I'm not sure how you guys celebrate the anniversary of Gretzky's sale to the Kings, but I prefer wallowing in self pity and regret.
Maybe you aren't an Oilers fan at all and every time August 9th rolls around you think to yourself "I'm glad he left Edmonton!", then you huff glue or whatever it is you do to stay in that mindset.
The Pocklington sale of Gretzky should be remembered as the day we were reminded as a country that this is a business first and winning doesn't mean one darn thing, especially if the fraudster that owns the team starts feeling like the walls are closing in around him.
The "Trade" was the painful precursor to the holdouts, lockouts, and era of Free Agency that has made the idea of franchise players actually staying with their franchises a quaint notion from a bygone age. It was all about money in a way that takes all the joy out of sports. It was greasier than a Messier elbow in the corners.
That stupid phrase "If Gretzky can get traded..." gets uttered every time a big name is rumoured to be on the move. You hate it. I hate it. We all hate, and we hate it because it's true. Sundin, Alfredsson, Iginla, they all left and when they did that sentence was invoked by somebody.
So even if you aren't an Oilers fan you have reason to reflect on this day and the avalanche of disappointment that followed it. And when your favourite player on your favourite team leaves for more money, or your owner starts aiming for things like cost per point, or the best player to ever lace up skates wears an LA Kings sweater and the sight of it makes you want to puke, remember that it all started on August 9th 1988.
You're welcome.
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