The day the music died

[K1984]

Does that Ranger team become so deep without Messier being there to prompt them to “go all in”? I’m guessing it doesn’t.

A lot of those moves were made up front though. Leetch and Zubov are on that team regardless, and I don't see them as having had much of a chance without those two even in their loaded state up front.

 

[Xspyrit]

Where were you this day in 1988?

I remember waking up to the news and thinking it was all a nightmare.

"The day the music died" is usually a reference for February 3, 1959 when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J. P. Richardson died.

I see that Gretzky was traded in 1988 but why the day the music died?

 

[Fourier]

"The day the music died" is usually a reference for February 3, 1959 when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J. P. Richardson died.

I see that Gretzky was traded in 1988 but why the day the music died?

Yah I know...It was actually a quote from my wife who reminded me of what day it was. She said the trade made the city feel like "the day the music died" which in it's most broad interpretation is about a profound loss of someone who inspired you.

Interestingly enough we just listened to American Pie on the radio. Don MacLean himself has thrown cold water on quite a bit of the interpretation of the song, such as the name of the "jester" and the "king" but the death of Holly et all is certainly the core inspiration.

 

[The Panther]

I was 12 in 1988, and had joyously watched every game (except game three of the Detroit series... which the Oil lost) of the playoffs. Gretzky had been my hero since I was 6. By age 12, I'd probably read seven or eight books about him, and I'd memorized his career stats. I'm proud to say I had this fan-club poster on my wall:

Yep...

Anyway, about two days before the August 9th press conference, there was a headline in the Sports' section that said, "Wayne Gretzky About to be Traded for Luc Robitaille and Jimmy Carson?" I read it, and immediately dismissed it as nonsense.

Then, the announcement of the press conference... it was a nice, sunny, central Alberta day, and I watched the whole thing, live.

I can't say I was distraught or anything; I was cool and collected. But I think I was just confused by the whole thing. How... had this happened? And so suddenly...?

So, I do think this was a tragedy of sorts for Edmonton and for Oilers' fans. Nor did it work out particuarly well for Gretzky (in my opinion). And it certainly didn't work out well for Pocklington.

The really sad aspect of it is that the whole thing (a 1988 rush-job trade... to the Oilers' division rival no less!) was completely unnecessary. It's obvious that Gretzky would have left Edmonton at some point before too long, but it certainly did not need to be in 1988. I would guess that if cooler heads and lessened-egos had prevailed, that Wayne would have left town in about 1991. Had he done so, I think everyone's result would have been better.

What seemed to have happened in spring-summer 1988 is that Wayne found out (from his Dad) that Pocklington (and Sather, at Pockington's duress... though Sather wanted nothing to do with it) was shoppig Gretzky around (to the Rangers, Detroit, Vancouver, maybe others) to see what he could get. I think when Wayne found out all this was going on around his back, he lost his shit and was royally angry. Which, you know, is understandable. He had just signed a new, two-year deal in summer 1987 and had every reason to expect things to stay calm until summer 1989. He had done rather a lot (to put it mildly) for the city, and for Pocklington (Gretzky actually showed up, in person, to "support" Pocklingon's failed bid for Conservative Partly leadership in 1984).

The problem with Gretzky's team-relations from 1978 through about 1994 is that he always wanted a Daddy-Warbucks / Mr. Moneybags figure to protect and support him. First, it was Nelson Skalbania, later tried as a crook. Then it was Pocklington, later tried as a crook. Then it was McNall, later tried as a crook. (See a pattern here?) Despite forcing Pocklington (or maybe the NHL forced Pocklington) to give him a "normal" NHL contract in 1987, Wayne still viewed his relationship with Pocklington as a father-son kind of thing. So, when he found out PP was shopping him around without telling him, he suddenly decided to put his big-boy pants on and fight back (just being married that spring, Gretzky was no-doubt eager to express his new, manly independence as well).

And Pockington did the same. He dug in and decided Wayne's problem was his wife, his ego, etc., and — as Bruce McNall has explained — Gretzky actually overhead PP's phone-message to McNall complaining about all this, which was the final straw.

Gretzky and Pocklington spent late-July through early-August 1988 in a battle of egos to see who would get the upper hand and wear the pants... the result was a rushed "trade" / business transaction, neither of which greatly benefitted the principal players.

