Bruce McNall & Peter Pocklington discuss the biggest trade in NHL history!

[@thomasjefferson6]

I think that deep down that leaving Edmonton left a void in Gretzky that he never recovered from. To leave a team and a small-market city where everyone was so close and where so many championships had been won and so many great memories had been made could not have been easy. Recently Wayne revealed that he never liked playing against the Edmonton Oilers, and his greatest post-OIlers games (except for the one breaking Gordie Howe's record) were against other teams.

[@devilsadvocacy]

@@thomasjefferson6 G7 against the Leafs comes to mind

[@mach1sports]

Time heals all wounds. This is epic these two reliving the times

[@rickygarcha1311]

I Like how the owner of the kings emphasized gretzkys loyalty to the oilers

[@parkerbeard6170]

The Real problem for Peter Pocklington was the Oilers were a small market team, they were loaded with Super Stars struggling to financially afford them all and pay them a decent wage. Gretzky was planning to leave after his contract was up. Pocklington knew he needed to get something in return if he was going to lose Gretzky

[@broadstreet21]

Well yeah that's what most people don't realize. Ninety-nine percent of fans like to speculate how many more cups Edmonton could have had if Gretzky weren't traded. What they don't realize is he was a free agent, already told Pocklington he was going to leave in free agency. Even if Gretzky wanted to stay, the Oilers wouldn't be breaking even, meaning the team would have to re-locate to a bigger market, like Ottawa (where they would catch away many fans from Toronto or Montreal). Any way you cut it, there is almost no way Gretzky stays in Edmonton.

[@thomasjefferson6]

Gretzky had signed a 21-year contract with the OIlers in 1979. It went through to the end of the 1988-1989 season. Eventually, a new contract was worked out which allowed Wayne to become a free agent after a few years. With that contract, Gretzky's trade was inevitable, even if Wayne didn't know it at the time.

[@broadstreet21]

@@thomasjefferson6 Exactly, had he not gotten this new contract, he might have stayed in Edmonton his whole career, criminally underpaid. And very few hockey stars would have made money.

[@thomasjefferson6]

@@broadstreet21 He might have been underpaid, but it would not have been "criminal'. In 1979, he signed a 21-year contract with the OIlers, to be paid a certain amount of money. Pocklington didn't force him to do so. At the time, neither he nor anyone else considered him to be "underpaid." That contract allowed for it to be re-negotiated in regards to salary, but not for leaving Edmonton. It was also a personal services contract, not a standard NHL contract, which was why he was never drafted. The NHL initially wanted him to go into the draft, where he would have been the pick of the Colorado Rockies, the worst-run franchise in the NHL. Gretzky refused to do that, and stayed with the OIlers.

[@reverandglenn]

If the Canadian dollar wasn't such a pile of shit from the decimation of the west with the national energy program, it wouldn't have been an issue to sign anyone. It wasn't until the mid 90's that the west started to recover from 15 years of misery.

[@scottmorissey8915]

Pocklington, to his credit, tried to extend Gretzky during the 1987/88 season, and Wayne wouldn't have any of it. #99 wanted to play out his last season of the contract, which was 1988/89. If they didn't trade him in '88, conceivably, they lose Gretzky for...nothing...come the offseason of '89.

[@nymike06]

Well-Said

[@devilsadvocacy]

It was a one-sided, completely inexplicable deal until you found out Gretz was going to LA. I'm sure the NHL was all for it, with its franchise in the second-largest market in North America struggling to stay afloat, gaining instant credibility and an enormous surge in interest and support. Hockey is now firmly rooted throughout the US, and as a result is an immensely better game now than it was before. The talent level is higher, and the talent pool deeper, than it has ever been. The amazing thing was that the Oilers won another Stanley Cup two years after the trade, cementing their legacy as one of the game's greatest dynasties, one that transcended the greatest player (statistically, at least) ever to lace up a pair of skates. Although Wayne never won another Cup, his contributions to the game by leaving Edmonton for LA are something that it will never come close to re-paying him for

[@nymike06]

This was fascinating. The biggest sports trade in the modern era of team sports I ever saw in my lifetime. Both very interesting guys who in hindsight catapulted the NHL. They deserve a lot of credit. .

