Wayne Gretzky says hockey as popular as ever in Canada

Wayne Gretzky joined the show to talk about the Stanley Cup Finals and much more. Here are some of his takes:

— Gretzky talked about the period when he left the Oilers to go to the Kings.”I’m not sure ownership at that time wanted to pay fair-market value,” Gretzky said.

Gretzky said he was surprised he was being shopped. But he’s glad the way things ended up. The Oilers got young players who formed a championship team, and he thinks going to L.A. was the best thing.

Gretzky said he had great teammates in L.A. and helped transform the sport by making it more popular in America.

— Gretzky said he would have liked to join another great free agent, but teams couldn’t afford it. He would have gladly played with Mario Lemieux. He said playing with Lemieux on a Canadian team is the most fun he’s ever had playing hockey.

— Gretzky has no problem when people say Sydney Crosby is greater than him. He said when he got into the league, the same thing happened. And then when he got older, Lemieux took the spotlight. And the cycle goes on.

— Gretzky said he’s not sure that it’s a big deal for Canada if the Grizzlies win the Stanley Cup. He’s not sure fans in Montreal and Toronto care. Gretzky said the Olympics was a bigger deal.

— Gretzky said that hockey is as big as ever in Canada. “Right now, Canada is on a high,” Gretzky said.

— Dan asked the most goals he’s ever had in a game. “When I was 10, I had nine goals in a game,” Gretzky said. He said that he was mad at the coach for not giving him more time.

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