The then-Oilers owner dealt Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings, along with Mike Krushelnyski and Marty McSorley for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, first round picks in 1989, 1991 and 1993, plus $15 million.

Gretzky and the Oilers were just coming off their fourth Stanley Cup win in five years and Pocklington was in dire need of money. So he sold his most valuable asset, Gretzky, and hockey was never the same in the United States.

Gretzky made hockey a popular game in California. All of a sudden it was the in thing to be in the crowd at the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles and because of the Great One, hockey was able to take a foothold in California with expansion to San Jose and Anaheim, expansion to Florida with the Panthers and the Lightning, to Tennessee with Nashville and back to Atlanta where they lost the Flames in 1980 and brought in the Thrashers.

Two teams eventually left Canada with Quebec going to Colorado and Winnipeg off to Phoenix and the North Stars left Minnesota and wound up in the Lone Star State as the Dallas Stars.

All of this was a result of the Gretzky move to Los Angeles. While Edmonton fans will never, ever forgive Peter Pocklington, it was the best thing that happened to the game of hockey and its growth in the US south.