Pocklington became the scourge of Edmonton, was burned in effigy, received death-threats, lost the trust of his team's coach / GM... and ended up insolvent and later convicted of perjury anyway.... It took 26 years before he dared show his face publicly in Edmonton again.

Gretzky followed the Daddy-Warbucks train yet again to Bruce McNall (conveniently in a glitzy city that suited his wife and Wayne's growing ego), a man who, five-and-a-half years later, would be convicted of five counts of conspiracy and fraud after bilking six banks out of $236 million. By the end of the 1993-94 season (the last year Wayne won the scoring title), the Kings were having problems paying their players their salaries.

The Kings had one great regular season with Gretzky (1990-91), and one big playoff run (1993) that ended in a Cup Finals' loss and an immediate downturn to being League bottom-feeders again. The main problem L.A. faced during the years 1989-90 through 1991-92 was losing to Edmonton, a club Gretzky admitted he had problems performing against.

Jimmy Carson had what appeared to be a Hall of Fame-career path ended after his one season in Edmonton when he decided he didn't like the city, Canadian taxes, or the supposed pressure of replacing Gretzky. By age 26 he was washed up in the NHL and ended up in the Swiss League and then the IHL.

Thanks to Glen Sather's canny trade of Carson to Detroit (for Graves, Klima, and Murphy), the Oilers had enough depth to win one more Stanley Cup (1990) without Gretzky or Coffey (or Fuhr, who was suspended)... but then in the summer/fall of 1991 the entire club was basically dismantled for good, and, thanks to no revenue-sharing and the decline of the Canadian dollar, the Oilers quickly fell out of contention and missed the playoffs for four straight years (1993 to 1996), reaching the third round only once between 1993 and 2023.

Gretzky ended up failing to win an NHL championship ever again after Edmonton, depite playing 11 further seasons.

(The one guy who arguably benefitted from Gretzky's departure was Mark Messier, who after a difficult 1988-89 season — there was talk that he couldn't handle being a team captain — rebounded to have his best-ever season in 1989-90, capped with an unexpected Stanley Cup when he co-led [with Craig Simpson, who'd been acquired for Coffey] the playoffs in scoring. Messier left Edmonton in 1991 for New York, where he cemented a huge legacy yet again and won the Stanley Cup in 1994.)

In short, the entire Gretzky "trade" was a clusterf*** for everyone directly involved.

What should have happened, if Gretzky and Pocklington could have opened a line of communication and put their ego-battles aside:
— Wayne stays in Edmonton for 1988-89, 1989-90, and 1990-91.
— Wayne signs a new contract in 1989 for two more seasons.
— Janet is barefoot and pregnant for three years in Edmonton before they depart.
— The Oilers win not only the 1990 Cup but also the 1991 Cup, making it six Cups in eight seasons.
— Wayne wins the 1990 and 1991 scoring titles (as he did anyway in L.A.).
— In summer 1991, Wayne moves to either Detroit or New York, with time for the Edmonton fans to thank him and send him off in style.
— Wayne thus ends up on a highly-talented club with competent management, and probably wins one or two more Cups before he retires.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

I was 12 in 1988, and had joyously watched every game (except game three of the Detroit series... which the Oil lost) of the playoffs. Gretzky had been my hero since I was 6. By age 12, I'd probably read seven or eight books about him, and I'd memorized his career stats. I'm proud to say I had this fan-club poster on my wall:

Yep...

Anyway, about two days before the August 9th press conference, there was a headline in the Sports' section that said, "Wayne Gretzky About to be Traded for Luc Robitaille and Jimmy Carson?" I read it, and immediately dismissed it as nonsense.

Then, the announcement of the press conference... it was a nice, sunny, central Alberta day, and I watched the whole thing, live.

I can't say I was distraught or anything; I was cool and collected. But I think I was just confused by the whole thing. How... had this happened? And so suddenly...?

So, I do think this was a tragedy of sorts for Edmonton and for Oilers' fans. Nor did it work out particuarly well for Gretzky (in my opinion). And it certainly didn't work out well for Pocklington.

The really sad aspect of it is that the whole thing (a 1988 rush-job trade... to the Oilers' division rival no less!) was completely unnecessary. It's obvious that Gretzky would have left Edmonton at some point before too long, but it certainly did not need to be in 1988. I would guess that if cooler heads and lessened-egos had prevailed, that Wayne would have left town in about 1991. Had he done so, I think everyone's result would have been better.

