Wayne Gretzky

[YP44]

The reason he is not the "greatest king" is because he is remembered more as an oiler and maybe even a Ranger. If he came into the NHL as a king things maybe different but he didn't.

I am grateful for what he has done for king's hockey and was a fan of his, but he is he greatest king ever.

 

[BigKing]

Gretzky isn't in a lot of the "Favorite Kings" lists because of how it ended: namely his role as assistant GM that led to mortgaging the future for old Oiler buddies and how he torpedoed his trade value on the way out. I believe the Kings could of gotten Chris Pronger for him at one point but then Gretzky publicly said he wouldn't be coming back which led to the amazing haul of Craig Johnson, Vopat and other trash.

I also thought he said some disparaging things about the Kings around his retirement, something like he considered himself a Ranger more than a King or something, but my mind is foggy. Regardless, it always feels to me that he looks at the LA thing as something he kind of "had" to do in order to grow the game while he rather would of stayed in Edmonton, gone to Detroit or played for St. Louis or the Rangers, which he eventually did.

Greatest Kings player ever by far. Feels more like a mercenary though looking back on it and the moves the team made to placate him and make him happy after '93 really set the team back.

It took the team three seasons to retire his number when I think the NHL retired it for all teams immediately upon his retirement. Seems pretty strange to wait that long.

He's not in my Top 5 favorite Kings, if i had such a list, but I sure as **** have his DVD box set and would not of started following the Kings as a child in a non-hockey household if it weren't for the buzz he created. Of course, McSorley became my favorite player so he wasn't even my favorite when I was 9, let alone now.

I also liked Bo more in Pro Stars and thought Wayne was a whiny little ***** on the show. Important stuff.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

no one was actually ungratefull but since we didn't get a cup that trade devastated the system for more than a decade, you think the people on here are whining because we traded a first for sekara and than again for lucic, they traded 3 firsts and jimmy carson and that kid dman who were both first rounders so five firsts , no organization should be allowed to do that , of course it changed the path of hockey thruout the sunbelt and added the ducks down the road , but for kings without a cup it was blackhole ville..............with that said I can still remember the moment I heard of the trade and doing freaking cartwheels about it still one of my favorite days , GO FIGURE

That trade did nothing to set the Kings back though. The prospect they gave up in the Gretzky trade was Martin Gelinas, and the only first round draft pick that the Oilers obtained from the Kings who amounted to anything was Martin Rucinsky.



What set the Kings back was mismanagement. Remember how they had a highly touted trio of young, stud defensemen entering the 92-93 season? They were led by a 23-year old Rob Blake and two 20-year old rookies in Alexei Zhitnik and Darryl Sydor.

In a span of 2-3 years, both Zhitnik and Sydor would be gone, and in their place they brought in a bunch of older defensemen. The Gretzky trade did nothing to replace all of the previous bad decisions that the Kings made.

Remember all of those great 1st round draft busts that the Kings selected? Remember Craig Redmond? Or how about Craig Duncanson and Dan Gratton? Or how about Wayne McBean?

Let's not forget the fact that they were even worse in the second round with selections like Shayne Toporowski, Justin Hocking, Guy Leveque, Brandy Semchuk, Brent Thompson, Paul Holden, Par Edlund, Brian Wilks and Mike Heidt.

Can you name all of the stellar talent that the Kings were able to draft and develop who came out of their farm team, the Phoenix Roadrunners? Good luck with that because there aren't any.

The Gretzky trade had absolutely nothing to do with setting the Kings back. The Kings were good at doing that themselves, both before and after the trade. I can count on one hand how many good decisions this organization made back then, and the Gretzky trade is one of them.

It's also funny to me how until 1989, the Kings had not won a playoff series since 1982, when the Miracle on Manchester took place. That right there is a marking of just how bad this team was throughout the 80s.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

The reason he is not the "greatest king" is because he is remembered more as an oiler and maybe even a Ranger. If he came into the NHL as a king things maybe different but he didn't.

I am grateful for what he has done for king's hockey and was a fan of his, but he is he greatest king ever.

