Aug. 11 marked the 35th anniversary of Wayne Gretzky leaving the Edmonton Oilers for the Los Angeles Kings. Much has been written about it, and some believe Gretzky was sold by then-Oilers owner Peter Pocklington rather than traded. But whether Gretzky was traded, sold, or asked to be moved, it all doesn’t matter because the best hockey player in the history of hockey was gone from Edmonton, and it tore Oilers fans’ hearts out.
It still stings 35 years later, and it also haunts, not only Oilers fans but hockey fans everywhere. If Gretzky can get moved, who is safe?
Gretzky Gone
I remember seeing the front page of the Edmonton Journal that day with a large headline: Gretzky gone. It marked the end of a magical era of a skinny kid from Brantford, Ontario, who put Edmonton on the map. He was Edmonton’s shining star, the smartest player, whoever lived, the leader of a dynasty, the best player on the best team, and he was ours.
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Sure, the Oilers won one more Stanley Cup without the Great One in 1990. That helped with the wound, but it never completely healed. After Gretzky was taken away on Aug. 11, 1988, it seemed easier to accept when Mark Messier, Grant Fuhr, Jari Kurri, and Glenn Anderson, all left for other markets. It’s a deep cut that has never healed.
April 15, 2015 – Another Day That Will Live in Infamy for the Oilers
When NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly announced that the Oilers won the draft lottery on April 15, 2015, it seemed like redemption for a franchise that had suffered so much since Gretzky left in the late 1980s. The Oilers won the right to choose first overall in the 2015 draft, and that meant that generational superstar Connor McDavid would be coming to the Alberta Capital.
With the Oilers under new, more stable ownership with Daryl Katz, McDavid coming to the Oilers was just what the beleaguered fan base needed. McDavid, just like Gretzky before him, has delivered and is clearly the number one player in the world. McDavid was rewarded with an eight-year contract extension in July 2017. The deal, worth $100 million, made him one of the highest-paid players in the league. This meant Oilers fans could watch greatness on display for the next eight years, just like back in the 80s with Gretzky. However, whether you lived through it or just heard about it, Aug. 11, 1988, still haunts Oilers fans. In the back of Oilers fans’ minds, there’s always that nagging feeling that if Gretzky left, then McDavid could too. McDavid has three years left, and it’s Stanley Cup or bust for this version of the Oilers.
History Doesn’t Have to Repeat Itself
Oilers owner Daryl Katz is undoubtedly the biggest Oilers fan there is. While he has enjoyed tremendous success in his business endeavours, you have to believe that winning a Stanley Cup would be one of the crowning moments of his life. Katz experienced the Gretzky heartache just like the rest of the Oilers fan base back in 1988, and it looks like he will do everything possible to ensure that the best player of this generation, McDavid, will remain with the Oilers during his prime years. When the Oilers named Jeff Jackson, CEO of Hockey Operations on Aug. 3, 2023, it marked a significant move to keep McDavid in Oilers colours for his career. Jackson is not only a shrewd, well-connected and smart hockey mind, but he’s also very close with McDavid-having been his agent since McDavid was still in minor hockey.
Jackson, Katz and Oilers management will have their work cut out for them to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself. The first order of business is to sign McDavid’s good friend, and possibly the best European-born player in the history of the NHL in Leon Draisaitl. If Draisaitl re-signs with the Oilers after his contract is up in 2024-25, you know there’s a good chance that McDavid will re-sign with the Oilers as well. There is no better situation for this duo to win a Stanley Cup than in Edmonton.
A Stanley Cup Could Exorcise Some Past Ghosts For Oilers Fans
The only thing better for Oilers Fans than having McDavid hoist the Stanley Cup in the near future, would be Gretzky being in attendance to see it all happen. Gretzky still talks fondly of his time in Edmonton. It’s where he grew up, where he met some of his best friends, and where he went on to become a legend. As the years go on and Gretzky leaving becomes an even more distant memory, it could be helped if McDavid signs another lengthy contract extension to stay with the Oilers, and eventually wins a Stanley Cup. That could help heal some past hurts even more and release much of the doubt originally planted in Oilers fans’ minds on Aug. 11, 1988.