[@chrisphillips348]

Bobby Orr did not win 8 Hart Trophies, he won 8 Norris trophies. Editing is optional huh?

[@gregorygarcia6558]

That was the best player business transaction in professional sports history, all parties involved including the NHL benefited from it...

[@thomasjefferson6]

To gregorygarcia6588: Not all parties benefited from this player business transaction. The OIlers fans in Edmonton didn't benefit at all. Not only did they ultimately pay the bills by going to the games, they were left totally in the dark about why the trade (or sale was made). Subsequently they saw the rest of their great dynasty sold off to wealthier owners in other mostly US cities. In 1994, some of those very same players won another Stanley Cup, sometimes known as the New York Oilers: Glenn Anderson, Jeff Beukeboom, Adam Graves, Kevin Lowe, Craig MacTavish, Mark Messier, and Esa Tikannen.

[@dougrobinson8697]

This trade was bullshit. Pocklington is a backstabbing traitor and liar and everyone knows it.

[@tomwodavi5124]

When was this interview recorded? Thanks for sharing!

[@Razorbacks1]

I think this was after he was sentenced to prison for wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy.

[@aaazzz090]

Interesting interview,, what bothered me and I'm sure many other Oilers fans or admirers of the 1980's Oilers team was , at that Oiler Reunion I think it was either in 2013 or 2014 , when they introduced Peter and he came out ,, everyone cheered ... Probably the same people who didn't like him for the Gretzky trade among other things, cheering him.. If I had been their that night,I would probably not given him any reaction or just gone and gotten more food to eat .. It really amazes me how soft mainstream society is today , cheering for someone who is a "Legend in his own mind" and someone who is a very arrogant and self righteous..

[@rogerbrandt6678]

All parties except the fans of the oilers.

[@chrishanzek8930]

Pocklington didn't say why Wayne didn't want to re-sign.

[@jarenbigelow8606]

Peter needs to do Stomping Tom covers

[@Vayner447]

Pocklington lying through his teeth. Gretzky got a call from Vancouver telling him that Edmonton is trying to trade him there the night they won the cup. Gretzky didn’t believe it. When confronted- pocklington confirmed and Gretzky told him he wasn’t going to re-sign wherever he is traded in order to control where he landed. Pocklington sold him to settle his debts. It wasn’t a trade. Gretzky never said he wasn’t signing in Edmonton.

[@thomasjefferson6]

Gretzky promised Pocklington that he would let Pocklington match any offer that any other team made to him, and he would stay in Edmonton. Pocklington probably couldn't afford that, and before long the Great One was gonzo. What Wayne was hoping for was to be offered one last big contract for what he was worth by Pocklington, and then he would stay and finish his carrer in Edmonton. However, the OIlers owner was not about to let anyone know about his financial difficulties, (few businessmen do that) so he and Wayne could not reach an agreement. Wayne knew that he was a salary cap for his fellow teammates, and wasn't going to let that continue at that stage of their careers. Pocklington couldn't afford to keep his future hall--of-fame players any longer, and they player were all bought up by much more wealthy owners in the U.S.

[@Vayner447]

@@thomasjefferson6 Wrong. Pocklington was in massive debt and owed his creditors a ton of money. He needed a cash infusion to save Gainers- and he got that from the sale of Gretzky. There was no contractual offer for Pocklington to match- Gretzky was under contract until 1999 with the Oilers

[@thomasjefferson6]

@@Vayner447 I agree with your remarks for the most part. However, according to Gretzky in his book, published in 1990, that 21-year contract was voided, and a new contract for five years was agreed to, after which he had the option of becoming an unrestricted free agent. Gretzky also wrote that what he really wanted was to sign one last really big contract with the Oilers and finish his career in Edmonton. But no such offer was forthcoming. I agree with you that Pocklington was in a lot of debt, and would never be able to keep Wayne for anything close to what he was worth, so he began making plans to trade him, and did so when he thought the time was right.