Seeing Gretzky break the NHL point scoring and goal scoring records as a member of the Kings is less memorable than what he did with the Rangers?

What?

 

[YP44]

Seeing Gretzky break the NHL point scoring and goal scoring records as a member of the Kings is less memorable than what he did with the Rangers?

What?

didn't say that, but when people think of Gretzky they think of him as an Oiler first and then I am not sure if people picture him as a ranger or King next.

I know I picture him as a blue, obviously I picture him as a king but I am guessing that is because I am a homer.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Gretzky isn't in a lot of the "Favorite Kings" lists because of how it ended: namely his role as assistant GM that led to mortgaging the future for old Oiler buddies and how he torpedoed his trade value on the way out. I believe the Kings could of gotten Chris Pronger for him at one point but then Gretzky publicly said he wouldn't be coming back which led to the amazing haul of Craig Johnson, Vopat and other trash.

I also thought he said some disparaging things about the Kings around his retirement, something like he considered himself a Ranger more than a King or something, but my mind is foggy. Regardless, it always feels to me that he looks at the LA thing as something he kind of "had" to do in order to grow the game while he rather would of stayed in Edmonton, gone to Detroit or played for St. Louis or the Rangers, which he eventually did.

Greatest Kings player ever by far. Feels more like a mercenary though looking back on it and the moves the team made to placate him and make him happy after '93 really set the team back.

It took the team three seasons to retire his number when I think the NHL retired it for all teams immediately upon his retirement. Seems pretty strange to wait that long.

He's not in my Top 5 favorite Kings, if i had such a list, but I sure as **** have his DVD box set and would not of started following the Kings as a child in a non-hockey household if it weren't for the buzz he created. Of course, McSorley became my favorite player so he wasn't even my favorite when I was 9, let alone now.

I also liked Bo more in Pro Stars and thought Wayne was a whiny little ***** on the show. Important stuff.

One former Oiler they should've kept was Coffey. I get why they made the deal, with Gretzky's back, never having replaced Nicholls at C, and 3 young defensemen on the roster, but, who knows how things go had Coffey been on the team in the 93 playoffs. That will always be a what if. That Carson faded away quickly, then got traded the following season, and Coffey had 3 more good years in Detroit after 93, makes it that much worse.

They also should've traded Gretzky in the summer of 95 at the latest. Kept him to sell tickets for a bad team.

 

[Quattro]

only on HF Boards would someone bemoan the loss of picks and prospects for WAYNE GRETZKY

 

[BigKing]

Seeing Gretzky break the NHL point scoring and goal scoring records as a member of the Kings is less memorable than what he did with the Rangers?

What?

I seem to remember around the time of his retirement that he himself identified more with the Rangers than the Kings.

You definitely aren't wrong, but the Rangers were pretty relevant at the time he went there after toiling away on garbage Kings teams after '93. The fact he retired with them and had his big old ceremony and whatnot in a blue jersey doesn't help either.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I seem to remember around the time of his retirement that he himself identified more with the Rangers than the Kings.

You definitely aren't wrong, but the Rangers were pretty relevant at the time he went there after toiling away on garbage Kings teams after '93. The fact he retired with them and had his big old ceremony and whatnot in a blue jersey doesn't help either.

The Rangers only made the playoffs once during Gretzky's three seasons in NY. Sure, the last memory of Wayne as an active player may have been as a Ranger, but the Rangers were an irrelevant team after '97. Those late 90s Rangers teams were utter garbage, much like the Kings were from '94 through '99 (with only one playoff appearance in that span).

Since retiring and stepping away from his involvement with the Coyotes, he's been more involved with the Kings and Oilers away from the ice.

 

[BigKing]

The Rangers only made the playoffs once during Gretzky's three seasons in NY. Sure, the last memory of Wayne as an active player may have been as a Ranger, but the Rangers were an irrelevant team after '97. Those late 90s Rangers teams were utter garbage, much like the Kings were from '94 through '99 (with only one playoff appearance in that span).

Since retiring and stepping away from his involvement with the Coyotes, he's been more involved with the Kings and Oilers away from the ice.

