Twenty years ago I was a young lad on a family trip in Ottawa. There are moments from your childhood that will always stay with you and for me, this was one of them. I don't remember a lot about our trip but I do remember finding out that my favorite player had been traded.
Wayne Gretzky was no longer an Oiler?
Wayne Gretzky was a King?!?
Even today when you put yourself back into the moment, its hard to comprehend, especially without the Internet and 24-hr sports radio to overanalyze it to death.
The Oilers had just won their fourth Cup in five years and Gretzky was 27, coming off a year where he put up 40 goals and 149 points in 64 regular season games and 12 goals, 43 points in 19 playoff games.
I don't think we fully understood the ramifications at the time but the hockey world would never be the same.
At the time there were just 21 teams in the league, seven in Canada. Since that day, the number of teams in the US has grown by 71% - from 14 to 24.
In 1988, Wayne Gretzky was the highest player in the league, earning a reported $700-800k. His salary would quickly jump post-trade to $3 mil and at the end of his 7 1/2+ years in LA it would climb all the way to $6.5 mil in 1995-96.
We also saw a change with how jerseys and merchandise were designed and marketed, after the success of that stunning black, silver and white Kings jersey that Gretzky put on first the first time twenty years ago.
And of course since that day, loyalty and player security pretty much went out the window. If The Great One could be dealt, it really could happen to anyone.
The Oilers would go on to win one more Cup but that really was the day that hockey's last great dynasty fell apart. Who knows how many more Cups they would have won had Pocklington not sold the greatest player of all-time to Bruce McNall.
I’m very interested in asset management and to me it’s fascinating to track the fallout from the trade, twenty-years later. There are also some great names from the past that you probably haven't heard in a while.
(Note: Images may take a moment to load. There are four images that make up the trade tree and another three with player stats. Thumbnail images used without permission for educational purposes.)
Full-size Charts (Click to View, Right Click to Download):
PART ONE
PART TWO
PART THREE
PART FOUR
Stats:
A few things that stood out:
* I don’t think anyone has ever taken a good look at asset turnover but it seems like the Oilers turned over talent rather quickly without a clear direction on where the franchise was going. Of all the 69 assets that were brought in through deals, only four (Moreau, Grier, Richardson and McAmmond) played 300+ games in Edmonton.
* In a matter of just over two weeks, Sam McMaster made his best and worst deals – one each of the best and worst in franchise history:
February 27, 1996:
Wayne Gretzky traded to St. Louis for Craig Johnson, Patrice Tardif, Roman Vopat, St. Louis 5th round choice (Peter Hogan) in 1996 Entry Draft and 1st round choice (Matt Zultek) in 1997 Entry Draft.
March 14, 1996:
Marty McSorley, Jari Kurri and Shane Churla traded to NY Rangers for Ray Ferraro, Ian Laperriere, Mattias Norstrom, Nathan Lafayette and NY Rangers' 4th round choice (Sean Blanchard) in 1997 Entry Draft.
* The assets that LA acquired have totaled 1969 points to date in a Kings’ uniform. The assets that they dealt total 1939 – that’s astounding to me that the numbers are so close.
* Three current Oiler players were acquired in deals that branched off from the blockbuster twenty years ago (Moreau, Brule, Stortini). The Kings have two highly touted prospects in Oscar Moller and Colten Teubert with more picks to come.
One thing is for sure - the impact of this deal will still be felt throughout the league long after the tree stops growing.
Because for better and for worse, this is the trade that really shaped the National Hockey League.
If #99 would have played his whole career in Edmonton, where would the League be today?
As much fun as it is to reminisce on the last twenty years and speculate on how things could have been different, my hope is that the League's Head Office and Board of Governors are sitting on a master document and that their strategic plans, not a trade, signing or reaction to a competitive league will shape the next twenty years.
Afterall, look at the success and growth that the NHL has had in the US, almost by accident - due largely in part to Pocklington's financial troubles and McNall's excess cash (which we now know wasn't his to spend). I doubt we'll ever have another Gretzky, but the young talent right now is better than it has ever been, especially in the United States - and that can be traced right back to the "Pro Stars" generation.
So it may take another twenty years to accurately measure the true impact that Wayne Gretzky's move to LA had on the National Hockey League.
And with the right leadership, the right plan and the right execution, what we've seen to date may just be the tip of the iceberg.
Danny -
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