04/24/24
August 08, 2008
The Shocking deal...that changed hockey forever: On Aug. 9, 1988, Wayne Douglas Gretzky was sold to the Los Angeles Kings for $15 million US, $18 million Canadian. And like Americans, who remember exactly where they were when John F. Kennedy was assassinated or when man landed on the moon, most Canadians can tell you where they were that day.
posted by tommytrump to hockey at 12:19 AM - 7 comments
That would be because Brett Favre getting traded has virtually no impact on the game of football, whereas the Gretzy trade was a key piece in the Southern expansion of the NHL. Brett Favre is hanging on to get another year or two on the field. Gretzky was the GOAT in his prime. Brett Favre is beloved in GB and admired by football fans everywhere. Gretzky was a national icon. Canadians felt like they lost a national treasure. No disrepect to Brett intended, but the two trades are not comparable.
posted by Miles1996 at 10:15 AM on August 08, 2008
Here's the Ducks blogger's take on this date, from the So. Cal. perspective. Very well put, I thought. ducks.nhl.com
posted by captaincavegirl at 05:27 PM on August 08, 2008
I've asked several Canadian's where they were. They have no idea.
Clearly not as earth shattering as some would have you believe.
posted by Drood at 06:30 PM on August 08, 2008
I was in the car on the 405 listening to the sports report. I was so excited (But then I had just starting hanging out with the guy who'd eventually become my hubby and I was just learning about hockey from him). I knew this was a big deal and got to see the great one play several times. (It was also my hubby to be's birthday and he is still convinced that it was his present that year). I still think that it was a great thing for hockey in CA (California)
posted by Monica Poland at 07:35 PM on August 08, 2008
I was at my friend's house in Toronto. We were 17 years old and playing a strat-o-matic-type hockey game. It came up on the radio news report while we were playing in the kitchen.
I remember thinking that this was some sort of joke, and that the dj was going to laugh and admit he was fooling around.
But he didn't.
We stopped playing and went over to my house (my friend didn't have cable, just antenna) to see if the fledgling TSN had any more information about the deal.
posted by grum@work at 10:07 PM on August 08, 2008
As a huge hockey fan I can tell you that I have no idea where I was when Gretzky got traded. I was also 11.
But the impact of that trade is not overstated. It would be like, like, like - crap I dunno - Mickey Mantle getting traded to the Expos (if that were even remotely possible)?
I don't get what Drood's point is. Are you claiming that this is not historic, because your sample segment couldn't recall?
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 04:53 PM on August 18, 2008
I doubt Brett Favre gets an article like this in 20 years.