Wayne Gretzky: I almost played for the Detroit Red Wings
Just how iconic would Wayne Gretzky's famous No. 99 sweater number have looked in red and white? It was almost a reality - he says that he nearly was traded to the Red Wings.
The greatest player ever to suit up in the National Hockey League said recently that he expected that he'd be playing for the Detroit Red Wings at one point in his career.
Wayne Gretzky, who had just helped the Edmonton Oilers win their 4th Stanley Cup in 5 years, was on the verge of departing in the infamous trade to the Los Angeles Kings; the deal completely changed the landscape of the NHL, and resulted in an explosion of interest in the non-traditional market.
It also paved the way for NHL expansion into non-traditional other locations.
But as Gretzky recently said, he thought that he was going to be moved to the Red Wings, the team he grew up following due to his idolization of Gordie Howe.
It came down to LA, Detroit, New York and Philly.
Then soon it came down to Detroit or Los Angeles. LA had Hollywood, young stars Jimmy Carson and Luc Robitaille, and a chance to help sell the game. Detroit had Steve Yzerman and Detroit was less than a three-hour drive from his hometown of Brantford, Ontario.
Then soon it came down to Detroit or Los Angeles. LA had Hollywood, young stars Jimmy Carson and Luc Robitaille, and a chance to help sell the game. Detroit had Steve Yzerman and Detroit was less than a three-hour drive from his hometown of Brantford, Ontario.
We had sat down and we decided I was going to Detroit. I remember sitting there going, 'OK, this is great, I'm going to go play in Detroit.' I grew up a Red Wings fans with Gordie Howe and everything that goes with it. And my Dad called me and said, 'Listen, I'll give you a little advice. There's only one Gordie Howe, and Detroit's Detroit. You don't need to go there. Why don't you do something different and go to LA?'
Everybody thought it was my wife that steered the bus (to LA), but it was really my Dad who said, 'There's only one Gordie Howe. You need to go do something different.' So that's really how I ended up in LA.
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