On This Day: August 9, 1988 — Wayne Gretzky Was Traded and Canada Never Forgave Them
On August 9, 1988, the Edmonton Oilers traded Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three first-round draft picks, and $15 million cash. Gretzky was 27, had already shattered virtually every NHL scoring record, and had four Stanley Cup rings. He cried at the press conference. Canada treated it like…