NHL Network To Have 'Great' TV; Plans Weeklong Gretzky Tribute

August 2, 2008 4:17 p.m. EST

New York, N.Y. (AHN) - The NHL Network will commemorate the Wayne Gretzky trade next week, featuring events, interviews and the impact it made on the Los Angeles Kings and the eventual growth and expansion of the NHL.

Almost 20 years ago, on Aug. 9, 1988, Gretzky was traded by the Edmonton Oilers to the slumping Los Angeles Kings after leading the club to four Stanley Cups, the last on 1988.

The Kings sent Jimmy Carson, Martin Gerlinas, $15 million in cash and first-round draft picks.

Teammates Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski also joined Gretzky in Los Angeles as part his condition to then King's owner Bruce McNall.

His arrival in Los Angeles catapulted the Kings into playoff contenders but most significantly his popularity and presence sparked the expansion of the NHL into the U.S. Sun Belt area.

Gretzky, considered as the greatest hockey player ever, is also credited for growth of the game, putting non-traditional US hockey markets on "the NHL map."

The Gretzky Week will kick off Wednesday, Aug. 6 with a one-hour documentary featuring the Gretzky trade and interviews with Peter Pocklington, former Oilers owner who initiated the trade and the Kings former owner Bruce McNall.

The week-long program will also feature Gretzky's first game with the Kings and other highlights of his career.

Interviews with former teammates will also be featured in the documentary.

On final day of the Gretzky week, the program will look back on the fateful day that changed the NHL.

It will also highlight Gretzky's Game 7 Hat Trick against the Maple Leafs and the time he became the NHL's all-time goal scoring leader.