“Got Sold. I Didn’t Get Traded”: Wayne Gretzky’s Dad Had a Special Role in Extending His Legacy, Revealed in 2014

After a decade-long association with Edmonton Oilers and winning 4 Stanley Cup Championships with them, Wayne Gretzky took a decision, that to this day remains disheartening to all Canadian Ice Hockey fans. He was sold to the Los Angeles Kings. After achieving numerous NHL records with the Oilers, this decision came as a surprise to many of his fans. However, years after his retirement, Gretzky revealed that it was his father who convinced him to take that decision.

In 2014, Wayne Gretzky sat down with the Canadian Ice Hockey executive, Bob Nicholson at the Greatness in Leadership forum in Lethbridge, Alberta. Gretzky then said how his dad shaped his decision behind moving to California. Here’s what he said.

A significant decision in Wayne Gretzky’s career was his dad’s idea

After his immense contribution to the Edmonton Oilers in NHL, Wayne Gretzky did the same for not just Los Angeles but the entire state of California. He is often credited with making Hockey popular among Californians. His transfer there had an immediate impact on their team. The LA Kings’ performance significantly improved eventually landing a place at the 1993 Stanley Cup finals for the first time. Although they didn’t win the Championship, it was a huge boost for the California-based team. All of this was courtesy of Gretzky’s father. Here’s why.

Gretzky told Nicholson, “I got sold. I didn’t get traded” when the latter brought up the topic of Gretzky’s transfer. He continued, “At the end of the day and this is kind of unique the Oilers said, ‘what city do you want to go to?’ I had the choice of New York, Detroit, or L.A”. Then, revealing the reason behind his move to ‘La La Land’, Gretzky said, “It was my dad who called me and said, ‘you should play in L.A’. For whatever reason, he said, ‘I think you should move to L.A’. and I became an L.A. King after that”.

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Meanwhile, Gretzky also quashed a rumor in the same context involving his wife. He said, “Everyone thought that my wife [actress Janet Gretzky] had picked L.A. and my wife said, ‘you should play in Detroit'”, thus setting the record straight. However, this wasn’t the only time Walter Gretzky helped his son make an important decision.

How Gretzky’s father shaped his life in more ways than one

In one of his interviews, Gretzky revealed how his father once took away his cheque, and that became his best financial investment. Besides Hockey, Gretzky’s dad also gave him solid advice on managing finances by adopting a conservative way of spending. Even before Gretzky joined Oilers, he signed a bonus of $250,000 in 1978 with the Indianapolis Racers. When his father found out, he asked him to put the money away. The values of thrift Gretzky learned that day stayed with him forever.

Besides Gretzky, the Oilers also traded Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski to the Kings. But it was the Great One’s move in California that spurred interest in the state to a large extent. So much so, that two other teams – San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks, also showed signs of improvement.

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