True, but they were still on ESPN 2 and whatnot all of the time. East coast bias etc.

I don't disagree that he did much more in a Kings jersey than any other team than the Oilers, but I seem to remember things being a bit frosty between the two parties until probably the Lombardi era.

Regardless, guy is the best to ever play and is easily the best Kings player ever. I just care more for Taylor, Luc and the big contributors to the two Cups (namely Kopitar, Doughty, Quick and Brown) than Wayne. Probably not a coincidence that those I named are all Kings from the start.

 

[Maynard]

Gretzky isn't in a lot of the "Favorite Kings" lists because of how it ended: namely his role as assistant GM that led to mortgaging the future for old Oiler buddies and how he torpedoed his trade value on the way out. I believe the Kings could of gotten Chris Pronger for him at one point but then Gretzky publicly said he wouldn't be coming back which led to the amazing haul of Craig Johnson, Vopat and other trash.

I also thought he said some disparaging things about the Kings around his retirement, something like he considered himself a Ranger more than a King or something, but my mind is foggy. Regardless, it always feels to me that he looks at the LA thing as something he kind of "had" to do in order to grow the game while he rather would of stayed in Edmonton, gone to Detroit or played for St. Louis or the Rangers, which he eventually did.

Greatest Kings player ever by far. Feels more like a mercenary though looking back on it and the moves the team made to placate him and make him happy after '93 really set the team back.

It took the team three seasons to retire his number when I think the NHL retired it for all teams immediately upon his retirement. Seems pretty strange to wait that long.

He's not in my Top 5 favorite Kings, if i had such a list, but I sure as **** have his DVD box set and would not of started following the Kings as a child in a non-hockey household if it weren't for the buzz he created. Of course, McSorley became my favorite player so he wasn't even my favorite when I was 9, let alone now.

I also liked Bo more in Pro Stars and thought Wayne was a whiny little ***** on the show. Important stuff.

If I recall correctly, it was Gretzky's decision to wait until Bruce McNall got out of prison so he could attend the ceremony.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

If I recall correctly, it was Gretzky's decision to wait until Bruce McNall got out of prison so he could attend the ceremony.

That is correct, and Bruce McNall was in attendance on October 9, 2002.

Here's a box score that was obtained from this link,
http://azdailysun.com/kings-rout-co...cle_4c81e70d-e501-5219-a67f-bcacc0e0b658.html

PHOENIX 0 1 0 — 1

LOS ANGELES 0 2 2 — 4

First Period—None. Penalties—Markov, Pho (hooking), 1:17; Deadmarsh, LA (tripping), 8:23; Visnovsky, LA (ob.-tripping), 12:36; Burke, Pho, served by Nagy (interference), 17:58.

Second Period—1, Los Angeles, E.Belanger 1 (Schneider, Smolinski), 6:32. 2, Los Angeles, Palffy 1 (Allison, Modry), 12:06 (pp). 3, Phoenix, Markov 1 (M.Johnson, Langkow), 18:10. Penalties—Buchberger, Pho (unsportsmanlike conduct), 10:16; Nazarov, Pho (unsportsmanlike conduct), 10:16; Simpson, Pho (high-sticking), 14:54; Deadmarsh, LA (interference), 18:53.

Third Period—4, Los Angeles, Schneider 1 (Allison, Palffy), 9:32 (pp). 5, Los Angeles, Laperriere 1 (Eloranta, Chartrand), 10:04. Penalties—Visnovsky, LA (holding stick), 1:51; Phoenix bench, served by Nagy (delay of game), 5:49; Bekar, LA (interference), 7:03; Phoenix bench, served by Nagy (too many men), 9:00; Schneider, LA (hooking), 13:50; Nazarov, Pho, minor-major (roughing, fighting), 18:10; Norton, LA, major (fighting), 18:10.

Shots on goal—Phoenix 9-8-9—26. Los Angeles 14-13-6—33.

Power-play Opportunities—Phoenix 0 of 6; Los Angeles 2 of 8.