[@giovannidibravato5576]

Bobby Orr is the greatest hockey player of all time! Wayne is the second greatest

[@briansmith3191]

Peter Pocklington toilet paper was the best thing to come out of that trade...The Oilers could of won 2 more cups with Gretzky

[@briancusack4386]

Yes, they definitely could of won two more Cups with Gretzky. If Pocklington had the means to keep that team intact (Gretzky; Kurri; Messier; Anderson; Lowe; Fuhr; etc.), I believe they would have eight Stanley Cups minimum. LA came up short in '93 and they had five ex-Oilers (Gretzky; Kurri; McSorley; Huddy; and Pat Conacher). NY won it all in 1994, and the Rangers had seven ex-Oilers (Messier; Graves; Lowe; Beukeboom; MacTavish; Tikkanen; and Anderson).

[@bmoshareholderappleshareho855]

@@briancusack4386 What about Paul Coffey? Why did they trade Coffey, the best defenceman in the league? Probably because they could not afford to pay him what he was really worth.

[@briancusack4386]

@@bmoshareholderappleshareho855 I agree. That's exactly why they traded him. They couldn't meet his salary demands.

[@broadstreet21]

Wrong, they would have won just one. Gretzky confirmed so in an videotaped interview, his own words, he was not re-signing (just look it up on KZbin). Maybe it's because he felt betrayed hearing that Pocklington was going to trade him, maybe he wanted money. People like to dream about how many Cups Gretzky would bring back to Edmonton, the answer is just 1989, then he's gone in free agency. Even if he tried to re-sign, the Oilers would be facing bankruptcy, would be forced to be sold and re-located to a bigger market - there's a reason Pocklington entertained the idea of moving to Toronto (and re-branding as the Maple Leafs), there was not enough revenue in Edmonton. Pocklington looked like the villain, but in truth, he took the blame unfairly. Even if he didn't entertain trade talks in 1988, he sooner would have had no choice. Even though Gretzky was shedding tears at the press conference, he was the one who said he was leaving in free agency, he had an option to accept less money to stay in Edmonton - would that have been fair? So Pocklington's charge of Gretzky's ego and fake tears were true.

[@markporter4675]

Two of the biggest crooks on the face of the earth one did jail time the other should still be there

[@suefrench8721]

This Pockie is one of the worst guys in hockey along with Eagleton.

[@September2004]

He’s bad but no where compared to Eagleson. In fact, I would rank Harold Ballard and Bill Wirtz as worst owners.

[@loufournier5397]

Pocklington is so full of crap. Gretzky was as loyal as they come. He was about winning and the Oilers were winning. He loved his teammates. All Pocklington had to do was make a decent offer and he would have stayed. Pocklington was bleeding money and got rid of him and blamed Gretzky instead of taking ownership for his own actions.

[@thomasjefferson6]

Pocklington couldn't afford to make a decent offer. He couldn't afford his other great players, either, and they were all gone within a few years. It must have been gut-wrenching for OIlers fans to see their great hockey dynasty sold off to other teams (with the exception of Anderson) in the United States. The Gretzky sale started the extraordinary explosion in player salaries, which eventually threatened to drive some NHL franchises into bankruptcy. Faced with a number of teams possibly folding, the NHL brought in the salary cap, which exists to this day.

[@devilsadvocacy]

Wayne did admit that he made it clear to Pocklington that as far as he (Wayne) was concerned, he was the best hockey player in the world and wanted to be paid like it. I do think Pocklington was being realistic in thinking that he wasn't going to be able to compete in a bidding war with any of the top half-a-dozen big market teams in the US, especially since there was no salary cap back then. But I'm not sure I believe Pocklington when he said he tried to work something out with Wayne. From what I recall Pocklington was indeed bleeding money and probably saw trading/selling Wayne to the Kings as the best option for himself