Why did the Maple Leafs decide against signing Wayne Gretzky as a free agent in 1996?

[TheGroceryStick]

I was wondering why I was getting random likes on a 2013 comment... haha

 

[Ianturnedbull]

I own a time machine:

HFBoards dot com.

 

[keonsbitterness]

Do y'all realise you're replying to 10 year old comments?

Yes, but I posted anyway.

 

[notDatsyuk]

Do y'all realise you're replying to 10 year old comments?

Looks like some of us have learned nothing in ten years.






Myself obviously included.

 

[Buds17]

Do y'all realise you're replying to 10 year old comments?

About a news item from 27 years ago!

 

[Legion34]

Considering every game was already sold out, it would have costed the Leafs more to pay his salary then the profits his presence would return.

Can you imagine the amount of 99 jerseys they would sell? Would destroy 34. 93. 13. 17 today

 

[Buds17]

Money (in one way or another). The signing likely wouldn't have made much sense in fairly short order anyway given that the franchise was ultimately preparing to trade away some of the 'now' in exchange for futures (trading Gilmour, Andreychuk and Ellett to NJ, etc.)

 

[Go4soda]

This is funny i asked Walter this same question at Gretzky's bar in toronto and he said to me "yep stavro put the kibosh on it". walter is a hell of a person if u ask me, loved talking to him for that half hour

i’ve had the pleasure of talking hockey with Walter before. the man is an open book. he’ll tell you like it is, all the time.

 

[ThrowDemTongs]

It's crazy to think that this thread was originally posted over 40 years ago. Read that again. Few will understand.

 

[cyris]

I was wondering why I was getting random likes on a 2013 comment... haha

I had the same thing happen. Some one liked a comment I made and I was like what the hell I didn’t reply in this thread.
Then I saw the date

 

[Gabriel426]

I highly doubt Gretz wanted equity of the Leafs as part of signing with the Leafs.

Don't think players would suggest that and even if he did, Cliff should had known better and just say NO instead of letting the boss man to decide.

It would had been a great story for Gretz to come home but to me he wanted the spotlight and get paid more than anything else, and I don't blame him for that.

 

[justashadowof]

My Answer: Wayne Gretzky was looking to get into franchise ownership at the time and there was no way in hell the ownership factions of that time were going to allow another competitor for a franchise stake possibly wedge his way into the mix.