Gretzky underestimates his own clout

During the World Juniors, Wayne Gretzky took part in a press conference where he expressed his concerns about the effect the NHL lockout will have on the state of professional hockey. His was an opinion long overdue. Gretzky told onlookers that he fully expected the lockout to last at least several months into the 2005-06 season if it was not resolved before this season could be cancelled. Many received this news with shock, despite the fact that logic dictates that a deal will not get done during the summer; the players are not getting paid anyway, so there would be nothing that drives them to rush towards a solution.

When Wayne Gretzky speaks, everyone listens. He has become immensely respected not just for his skills as a player, but as a builder of the game - he was the architect behind Canada's championship teams in Salt Lake City and at the '04 World Cup, and is a managing partner of the Phoenix Coyotes. He has also been approached about coaching the 'Yotes next season (if there is a next season), and has not turned down the offer as of this point. Due to his past and present capacities of involvement with the game, Gretzky has remained neutral (and understandably so) in this debate. So the immense surprise among the hockey-loving public was generated because when the Great One says that hockey is in trouble, it must be true. (Somehow it didn't occur to these people earlier that the NHL was in trouble, but whatever.)

Knowing the sway he holds with not only players and brass, but with fans as well, Gretzky would have been wise to weigh in with his thoughts on the matter earlier. Seeing the fear he triggered in so many even at this stage of the lockout, where all hope was already presumably lost, that fear would have been very useful early on, where it could have made both the NHL and the NHLPA think "Gee, maybe we should be thinking about getting to work here," or at least would have turned up the pressure on them from the fans. I'm not blaming Wayne Gretzky for the fact that the lockout has continued - Gary Bettman and Bob Goodenow are ideal candidates for carrying the role of scapegoat together - but I wish that he would take a more active role in solving the dilemma. Aside from his records as a player and his success as a general manager for Team Canada, if he can save the National Hockey League from itself, he will earn still more admiration just for protecting the game he loves.