Goalies—Phoenix, Burke 0-1-0 (33 shots-29 saves). Los Angeles, Potvin 1-0-0 (26-25).

A—18,260 (18,118).

Referees—Kerry Fraser, Kelly Sutherland. Linesmen—Randy Mitton, Troy Sartison.

And here's a highlight of Palffy's goal from that game. He looked really good wearing the Gretzky era uniform.

 

[Butch 19]

I don't disagree that he did much more in a Kings jersey than any other team than the Oilers, but I seem to remember things being a bit frosty between the two parties until probably the Lombardi era.

Regardless, guy is the best to ever play and is easily the best Kings player ever. I just care more for Taylor, Luc and the big contributors to the two Cups (namely Kopitar, Doughty, Quick and Brown) than Wayne. Probably not a coincidence that those I named are all Kings from the start.

So if you're a Yankee fan, you probably would have never totally embraced Babe Ruth... you know, he started his career in Boston. I'll never get over that.

 

[yankeeking]

Was not bemoaning the fact we traded the draft picks for him , still one of the greatest day to be a kings fan when they announced the trade , was bemoaning the fact that we didn't win after giving up the draft picks , they could trade every pick and ice the beer league team from ice town if we win that cup again, never mind in those days when my biggest thrill was being center ice in the upper lodge for the miracle, tell me anyone of you will put 99 above your list for greatest kings over 8 and 11 after they gave us TWO cups ,,,,,,we don't have to settle for having a great player on our team now we have been Stanley Cup Winners and everything else ranks below that.

PS. Soggy is 500% right they would have screwed those picks up or trade them away anyhow lol

 

[BigKing]

So if you're a Yankee fan, you probably would have never totally embraced Babe Ruth... you know, he started his career in Boston. I'll never get over that.

Pretty ridiculous post.

I was coming up on my 8th birthday when Gretzky came to LA. I was not a long suffering Kings fan blown away by the fact the greatest player in the league was now on my favorite team: I was keeping an eye out for cooties that day probably. I began watching because of him and loved the guy. I'll always have a soft spot for him since the buzz surrounding him made me not just watch Prime Ticket for the Lakers and I fell in love with the sport, but he was never my favorite player even back then.

I have seen probably 95% of every home game Brown, Kopitar, Quick and Doughty have played live, including pre-season. They also delivered two of the greatest experiences of my life, sports or otherwise. I have much more of a connection to these players than I do Gretzky, but I also have more of a connection to these players than Jeff Carter even though he was instrumental in said experiences. Still love me some Jeff Carter but he isn't on the level of the guys I mentioned earlier.

Fans love a homegrown talent and generally prefer them over someone who came to their respective team only after crushing them for numerous years prior. Doesn't mean you won't embrace said player--as you insinuate--it just means that they don't have the same cache as someone you see grow from a teenager to an adult delivering championships.

As an example, I give you Dustin Brown and Mike Richards. I'll always appreciate Richards because they won Cups with him, but it was extremely easy for me to say get rid of him once it was obvious he was done because he was only here for a short time. On the flip side, Flyer fans migrated over to the board and became Kings fans just because of Richards because they had that homegrown bond with him. With Brown, it took a lot longer for this board to want to dump him while he still has supporters that want him to stay even though the contract stinks. I still have this part of me that believes he can rebound even though the evidence is staring me right in the face; however, that same evidence for Richards led me to want him bought out after '14...I would of driven him to the airport and carried his luggage.

As for your Babe Ruth comment, what did Ruth do on the field for the Yankees v. what Wayne did on the ice for the Kings? Ruth hit 93% of his HRs for the Yankees while winning four World Series and seven AL pennants. Wayne scored 28% of his NHL goal total for the Kings in comparison while carrying the team to one "pennant". Granted, this was the best moment in the first 40 years of the Kings, but using Babe Ruth's time in Boston to somehow state that I don't care for anybody who wasn't homegrown is pretty off-base: especially when you consider that Babe Ruth is known as a Yankee and the player in question in this thread is known as an Edmonton Oiler first and a King second.