What seemed to have happened in spring-summer 1988 is that Wayne found out (from his Dad) that Pocklington (and Sather, at Pockington's duress... though Sather wanted nothing to do with it) was shoppig Gretzky around (to the Rangers, Detroit, Vancouver, maybe others) to see what he could get. I think when Wayne found out all this was going on around his back, he lost his shit and was royally angry. Which, you know, is understandable. He had just signed a new, two-year deal in summer 1987 and had every reason to expect things to stay calm until summer 1989. He had done rather a lot (to put it mildly) for the city, and for Pocklington (Gretzky actually showed up, in person, to "support" Pocklingon's failed bid for Conservative Partly leadership in 1984).

The problem with Gretzky's team-relations from 1978 through about 1994 is that he always wanted a Daddy-Warbucks / Mr. Moneybags figure to protect and support him. First, it was Nelson Skalbania, later tried as a crook. Then it was Pocklington, later tried as a crook. Then it was McNall, later tried as a crook. (See a pattern here?) Despite forcing Pocklington (or maybe the NHL forced Pocklington) to give him a "normal" NHL contract in 1987, Wayne still viewed his relationship with Pocklington as a father-son kind of thing. So, when he found out PP was shopping him around without telling him, he suddenly decided to put his big-boy pants on and fight back (just being married that spring, Gretzky was no-doubt eager to express his new, manly independence as well).

And Pockington did the same. He dug in and decided Wayne's problem was his wife, his ego, etc., and — as Bruce McNall has explained — Gretzky actually overhead PP's phone-message to McNall complaining about all this, which was the final straw.

Gretzky and Pocklington spent late-July through early-August 1988 in a battle of egos to see who would get the upper hand and wear the pants... the result was a rushed "trade" / business transaction, neither of which greatly benefitted the principal players.

Pocklington became the scourge of Edmonton, was burned in effigy, received death-threats, lost the trust of his team's coach / GM... and ended up insolvent and later convicted of perjury anyway.... It took 26 years before he dared show his face publicly in Edmonton again.

Gretzky followed the Daddy-Warbucks train yet again to Bruce McNall (conveniently in a glitzy city that suited his wife and Wayne's growing ego), a man who, five-and-a-half years later, would be convicted of five counts of conspiracy and fraud after bilking six banks out of $236 million. By the end of the 1993-94 season (the last year Wayne won the scoring title), the Kings were having problems paying their players their salaries.

The Kings had one great regular season with Gretzky (1990-91), and one big playoff run (1993) that ended in a Cup Finals' loss and an immediate downturn to being League bottom-feeders again. The main problem L.A. faced during the years 1989-90 through 1991-92 was losing to Edmonton, a club Gretzky admitted he had problems performing against.

Jimmy Carson had what appeared to be a Hall of Fame-career path ended after his one season in Edmonton when he decided he didn't like the city, Canadian taxes, or the supposed pressure of replacing Gretzky. By age 26 he was washed up in the NHL and ended up in the Swiss League and then the IHL.

Thanks to Glen Sather's canny trade of Carson to Detroit (for Graves, Klima, and Murphy), the Oilers had enough depth to win one more Stanley Cup (1990) without Gretzky or Coffey (or Fuhr, who was suspended)... but then in the summer/fall of 1991 the entire club was basically dismantled for good, and, thanks to no revenue-sharing and the decline of the Canadian dollar, the Oilers quickly fell out of contention and missed the playoffs for four straight years (1993 to 1996), reaching the third round only once between 1993 and 2023.

Gretzky ended up failing to win an NHL championship ever again after Edmonton, depite playing 11 further seasons.

(The one guy who arguably benefitted from Gretzky's departure was Mark Messier, who after a difficult 1988-89 season — there was talk that he couldn't handle being a team captain — rebounded to have his best-ever season in 1989-90, capped with an unexpected Stanley Cup when he co-led [with Craig Simpson, who'd been acquired for Coffey] the playoffs in scoring. Messier left Edmonton in 1991 for New York, where he cemented a huge legacy yet again and won the Stanley Cup in 1994.)

In short, the entire Gretzky "trade" was a clusterf*** for everyone directly involved.

