I think that Wayne Gretzky moving from the Oilers to the Kings was one of the largest and most influential things that happen to the NHL. Moving a normal player from Canada to America wasn't that big of a deal, but when you move the greatest hockey player of all time to an American team, things are going to explode. Even when Gretzky was moved to America, neither his efforts nor his skills went down at all. The first year that Gretzky was playing with the Kings, they made it to the playoffs. It just so happened that the team they were facing were the Oilers, Gretzky's old team.
This was hard for Gretzky to handle but no matter the task, Wayne came through with flying colors. The NHL was trying to grow their sport and moving an icon such as Gretzky was a great way to spread the love of hockey.
Unlike when Beckham came to the US, there was not so much an explosion like there was with Gretzky. The difference between the two players is that Gretzky was the best player in the NHL and had amazing skills. Beckham had amazing skills but not in being a stand alone superstar, but by being a good team player. Soccer in the US will continue to grow and I think if a few more superstars from Europe came to the states, soccer would expand faster.
I agree, The Gretzky move has much more of an impact than the Beckham move. The NHL grew in popularity, while the MLS just have one of the best players playing in the league. A good argument discussed in class, was the fact that Beckham was injured when he first arrived and his hype went minimized. The MLS was hoping the major move of Backham would have an effect similar to Wayne Gretzky or Lebron James. Soccer is a sport that continues to struggle to get major attention and recognition in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteSome think the move of Gretzky to L.A. may have saved the NHL or at least popularized more in the southern U.S. It certainly glamorized the L.A. Kings to have "the Great One" in a King's jersey.
ReplyDeleteThe moving of Gretzky to L.A. was the worst nightmare of an Oiler fan but the greatest dream an American hockey fan could have. Hockey was not going to lose support or fans in Canada, come on its canada, they bleed hockey. It expanded the game so much in the U.S. I don't think hockey would be what it is today if it wasn't for Gretzky. When he came to L.A every kid that played hockey in the U.S was in their driveway pretending they were Gretzky scoring the game ender for the cup. He will forever have the greatest impact in hockey history.
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