Wayne Gretzky won four Stanley Cups during one of the greatest careers hockey has ever seen. He was the main offensive threat and the leader of the Edmonton Oilers, a part of one of the greatest dynasties the NHL has ever seen.
Gretzky won his first Stanley Cup in 1984 and his last in 1988, which would also be his final season in Edmonton. That summer, Gretzky was traded to the LA Kings in one of the biggest and most controversial trades the League has ever seen.
His impact in Los Angeles was massive, but although the team really made a push for it, they never won the Cup with Gretzky on the roster.
In the 1992-93 season, they came close.
After defeating the Calgary Flames, the Vancouver Canucks, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, they ultimately lost the Stanley Cup Finals to the Montreal Canadiens.
“It was an incredible run,” Wayne Gretzky said when appearing on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast. “We weren’t as good as Toronto; we weren’t as good as Montreal, but we beat Toronto, and eventually, we lost three overtime games to Montreal.”
READ MORE: Marty McSorley shares hilarious story about what is what like practicing with Gretzky every day
Wayne Gretzky calls the Kings’ playoff run one of the most memorable moments of his career.
“It was one of the proudest moments of my career. When I was in Edmonton and we won, we were the best team. We had the most talent; we were good. When I was in LA and we got to the Finals, we weren’t the best team. But our team played with heart. We beat Vancouver—Vancouver should’ve beaten us. We beat Calgary—Calgary should’ve beaten us. We beat Toronto—Toronto should’ve beaten us. But our team played with heart, and I loved every minute of it. That was the most fun I ever had in hockey.”
What people most remember from that Finals series is Marty McSorley’s illegal stick. The Kings had a 1-0 series lead heading into Game 2 and were leading 2-1 with just two minutes left when Montreal head coach Jacques Demers requested that referees measure the curve of Kings’ defenseman Marty McSorley’s stick. It was ruled that McSorley was playing with an illegal stick, resulting in a minor penalty.
The Canadiens scored on the following power play, tying the series 1-1 after an overtime win. Gretzky now reveals that he had warned McSorley about his stick before the third period.
“It’s the most dejected I’ve ever been. We lost that Game 2 in overtime—the stick call… I came into the locker room after the second period, at 2-1, and I said to Luc [Robitaille] and Marty, ‘They’re going to check your sticks.'”
When asked if the hooks on the sticks were really that big, Gretzky confirmed: “Yes. I said, ‘You guys, I’m just telling you, they’re going to check it.'”
Gretzky waited 30 years to tell the story of how he warned McSorley, making sure not to blame him for what happened.
“Is that something new? Maybe I’ve shared something new here. Listen, we wouldn’t have gotten to the Finals if it wasn’t for Marty McSorley. It wasn’t his fault. He played unreal. But I remember sitting there during the second intermission, saying, ‘You guys, they’re going to check your sticks. Are you OK?’ And they said they were okay.”