What should have happened, if Gretzky and Pocklington could have opened a line of communication and put their ego-battles aside:
— Wayne stays in Edmonton for 1988-89, 1989-90, and 1990-91.
— Wayne signs a new contract in 1989 for two more seasons.
— Janet is barefoot and pregnant for three years in Edmonton before they depart.
— The Oilers win not only the 1990 Cup but also the 1991 Cup, making it six Cups in eight seasons.
— Wayne wins the 1990 and 1991 scoring titles (as he did anyway in L.A.).
— In summer 1991, Wayne moves to either Detroit or New York, with time for the Edmonton fans to thank him and send him off in style.
— Wayne thus ends up on a highly-talented club with competent management, and probably wins one or two more Cups before he retires.

The one piece of the NHL economics that often gets overlooked, is that Gretzky WAS the salary cap.

No player could possibly negotiate being paid a higher salary than Gretz.

Gretzky's trade to LA was one of the major catalysts for the rampant salary escalation that took place in the 90's.

It was delaying the inevitable, but Gretzky staying for a few more years would have offset the rising salary grid into the early 90's.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

The one piece of the NHL economics that often gets overlooked, is that Gretzky WAS the salary cap.

No player could possibly negotiate being paid a higher salary than Gretz.

Gretzky's trade to LA was one of the major catalysts for the rampant salary escalation that took place in the 90's.

It was delaying the inevitable, but Gretzky staying for a few more years would have offset the rising salary grid into the early 90's.

Exactly. Pocklington helped to create the runaway player inflation when he sold Gretzky to finance his failing businesses.

Funny how Gretzky had crooks as his owners during the majority of his playing career.

 

[Fourier]

Exactly. Pocklington helped to create the runaway player inflation when he sold Gretzky to finance his failing businesses.

Funny how Gretzky had crooks as his owners during the majority of his playing career.

What is perhaps lesser known is that his Messier trade also included $2M.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

What is perhaps lesser known is that his Messier trade also included $2M.

Yup.

 

[TFHockey]

Ironically, I was in LAX flying back to Edmonton. I heard the news and thought it was a prank.

 

[Stoneman89]

I was 12 in 1988, and had joyously watched every game (except game three of the Detroit series... which the Oil lost) of the playoffs. Gretzky had been my hero since I was 6. By age 12, I'd probably read seven or eight books about him, and I'd memorized his career stats. I'm proud to say I had this fan-club poster on my wall:

Yep...

Anyway, about two days before the August 9th press conference, there was a headline in the Sports' section that said, "Wayne Gretzky About to be Traded for Luc Robitaille and Jimmy Carson?" I read it, and immediately dismissed it as nonsense.

Then, the announcement of the press conference... it was a nice, sunny, central Alberta day, and I watched the whole thing, live.

I can't say I was distraught or anything; I was cool and collected. But I think I was just confused by the whole thing. How... had this happened? And so suddenly...?

So, I do think this was a tragedy of sorts for Edmonton and for Oilers' fans. Nor did it work out particuarly well for Gretzky (in my opinion). And it certainly didn't work out well for Pocklington.

The really sad aspect of it is that the whole thing (a 1988 rush-job trade... to the Oilers' division rival no less!) was completely unnecessary. It's obvious that Gretzky would have left Edmonton at some point before too long, but it certainly did not need to be in 1988. I would guess that if cooler heads and lessened-egos had prevailed, that Wayne would have left town in about 1991. Had he done so, I think everyone's result would have been better.

What seemed to have happened in spring-summer 1988 is that Wayne found out (from his Dad) that Pocklington (and Sather, at Pockington's duress... though Sather wanted nothing to do with it) was shoppig Gretzky around (to the Rangers, Detroit, Vancouver, maybe others) to see what he could get. I think when Wayne found out all this was going on around his back, he lost his shit and was royally angry. Which, you know, is understandable. He had just signed a new, two-year deal in summer 1987 and had every reason to expect things to stay calm until summer 1989. He had done rather a lot (to put it mildly) for the city, and for Pocklington (Gretzky actually showed up, in person, to "support" Pocklingon's failed bid for Conservative Partly leadership in 1984).

The problem with Gretzky's team-relations from 1978 through about 1994 is that he always wanted a Daddy-Warbucks / Mr. Moneybags figure to protect and support him. First, it was Nelson Skalbania, later tried as a crook. Then it was Pocklington, later tried as a crook. Then it was McNall, later tried as a crook. (See a pattern here?) Despite forcing Pocklington (or maybe the NHL forced Pocklington) to give him a "normal" NHL contract in 1987, Wayne still viewed his relationship with Pocklington as a father-son kind of thing. So, when he found out PP was shopping him around without telling him, he suddenly decided to put his big-boy pants on and fight back (just being married that spring, Gretzky was no-doubt eager to express his new, manly independence as well).