 

[The Big Giant Head]

Not many Kings fans (at least here on HF) will admit that they loved Gretz because it would show that they only started following hockey in a religious way when he was traded here.

I was only 5yrs old when Gretzky came to LA and i can say with absolute certainty that he's the reason i got in to hockey. Not too long after i started following the Kings, I almost instantly moved away from Gretzky and jumped on the Luc Robitaille wagon. But Gretzky got me watching. No one in my family watched any sports at all and the only reason i started watching hockey was because of all the fan fair that followed him here to LA. My best friend and i bought hockey sticks and skates and began playing street hockey not long after and we had a new found love of hockey. In fact, we played street hockey everyday for as many hours as we could with out plastic mylec goal and cheap wal-mart street lighting sticks. Could have been triple digit heat, we'd be out there in the street wacking each others shins and scrapping up our knees and hands on the street. Eventually, they built a roller hockey rink not to far from my parents house (Dry Ice anyone?) and we both had played so much hockey that we instantly went club. I went on to ice hockey and my buddy kinda grew out of it. I played till i was about 25yrs old and have since past the torch on to my son...which...he's coming....slowly.

No shame here about being a Kings fan because of Gretzky. Southern California in general owes Gretzky a debt of gratitude because he put hockey MORE on the map here than before (I think we had a very solid following prior to him but he legitimized our market). My generation that got in to hockey because of him are passing that on to our children and in the last decade there's been an explosion of California hockey players. The Kings (and quacks) Stanley Cup wins are only going to build on that momentum.

Gretzky is a huge part of our success as a franchise to this day.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

The Gretzky trade is the trade that kept on giving right up until the departure of Dustin Penner. Look at its history...

August 9, 1988: Kings acquire Wayne Gretzky, Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, a 1st round selection in 1989 (18th overall, Jason Miller), a 1st round selection in 1991 (20th overall, Martin Rucinsky), and a 1st round selection in 1993 (16th overall, Nick Stajduhar), and $15 million in cash.

November 9, 1990: Kings trade Mike Krushelnyski to Toronto for John McIntyre.

March 22, 1993: Kings trade John McIntyre to New York R. for Mark Hardy and a 5th round selection in 1993 (105th overall, Frederick Beaubien).

August 27, 1993: Kings trade Marty McSorley to Pittsburgh for Shawn McEachern.

February 15, 1994: Kings trade Shawn McEachern and Tomas Sandstrom to Pittsburgh in return for Marty McSorley and Jim Paek.

June 25, 1994: Kings trade Jim Paek to Ottawa for a 7th round selection in 1995 (157th overall, Benoit Larose).

February 27, 1996: Kings trade Wayne Gretzky to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Roman Vopat, Craig Johnson, Patrice Tardif, a 5th round selection in 1996 (123rd overall, Peter Hogan), and a 1st round selection in 1997 (15th overall, Matt Zultek).

March 14, 1996: Kings trade Marty McSorley, Jari Kurri and Shane Churla to New York R. for Mattias Norstrom, Ian Laperriere, Ray Ferraro, Nathan LaFayette, and a 4th round selection in 1997 (99th overall, Sean Blanchard).

October 29, 1998: Kings trade Roman Vopat and a 6th round pick in 1999 (164th overall, Martin Prusek) to Colorado for Eric Lacroix.

February 12, 1999: Kings trade Eric Lacroix to New York R. for Sean Pronger.

June 26, 1999: Kings obtain a compensatory pick in the 2nd round (43rd overall, Andrei Shefer) for failing to sign former 1st round prospect Matt Zultek.

February 27, 2007: Kings trade Mattias Norstrom, Konstantin Pushkarev, a 3rd round selection in 2007 (64th overall, Sergei Korostin), and a 4th round selection in 2007 (94th overall, Maxim Mayorov) to Dallas for Jaroslav Modry, Johan Fransson, a 2nd round pick in 2007 (52nd overall, Oscar Moller), a 3rd round selection in 2007 (82nd overall, Bryan Cameron), and a *1st round selection in 2008 (28th overall, Viktor Tikhonov).

