Scott Morrison explique comment le Grand, Wayne Gretzky, a contrecarré les rêves des Maple Leafs en séries éliminatoires en 1993 et comment Gretzky a failli devenir membre des Leafs quelques années plus tard.
@Maple Leafs de Toronto
47 Comments
Habs93
Needless video leafsnet
He also became a Canadiens if he didnt join the WHL
LMFAO all.these people.chirping the Leafs saying he was closer to other places or all.about the Leafs need to read his newest book.
It boggles my mind that Leaf ownership said no to 99 joining the Leafs in the summer of 96. He was a great player and I think he was a top ten scorer his last year. Can you imagine Sundin/ 99 and Gilmour as your centers? Gretzky jerseys and merchandise would have made ownership tens of millions of dollars..
So what…. and Winnipeg Jets had first crack at Gretzky before Edmonton.
So that being said "Close only counts in Horseshoes and Hand Grenades."
Gretzkys to damn good for the leafs
Not getting him as a player was terrible but not getting him as a president was a smart move
Nobody called him a snake? So why is JT one?
I suspect it was the U.S. television networks that probably blocked this trade.
To have Gretzky play for a Canadian-based team would have meant that there wouldn't be as much interest in him in the U.S. as would be the case were he playing for a U.S.-based club.
(But to be fair, the Toronto Maple Leafs still to this day have a substantial following in upstate New York, a following which goes back to the days when Foster Hewitt's "Hockey Night In Canada" was on CBC radio with it';s powerful 50,000-watt stations)
I don't remember that at all. I remember Vancouver and Edmonton wanted him.
So that was the second time Gretzky almost played in Toronto; the first time being when Harold Ballard and Peter Pocklington tried trading franchises in the late-80s.
When BALLARD refused to have ITALIANS on his precious LEAFS team "THE EVIL EYE" curse was put on The LEAFS. They will NEVER win a cup until they show appreciation for all the contributions and loyalty the ITALIANS have made to the organization.
http://www.accenti.ca/online-features/did-the-toronto-maple-leafs-discriminate-against-italian-players-by-frank-giorno
So who is this Wayne Gretzky guy and why is he so important?
Only on Sportsnet would they need to make a video about a non-story about something that "almost" happened. What joke.
Fools, the Management of Maple Leafs were… Not to sign the greatest player in the world!!!
There is one huge detail being left out of this. Gretzky wanted an ownership stake to come and play with the Leafs. Wouldn't doubt that was the same issue with the management offer. That was revealed by Stavros himself. Gretzky and his dad where much more about the money than they ever lead people to believe.
gilmour was high-sticked
Noooope…there is a bit more to this story. The part that never came out because Gretzky and his people didn't want it to was that Gretzky also wanted a substantial ownership stake in the Leafs to come play there. Around 12%. For a guy now well on the downside of his career. Does anything come to mind at all about his Ranger years except his farewell tour? NOPE. Steve Stavro revealed this to reporter Howard Berger years later.
Missed being 99 here by 1.
Shows you how much the Leafs organization disrespects their fans.
In the summer of 1996, Gretzky was actually ready to sign with Vancouver, but the idiot CEO at the time, Stan McCammon, refused to let Gretzky go to bed and insisted that he leave his hotel and sign the contract right then in the middle of the night.
Gretzky had verbally promised GM Pat Quinn to sign it in the morning but McCammon would have none of it despite Gretzky's verbal promise to sign everything officially in the morning, so that pushy ultimatum he received quickly ended Gretzky's interest in joining the Canucks.
As for the Leafs, Gretzky and GM Cliff Fletcher had a good relationship and had actually worked out an agreement in principle, but the Leafs ownership was so splintered and horrendously disorganized at the time, that it never really had any chance of working out.
Had there been better ownership in place in Toronto at the time, adding Gretzky could have theoretically put the Leafs in a legit position to go to the Stanley Cup final and win it all (although perhaps not with Mike Murphy as head coach).
In the end, Gretzky decided it was best for him to re-unite with Mark Messier in New York and finish his career with the Rangers, but in hindsight, he probably should have tried to work something out with his favourite team from his childhood, the Detroit Red Wings, as he would have won more Stanley Cups teaming up with Steve Yzerman.
As a leafs fan I wish Gretzky had played for them and the only way to make Gretzky play for the leafs is to put him on them in NHL 20
defeating the Leafs…and not playing for them, turned me into a huge Gretzky fan .
Sundin, Gilmore,Gretzky. Would have Wow.
He shouldn't of went to RANGERS, that team sucked him dry, first season was good but last two seasons team n players sucked, Niklas SUNDSTROM was his Scoring Ace that the gm was hoping on, they could have had BURE but waited to grt BURE, JAGR, LINDROS, MESSIER etc back after he retired.
Gretzky wouldn’t resign with St. Louis as he didn’t get along with Mike Keenan.
Great one Gretzky
God, could you imagine that team with Getsky?
Gretzky actually did want to join the maple leafs but his wife wanted to be an actress in California so he chose LA instead. He even stated that in an interview. He also stated in an interview that he wasn’t supposed to win that series against the Leafs. He was supposed to have a penalty and wasn’t supposed to be on the ice. He even skated up to the ref and mentioned that.
Oh well we now have marner and auston matthews and tavares
He wasn't really close for the Leafs, but he was close to becoming a Canuck
Words that rhyme with Canuck ; Not Gretzky
Would’ve been amazing if he did
Should have grabbed him from Oilers …It was planned – most likely – that he would go to L.A. by top M's 😉
So The Maple Leafs blew it….par for the course.
Money trouble? They had a licence to print money based on Gretzky Leaf jersey sales alone.
He was closer to going to Vancouver.
Gretzky also said if the Rangers had signed Pavel Bure in 1999 instead of 01, he would have played at least one more season. Instead Pavel was traded to Florida in early 99 and Wayne retired a few months later. Pavel came to New York in 2001-2003 and retired from knee problems. I always wonder, what the 1999-2000 Rangers would have done because Pavel in 99 to 01 was still putting up almost 60 goals (58, 59) in the 99-2000 and 2000-2001 seasons.
Can you imagine if the Leafs actually signed Gretzky
He should've signed with the Senators. Biggest bust of Gretzky's career
Ownership is to blame primarily but Gretzky could have made it happen if he wanted to. With all the millions he had already He could have taken a pay cut in order to join the Leafs. I guess they're both to blame partially
One could dream.
Garbage goals and prancing around like a fruit.
The Fans didn't want him. He was too expensive and fans felt he got away with an intentional high stick costing the Leafs a chance at the final. I remember a lot of fans being furious over Gretzky potentially coming to Toronto. His father, Walter, was a very nice fellow. A kind person and did a lot of charity work.
No one ever mentions Gilmour's headbutt no call in that game too, but I remember lol
Like someone else mentioned, I would love to have seen Gretzky and Bure lineup in NY, that could have been something special, and giving us more year of the Great One!
Shocking 😮one of richest franchise TML🙄 😒 lost Gretzky 😳 😢😢😢😢