And Pockington did the same. He dug in and decided Wayne's problem was his wife, his ego, etc., and — as Bruce McNall has explained — Gretzky actually overhead PP's phone-message to McNall complaining about all this, which was the final straw.

Gretzky and Pocklington spent late-July through early-August 1988 in a battle of egos to see who would get the upper hand and wear the pants... the result was a rushed "trade" / business transaction, neither of which greatly benefitted the principal players.

Pocklington became the scourge of Edmonton, was burned in effigy, received death-threats, lost the trust of his team's coach / GM... and ended up insolvent and later convicted of perjury anyway.... It took 26 years before he dared show his face publicly in Edmonton again.

Gretzky followed the Daddy-Warbucks train yet again to Bruce McNall (conveniently in a glitzy city that suited his wife and Wayne's growing ego), a man who, five-and-a-half years later, would be convicted of five counts of conspiracy and fraud after bilking six banks out of $236 million. By the end of the 1993-94 season (the last year Wayne won the scoring title), the Kings were having problems paying their players their salaries.

The Kings had one great regular season with Gretzky (1990-91), and one big playoff run (1993) that ended in a Cup Finals' loss and an immediate downturn to being League bottom-feeders again. The main problem L.A. faced during the years 1989-90 through 1991-92 was losing to Edmonton, a club Gretzky admitted he had problems performing against.

Jimmy Carson had what appeared to be a Hall of Fame-career path ended after his one season in Edmonton when he decided he didn't like the city, Canadian taxes, or the supposed pressure of replacing Gretzky. By age 26 he was washed up in the NHL and ended up in the Swiss League and then the IHL.

Thanks to Glen Sather's canny trade of Carson to Detroit (for Graves, Klima, and Murphy), the Oilers had enough depth to win one more Stanley Cup (1990) without Gretzky or Coffey (or Fuhr, who was suspended)... but then in the summer/fall of 1991 the entire club was basically dismantled for good, and, thanks to no revenue-sharing and the decline of the Canadian dollar, the Oilers quickly fell out of contention and missed the playoffs for four straight years (1993 to 1996), reaching the third round only once between 1993 and 2023.

Gretzky ended up failing to win an NHL championship ever again after Edmonton, depite playing 11 further seasons.

(The one guy who arguably benefitted from Gretzky's departure was Mark Messier, who after a difficult 1988-89 season — there was talk that he couldn't handle being a team captain — rebounded to have his best-ever season in 1989-90, capped with an unexpected Stanley Cup when he co-led [with Craig Simpson, who'd been acquired for Coffey] the playoffs in scoring. Messier left Edmonton in 1991 for New York, where he cemented a huge legacy yet again and won the Stanley Cup in 1994.)

In short, the entire Gretzky "trade" was a clusterf*** for everyone directly involved.

What should have happened, if Gretzky and Pocklington could have opened a line of communication and put their ego-battles aside:
— Wayne stays in Edmonton for 1988-89, 1989-90, and 1990-91.
— Wayne signs a new contract in 1989 for two more seasons.
— Janet is barefoot and pregnant for three years in Edmonton before they depart.
— The Oilers win not only the 1990 Cup but also the 1991 Cup, making it six Cups in eight seasons.
— Wayne wins the 1990 and 1991 scoring titles (as he did anyway in L.A.).
— In summer 1991, Wayne moves to either Detroit or New York, with time for the Edmonton fans to thank him and send him off in style.
— Wayne thus ends up on a highly-talented club with competent management, and probably wins one or two more Cups before he retires.

Interesting stuff for sure, but no chance Gretzky stays into the 90's, even with consoling thoughts and conversations. PP was in dire financial straits and not even the Oiler cash cow was enough anymore to prop up his other ventures. He was the classical "paper tiger" as they say in financial circles. I doubt he could wait any longer than 1988, and grabbed at the chance to get 15 million bucks (which he likely pissed away in short order anyhow.

For me, the most ironic thing about all of it, was another blowhard (McNall) purchasing Gretzky with other people's money, basically, and then joining Pocklington in the wall of shame as a jailbird.