There are a lot of things Peter Pocklington could have been known for during the 27 years he lived in Edmonton.
There was, for instance, the million dollars he donated to the Jamie Platz YMCA; a similarly generous sum he gave to help establish the Glen Sather Sports Medicine Clinic; his fundraisers for Junior Achievement that brought a host of world leaders to town; and the Luciano Pavarotti concert. Then there were the Can-Am car races, the Drillers, the Trappers and, of course, the Oilers — and the nine championships his teams won.
His greatest achievement? It might well have been securing the services of Wayne Gretzky — the greatest hockey hero ever — for the Oilers. That alone would be singularly noteworthy. But it’s not why Peter Pocklington, the man who almost single-handedly brought the NHL to Edmonton, is remembered. Instead, it’s for trading Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings. It was a transaction so huge that, even now, 25 years later, people are still talking about it.
Not surprisingly, one of those people talking about that trade — at least this week — is Peter Pocklington. “I remember it like it was yesterday,” says the man known as Peter Puck, who now lives in Palm Desert, Calif.
Glen Sather, who at the time was the Oilers’ wily president and general manager, privately warned Pocklington not to do the deal. If you trade the best player in the league, Sather told his best friend, “you go from being a hero in Canada to a schmuck” — overnight. The words proved prophetic.
There were death threats against Pocklington, and public demonstrations. Effigies were hung and torched. An NDP MP, Nelson Riis, called on the government of the day to block the trade. “Wayne Gretzky is a national symbol,” argued Riis, “like the beaver.”
Yet throughout all that turmoil, and to this day, Pocklington stands by his conviction that trading Wayne Gretzky was the right thing for the Oilers to do. “I really feel I didn’t have a helluva lot of choice,” he declares. It was a question of trading Gretzky when his value was at its peak, or risk losing him to free agency in another year and getting nothing in return.
Pocklington may be a hockey fan, but as a businessman he also tended to look at his players for what they represented on the balance sheet: assets that depreciate over time. That can be a cold calculation, and there are owners who don’t look at it that way, but Pocklington is unapologetic. “The business of sport, as people have seen over the past 25 years, is a touchy-feely situation for the fans,” he admits. “Unfortunately, the business has to take precedence over what the fans feel.”
In 1988, Gretzky was making $850,000 in his final year with the Oilers. Pocklington wanted to sign him to a three-year extension, but the Great One has said he was eager to test his value on the open market. Gretzky wasn’t thinking about a move, but he had resolved not to sign any contract extension. He felt he owed it to his NHL brothers to raise the bar on salaries.
“With Wayne’s contract looming in another year, Edmonton could not compete, I could not compete with a five-or seven-million-dollar a year offer,” says Pocklington. “That was more than our total payroll.”
So he decided to move “the asset” while he could get something in return. That something turned into two players, Jimmy Carson and Martin Gelinas, three draft choices, and $15 million US. The cash was passed along to the bank to pay down the Oilers’ line of credit. Carson was traded a year later for Joe Murphy, Adam Graves and Petr Klima. Every one of them, and Gelinas, too, played critically important roles in helping the Oilers win the Stanley Cup in 1990.
“Glen did a heckuva job putting together another Stanley Cup winner,” says Pocklington.
While that may be true, Pocklington is the first to concede there was also a heaping helping of good fortune involved in the Oilers’ championship successes. “I got lucky,” he says in retrospect. “A lot of luck went into it. But there was a lot of hard work, too. We believed always, from the moment we got out of bed, that we’d win another Stanley Cup. That’s what we lived for.
“Our design, from the moment that we all got into the office, was how we were going to create the best hockey team ever. Find the best management, the best scouts, the best organization. We were looking night and day for the best. That’s all it ever was, it was all we ever thought about.”
The result, says Pocklington, speaks for itself.
“That team was the best team that ever had been or ever will be in the game of hockey.”
Terry McConnell is an author and journalist. Along with J’lyn Nye, he authored a biography of Peter Pocklington that was published in 2009. Print-to-order copies of the book continue to be available at Amazon.com. An ebook edition, as well as an abbreviated version that concerns itself solely with the relationship between Pocklington and Gretzky, is available at Smashwords.com.
FAQs
“With Wayne's contract looming in another year, Edmonton could not compete, I could not compete with a five-or seven-million-dollar a year offer,” says Pocklington. “That was more than our total payroll.” So he decided to move “the asset” while he could get something in return.
How much did Pocklington sell Gretzky? ›
A decade after buying Wayne Gretzky from Nelson Skalbania for the bargain price of $700,000, Pocklington cashed in and sold his prized possession for $15,000,000. It all started back in the late-1970s when Gretzky posted a 182-point season for the Soo Greyhounds and 17 points for Canada at the World Juniors.
Why was Basil Pocklington removed from the Stanley Cup? ›
Peter Pocklington, owner of the 1983-84 Oilers tried to put his father's name on the Cup and was caught. Instead of leaving it, they X'd out his name. On the replica cup, Basil Pocklington's name does not appear at all.
Who broke the Gretzky trade? ›
So Who Won the Trade? Even to the dispassionate eye, the Los Angeles Kings still won the trade, but it was by fewer than 5 goals. This trade was hardly the disaster that people anticipated at the time, or that more emotional fans still believe today.