February 19, 2008: Kings trade Jaroslav Modry to Philadelphia for a 3rd round selection in 2008 (88th overall, Geordie Wudrick).

*June 20, 2008: Kings trade Dallas's 1st round selection in 2008 (28th overall, Viktor Tikhonov) and Calgary's 1st round selection in 2008 (17th overall, previous acquired from Calgary for Michael Cammalleri, used to select Jake Gardiner) for Anaheim's 1st round selection in 2008 (12th overall. The Kings would flip this pick to Buffalo and select Colten Teubert with the 13th selection in the 2008 draft.

February 28, 2011: Kings trade Colten Teubert, a 1st round selection in 2011 (19th overall, Oscar Klefbom), and a 3rd round selection in 2012 (91st overall, Daniil Zharkov) to Edmonton for Dustin Penner.


So there you have it. The last link to the Gretzky trade played a somewhat significant role in the Kings's march to their first ever Stanley Cup. It only took 24 years for the trade to finally pay dividends!

 

[KingsFan7824]

So there you have it. The last link to the Gretzky trade played a somewhat significant role in the Kings's march to their first ever Stanley Cup. It only took 24 years for the trade to finally pay dividends!

Against a franchise that owes Gretzky money.

 

[KHenry14]

Why would anyone care if Gretzky played with grit? He did have his moments, I mean I saw him smash Esa Tikkanen's face into the glass once at the Forum. But honestly, when you are the GOAT of the NHL, playing with grit isn't required.

And when you are the biggest star in the NHL, fans tend to put him on a pedestal and choose other's for their favorites.

 

[Telos]

He was the best player to ever wear a Kings uniform, but he isn't remembered as the greatest King ever within the organization. He is definitely in the top 5, but players like Robitaille, Taylor, and Vachon are also in the top 5 and have a stronger identity that is synonymous with being a King.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Pretty much. Even if you look at the team records, Gretzky doesn't hold as many as you'd expect. Most of those records are Robitaille, Dionne, Taylor, etc But I definitely associate Gretzky's career with the Kings. It was a great 2nd half that almost resulted in a championship. I think it's pretty universal that he was an Oiler and a King. His stints with the Rangers and Blues were forgettable.

 

[damacles1156]

Gretzky is the greatest player ever in my eyes (in Hockey) but I like Luc the best for my favorite all time Kings player.

 

[Butch 19]

The reason he is not the "greatest king" is because he is remembered more as an oiler and maybe even a Ranger. If he came into the NHL as a king things maybe different but he didn't.

I am grateful for what he has done for king's hockey and was a fan of his, but he is he greatest king ever.

... says someone from Calgary who quite likely saw most of his games as a King.

He set many records when he was a member of the Kings. And he was the greatest NHL player ever, so by default, he kinda gets the title of the best Kings player as well.

and I had no idea he was such a prolific Ranger. thx for that

 

[King'sPawn]

... says someone from Calgary who quite likely saw most of his games as a King.

He set many records when he was a member of the Kings. And he was the greatest NHL player ever, so by default, he kinda gets the title of the best Kings player as well.

and I had no idea he was such a prolific Ranger. thx for that

You've been snide at every single opinion or statement in this thread that isn't in sync with yours. Any particular reason?

 

[Butch 19]

You've been snide at every single opinion or statement in this thread that isn't in sync with yours. Any particular reason?

Please. Gretzky is the GOAT, yet some posters hesitate to put him in their top 5 Kings of of all time.

Gretzky is responsible for the Kings getting to the SCF in 93 and their only division title in 50 years. He put Kings hockey on the Southern California map - period. And we are seeing the results of that now with SoCal players being drafted.

Even though the Kings have 2 Cups(!!), there still isn't the same excitement going into Staples for a game as going into the Forum when Gretzky was here. No one says before a game "I wonder what incredible play Kopitar, Carter or Doughty will do tonight." Well, we said that about Gretzky.

Where are the Gretzky fans?!

Ok, he may also be responsible for the Ducks existence - everything can't turn out great.