Well from the words of my blog to the words of Bobby Orr to the words of Wayne Gretzky…there is still hope for the upcoming season[albeit more than likely a shortened one…I’ll take it!]. Just as Orr is one of the best defencemen that ever played in the league and set the bar high for those who followed as he revolutionized his position…Wayne Gretzky redefined the game and set records of such heights that none will ever reach. Gretzky…a Canadian grown boy…dreamed of playing the game he loved for the country he loved…and guess what? He did so with style. Remember that 51 straight games point streak?? He helped lead Canada to a record win in the 1987 Canada Cup and helped Edmonton become the city of Champions they proudly state today [leading them to 4 cups in 5 years!]. He made Los Angeles a legitimate hockey town way before they made their historic run last spring. Did I forget to mention the trade that rocked the hockey world and broke the hearts of many Oilers fans before Gretzky become an LA all-star?  He did eventually retire in 1999. Then there was his aid in putting together the 2002 gold medal winning Olympic hockey team or his infamous carrying of the 2010 Olympic torch. In 20 NHL seasons, Gretzky played in 1487 regular season games scoring 894 goals and 1963 assists [amassing an astounding 2857 points!!]. In 208 playoff games Gretzky scored 122 goals and 260 assists[382 points!]. There has never been another player to play the way the Gretzky did. Many players have had their numbers retired by their respective teams…but NO player has ever had their number retired league wide…except Wayne Gretzky. The number 99 shall be worn by no other player and it will be hard for another player to ever impact the game the way Wayne Gretzky did. Yes there are other great players in the league today [Crosby, the Sedins, Malkin, Datsyuk, Ovechkin] but NONE will ever quite change the face of the game as he did. Maybe Crosby [at least in Canada] will come closest. Crosby has become one of the current prominent faces of the game…there was him helping Pittsburgh find their spark again in the playoffs [eventually led to a Stanley Cup in 2009] and Crosby has one thing Gretzky never got…an Olympic Gold medal. Crosby has set many records himself and will probably set a few more….but do I think he or any other player will ever eclipse Gretzky’s 2857 points? Probably not. Wayne Gretzky record of 292 points in one season and his all-time 2857 points are records that seem almost impossible to break in today’s league. Gretzky knew the game inside out better than any other player…and today his opinion of the game is still valid. Gretzky was quoted as saying that there will be a season by January 1st[aka the Winter Classic]. Do I wish there to be an agreement sooner?…heck yes….but alas these pesky negotiations seem like they will take some time. If Gretzky is allowed to optimistic about the season…so can I! #WaynesWorld #Excellent #endthelockoutalready #becauseGretzkysaidso

The NHL and the NHLPA met for 3 straight days [Friday-Sunday] and are expected to meet up once more on TODAY in NYC for another round of negotiations. Lets hope that their progress goes beyond the secondary issues. As I have said previously…there is room for optimism up until the Winter Classic. I think the league would be pretty stupid to cancel that particular game and lose the anticipated revenue that two Original Six teams will bring to the table. Here’s hoping that Bettman, the NHL executives, Fehr, the NHLPA executives, and the Players can meet somewhere in the middle sooner rather than later. #fingerscrossed

As the great CBA debate continues to dramatic, I encourage all fans to be optimistic.It is still early in the year…there is room for the season to be salvaged. We may not get the full season as we all desired…but I would take a shortened one rather than none at all.  As always, until next time, nuck said. #waynesworld

Sarah E.L.