Pocklington appears to be fine with that. And he doesn’t seem to think too highly of his detractors.
Pocklington was asked in an interview with select media outlets on Wednesday if he was worried about the reception he would get at the Oilers’ reunion to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their 1984 Stanley cup win.
“I really don’t give a damn what some of the unwashed have to say,” he responded. “Some day they’ll grow up. And I don’t really care if they do or not.
“There is an old Shakespearean line: a brave man dies once, a coward dies every day,” he said, adding that he only focuses on his positive memories.
In 1988, Edmonton traded Gretzky, Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski to the Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three first-round draft picks and $15 million in cash.
The move has not sat well with many Oilers fans. But Pocklington has been defending the Gretzky trade for years and did so once again on Wednesday.
“I had no choice about trading Wayne, as you’ve seen in the book,” he said, referring to the 2009 Pocklington biography I’d Trade Him Again: On Gretzky, Politics And The Pursuit Of The Perfect Deal. “His contract was coming to fruition. We certainly couldn’t have paid what his market would’ve commanded at that time.
“It was good for the league. It was good for Wayne and Janet. And quite frankly it was even good for Edmonton. We had the greatest and best years from Wayne. … There’s only one time to get rid of a depreciating asset and that’s at its peak.”
Gretzky spoke about the move on Tuesday, saying “I got sold. I didn’t get traded.” He revealed that his wife had wanted him to be traded to the Detroit Red Wings, and that it was at his father’s urging that he joined the Kings.
Pocklington said Gretzky “understood where all this was coming from” after The Great One got involved in management.
“We’re still pals. It’s like we never parted.”
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