All-Star Hits the Big 5-0

Today's All-Star theme week takes us not to a specific jersey, but a player that transcends the label of All-Star.  In fact, this player turns 50 today, so to get it out of the way, Happy Birthday to Wayne Gretzky.  Today's piece will be all about The Great One and his impact on the game, on and off the ice.

Born on this date in 1961, it was evident early on that Gretzky was destined to be an NHL player.  His first professional game was with the Indianapolis Racers of the WHA in 1978.  His time in Indianapolis lasted eight games before he was sent to the Edmonton Oilers.  The WHA folded after the 1978-79 season, and the Oilers were one of four teams absorbed by the NHL.  Rules allowed the Oilers to protect two skaters, and Gretzky was one of those players.  He would prove the Oilers to be wise, as in his first NHL season, he tied for the league lead in points scored, but would not win the Art Ross Trophy, as Marcel Dionne took home the hardware on the goals tiebreaker.  He would also not take home the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, since he had a year of professional hockey under his belt already from the WHA days.  The following years saw him break the 200 point barrier four times, something that only Mario Lemieux even came close to matching once (199 points in the 1988-89 season).  His time with the Oilers is best remembered for the four Stanley Cups won in the mid-80's.  Financial issues with the Oilers eventually forced a trade to the Los Angeles Kings on August 9, 1988.  His arrival in Los Angeles touched off a major surge in hockey popularity in the city, as the team suddenly became a hot ticket in town.  In the larger scheme of things, his trade to Los Angeles helped push for NHL teams to appear in non-traditional markets like San Jose, Phoenix (who Gretzky would later coach long after his playing days were over), and Florida.  As for the on-ice product, Gretzky would help lead the Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1993, only to fall to the Montreal Canadiens in five games.  That would the last time he reached the Stanley Cup Finals, with the 1997 Rangers coming the closest to making the Finals.  Gretzky would be traded to the St. Louis Blues on February 27, 1996, where he would enjoy a brief union with Brett Hull.  After the 1995-96 season, he would sign a free agent deal with the New York Rangers and be reunited with Mark Messier, a teammate from the Oilers' hey days.  He would retire a Ranger after the 1998-99 season, and a front office job seemed to be in the cards.  Little did anyone know that the front office job would consist of being part-owner of the Phoenix Coyotes.  He would go on to coach the Coyotes after the lockout and would have that role until 2009, when uncertain ownership issues would force him out the door.

The on and off ice impact is obvious in a sense that he brought the game up to levels never before seen and likely never seen since his retirement.  If there is one regret about seeing him play, it would be that a Gretzky/Lemieux Stanley Cup Final never happened.  For all of the praise heaped upon both players, fate was not so kind on this dream matchup, for it would have likely pushed the game of hockey to even higher levels.  Perhaps the Crosby/Ovechkin matchup could generate similar interest, but since they play in the same conference, short of one of those players moving to a team in the Western Conference, the best one could hope for would be the Conference Finals.