remember when he went to the kings, my youth hockey organization changed its uniform colors to black and silver. Or maybe they just wanted to pay homage to the NWA and the raiders not sure.

The trade changed hockey for the worse in the US, in my opinion. Yes more kids are playing hockey, in non traditional markets, but the Gretzky trade led to expansion which had hurt the game.
Click to expand...

Gretzky trade did not lead to expansion. Expansion was Bettman's fault.
 
PuckOff
Gretzky trade did not lead to expansion. Expansion was Bettman's fault.
Click to expand...

the gretzky trade led to a growth of hockey in the US. kids playing in non traditional markets. SJ, TB, and OTT were all added before Bettman. The Ducks and Panthers were added just after Bettman took over, so he was not responsible for those 5 expansion teams, Gretzky and his impact on hockey are responsible. You can blame Bettman for Columbus, Minnesota, Nashville, and Atlanta.
 
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