Wayne Gretzky Now Expected For Brett Hull Night
by Brad Lee on Dec 15, 2009 2:22 PM CST
24 comments
This is all going to get a little surreal.
Jeremy Rutherford with the Post-Dispatch made a posting at the Blues Talk Forum that Wayne Gretzky has been sighted in St. Louis and is expected to participate in the on-ice ceremonies honoring Brett Hull for his induction in the Hockey Hall of Fame. It will be interesting to experience the fan reaction.
You have to remember, Gretzky only played 18 regular season games and 13 playoff games with the Blues in the spring of 1996. His last moment wearing the Blue Note was him turning the puck over and then watching Steve Yzerman score over Jon Casey's shoulder.
There were reports the Blues offered a new contract for the soon to be free agent Gretzky, but that the offer was pulled by Mike Keenan after a poor early performance in the playoffs. I remember hearing Gretzky say he would never re-sign after they did that. The Great One eventually signed with the Rangers and his time as a Blue became just a minor footnote in the Gretzky mythology.
Hands down, Gretzky was the best player in the NHL during his prime years. His scoring records are light years from the rest of the league. But it is not reasonable to believe that fans in St. Louis have any connection with Gretzky.
So Blues fans, I ask what your response will be tonight when Gretzky appears on the ice during the festivities? Let us know down below.
This is also your pre-party before the game.
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I'll cheer him
Not his fault Keenan was an ass.
Cool of him to show up though, didn’t see that coming.
Oh, and I’ll be in attendance today. Most people go get drunk on their 21st victory. I go to a Blues game with no intention of drinking. Also, the 2nd game I’ve been in attendance for. The first was the other home game against Cal and Gary.
Breaking News: I'm currently in the process of writing "I will not say and/or type "that word" 1,000 times.
i'll bet he is
cheered.
someone find the odds from his wife on that…
A strong anvil fears no hammer
by Childhood Trauma on Dec 15, 2009 2:44 PM CST reply actions
Even if there's no real connection with him as a Blue Note, he is still hockey royalty and should be treated as such.
I’d imagine even if he were for some reason attending a Thrashers-Lightning game it’d still be a big deal for the home crowd – and he’s probably the ONLY person you could honestly make that claim about. I’d imagine the crowd will give him a fairly warm reception not as a former Blue but as the prohibitively best playing in the history of the game.
I know it's time for hockey because I've started singing "Don't Stop Believing" with the words "...born and raised in FUCK DETRIOT!!!"
That turnover leading to a goal
still haunts me at night. My first real hockey memory…
Its a funny story actually.
Why any drama?
He doesn’t have a solid connection to St. Louis but he’s obviously one of the greatest ever so I assume most fans will be happy to see him there. I can’t imagine anyone is going to boo him or anything.
Off subject
Can someone please, please bring a sign to the game tonight that says…
NO PRESSURE
that would be great
kthxby
If I were there, I would applaud.
It’s possible that Keenan made a contract offer and then pulled it back. But if he did it because he thought Gretzky “underperformed”, then he was an even bigger asshole than I thought.
The Blues were the #5 seed in the playoffs that year. Detroit was the #1 seed, having lost just 13 games all season. The fact that the Blues were able to push the Wings to the second overtime of the seventh game is, frankly, amazing.
There were three Blues in double digits in playoff scoring that year. Hull was third, with 11 points. Shayne Corson (!) was second with 14. The Blues’ leading playoff scorer? He wore #99, and went 2-14-16.
I’ll be shocked if the crowd reaction tonight is quieter or more negative for Gretzky than for anyone else.
He's Gretzky.
I would never boo him, lest he chuck one of his Art Ross trophies at my head.
To me . . . this isn’t even a story.
One day, David Backes and Albert Pujols will combine forces to become the most awesome piece of violent force known to man.
I was infatuated with the Gretzky situation
Rumors had him coming to St. Louis for weeks. I was in school in Kirksville at the time and we would call the KMOX sports line 5-10 times a day. Partially because I wanted to know and I didn’t have any knowledge of the Internet. And our apartment was never charged for long distance fees.