Why did Gretzky get traded so much? ›
Short answer is Gretzky was going to be an unrestricted free agent in 1989 and the Oilers risked losing him in 1989 for nothing, versus the $15M, players, and draft picks they received in 1988.
Did Wayne Gretzky want to be traded? ›
For his own part, Gretzky maintains that he had nothing to do with the trade. Despite the fact that he had just married Janet Jones, then a rising Hollywood actress just a month prior to the trade to Los Angeles, Gretzky claimed to have not wanted to leave Edmonton.
What is Peter Pocklington doing now? ›
In 1998, after selling the Oilers, Pocklington moved to the U.S. with his wife Eva, and settled in Palm Desert, California. He remains active in business and philanthropic pursuits there, and was for a long time member of the board of directors at the Betty Ford Center.
Who assisted Gretzky the most? ›
Kurri has the most assists on Gretzky's goals by any player. Paul Coffey is next with 116, followed by Mark Messier with 68 and Glenn Anderson with 63.
Does Gretzky still own the Coyotes? ›
Gretzky became executive director for the Canadian national men's hockey team during the 2002 Winter Olympics, in which the team won a gold medal. In 2000, he became part-owner of the Phoenix Coyotes, and following the 2004–05 NHL lock-out, he became the team's head coach.
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Wayne Gretzky.
1983-84: Edmonton Oilers - Owner Peter Pocklington included the name of his father Basil Pocklington, who was unaffiliated with the team. The NHL learned of the move and ordered the name removed. The name is now covered by 16 X's.
1995-96: Colorado Avalanche -- Forward Adam Deadmarsh's name was misspelled as ADAM DEADMARCH. It was later corrected, a Stanley Cup first. 2001-02: Detroit Red Wings -- Goaltender Manny Legace's name was misspelled as MANNY LAGASE; as with Deadmarsh, it was later corrected.
Who has the longest Stanley Cup drought in the NHL? ›
The Toronto Maple Leafs have the longest active playoff series win drought at 17 seasons. The Florida Panthers had the longest playoff series win drought in league history at 24 seasons. The Buffalo Sabres have the longest active drought for missing the playoffs at 11 consecutive seasons. It is also a league record.
Why did Gretzky step down? ›
Gretzky resigned as vice-chairman of the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, saying he could not devote the time needed to the franchise given the pandemic and life changes.
Who was protecting Gretzky? ›
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Former Edmonton Oilers tough guy Dave sem*nko, who protected Wayne Gretzky in the 1980s, has died. He was 59.
Why did Gretzky tuck his shirt? ›
However, because Gretzky was a six-year-old wearing a uniform designed for eleven-year-olds, he claimed in an interview that his oversized sweater went down to his ankles. His dad told him that he looked too small wearing his sweater untucked, so he tucked it into his hockey pants.
Who owned the Oilers when Gretzky was traded? ›
Moments earlier, Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington announced that the greatest player in hockey history was being traded to the Los Angeles Kings. The Oilers handed Gretzky a prepared statement to read, but "The Great One" tossed it and instead spoke from his heart.
Who was involved in the Wayne Gretzky trade? ›
Gretzky was dealt from the Oilers to the Kings alongside Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski in exchange for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three first-round draft picks (1988, 1991, 1993), and $15 million. It remains the most shocking trade in hockey history.
Which NHL team is valued at the most? ›
The latest ranking reported that the New York Rangers is the most valuable NHL franchise after the 2021–22 NHL season. The fastest growing NHL franchise is the Edmonton Oilers, with a 136.1% increase in valuation since the 2017–18 NHL season ($0.575 billion to $1.275 billion).
Who can break Wayne Gretzky? ›
Most hockey fans want to see Alexander Ovechkin surpass Wayne Gretzky's goal scoring record but which other long standing records would we love to see broken.
What did Edmonton get for Gretzky? ›
Coming to the Oilers in return were center Jimmy Carson, first-round draft choice Martin Gelinas, first-round picks in 1989, 1991 and 1993, and $15 million. The trade, which caused chaos in Edmonton and left all of Canada in disbelief, redefined player movement throughout sports.
One of the unwritten rules of hockey is that the veteran or older player usually gets the choice of number first. Since it was already claimed, Gretzky as the rookie did not get to take number 9. So the coach at the time, Muzz MacPherson, suggested to Gretzky that he wear the number 99.
Why did Gretzky move to St Louis? ›
Louis, so (my wife) Janet and I moved as a family to St. Louis to be closer to her and spend as much time as possible with her. It was kind of a tough year with spending 20 days and watching my dad (Walter) pass, so we're getting an opportunity to spend time in the Midwest with Janet's family,” Gretzky said.
Why did Gretzky tuck his sweater in? ›
His dad told him that he looked too small wearing his sweater untucked, so he tucked it into his hockey pants. Gretzky claimed that, since then, it became a habit of his. This habit carried on throughout his extremely successful professional hockey career.
What did the Kings trade for Gretzky? ›
On August 9, 1988, the unthinkable happened. The Oilers traded Gretzky to the LA Kings. The trade was Gretzky, Marty McSorely (D) and Mike Krushelnyski (C/LW), for Jimmy Carson (C), Martin Gelinas (LW), the Kings first-round draft picks in 1989, 1991 and 1993, along with $15 million in cash.
