Re: Messier Retires
Another Mesier moment occurred on October 19, 1988.
August 9, 1988: The Gretzky trade (Incidentally, people don't forget where they were when JFK got shot or when 9/11 unfolded. For me anyway, August 9, 1988 is also forever etched in my memory).
Anyway, on to October 19, 1988: Gretzky's first game as a LA king in Edmonton. The city of Edmonton is still in mourning and the crowd in the building is almost pro-Kings at the start of the game.
Well, the cord was severed about midway through the game when Messier (one of Gretzky's best friends) put some lumber onto Gretzky's back and rode him hard into the boards. It was almost like Mess was telling the fans that Gretz was now the enemy. The Kings and Oilers then went on to have some intriguing playoff series in the next 2 or 3 years. Gretz won it for the Kings in 1989 when the Oilers were defending the cup but the Oilers beat the Kings and won the cup again in 1990.
Man, those were the days when hockey was something special. I remember games from the 70s, 80s and early 90s vividly - I can even remember who scored the cup winning goals for most of that time period. By contrast, I have trouble remembering which team won the cup in 2003. Further, I can hardly name 5 guys on each team. I may even have trouble naming all of the teams currently in the NHL.
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