Anyway, I got the jersey. Got tickets to his first home game. Was totally into it.
When he left, I kind of got disgruntled with the entire thing and never got gruntled again.
So seeing him out there congratulating Hull…it’s way weird for me.
www.stlouisgametime.com
honestly I really
dont even consider him a Blue, and never will…he was her for like the last 2 months thats it and bolted
Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat
as far as I understand...
he didn’t want to Bolt…Keenan fucked him and the team over.
I’ve yet to hear of a Blues player who didn’t like it here.
Put your big girl panties on and deal with it!
by BluesFanFromNE on Dec 15, 2009 4:53 PM CST up reply actions
It's a believable story I mean who didn't Keenan piss off
I know if I ever see the man I’ll punch him in the head and set him on fire for what he did to the team
The term "in my humble opinion", which they think adds weight to their statements rather than indicating , in reality, "these are the mean little views of someone with the social grace of duckweed"
How you say "Don't give him an extension like that" based on playoff games to 99 is beyond me.
He’s Wayne Gretzky. He owns more records than anyone else in the league, and you’re going to use him to “make a point” about things and what you expect from players?
Keenan is the penultimate ass nugget. His ego… I can’t believe it was tolerated for as long as it was. Like Shanny insinuated in that P-D article a few days ago, they could have won a Cup with the players that he drove off.
Reporter: There`s a "stamp out the Beatles movement" underway in Detroit. What are you going to do about it?
Paul McCartney: We`re going to start a campaign to stamp out Detroit.
Was driving home from playing the night of the trade
It was all we could talk about at our pick-up game — then it was confirmed on the radio on my way home, and I screamed my head off the whole drive home. All the Keenan/Hull crap that had already erupted, I thought this would patch it up, what with Gretzky being a much more diplomatic and experienced soul than Hull, and a guy who played for him in Canada Cups. Add pre-Kypreos Fuhr behind his old Oilers buddy, and an epic playoff run was in the cards. No dice.
I totally believe the contract offer story. It was never refuted, and if memory serves it was after a couple of slow games in the Toronto series, even. Insane for Keenan, but he was all about the mind games and insane motivational tactics. Shanny’s critique of his coaching today was spot on: Worked with the Flyers/Hawks back in the “scare ‘em into skatin’” era, didn’t work in the technical Lemaire era with millionaire players who didn’t need to put up with that crap.
Lighthouse Hockey: Eyes on Tavares, mug full of Moulson.
now coming to the podium WAYNE GRETZKY!!!
me:(crickets, crickets)
i was just never huge on the great one, just never liked his attitude and while it was keenan that really fucked over this franchise real hard. I always though gretzky was just to arrogant
Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat
Maybe they will throw on Blues jerseys and play....
then all will be right with the world again.
Why is patience a virtue and procrastination a sin...I mean whats wrong with patiently procrastionating?
As much as I want to believe what I read...
“We’ll be ready this time,” Tkachuk said. “It’ll be a special night.”
It damn well better be a SPECIAL night Walt…I’m holding YOU accountable!!!
I’m still leery from Friday night…I can’t afford to drink that much, its only Tuesday night and theres a LOT of the week left. Not to mention, that many jagerbombs led to snowdrift diving in only PJ’s (no shoes/coat/gloves etc)which was funny as shit, but COLD & led to wet socks!!!
Put your big girl panties on and deal with it!
I won't be there of course
But I’d cheer, loudly. He’s the Great One, enough said.
Now who i would boo is this group of Blues if they pull ANOTHER turdbomb like that debacle against Edmonton
Baltimore Blast - 6-time MISL/NISL Champions
Let's go Blues!
I taped the Gretzky road and home debut games on VHS.
A couple of years ago while packing/weeding out to move, I found the tape. I said, “WTF was I thinking” to Mrs. Milo as I tossed it in the trash.
Let's go Blues!!!
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