Top Line: Gretzky's wildly pricey stick, Kings retain another Cup winner

Author:
sarahkwak
Publish date:
Aug 3, 2013

August 9th is the 25th anniversary of the trade of Gretzky from the Oilers to the Kings. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

An annotated guide to this morning’s must-read hockey stories:

• We are officially within the one-week mark of the 25th anniversary of "the day that changed everything in the world of professional hockey," AKA the day Wayne Gretzky was traded. The Globe and Mail's Eric Duhatschek kicks things off with a look back on the fateful day. And expect lots and lots (TONS, really) of perspectives on Gretzky to follow between now and August 9, including (in Canada) a dueling 5-part series on TSN and Sportsnet.

• Speaking of Gretzky, the stick he used to score his 1,000th lifetime goal when he was just 13 years old —mind you—THIRTEEN, was auctioned off for $38,838. That's right. For the price of a down payment on a house, you could own a 13-year-old's hockey stick. Wow.

• The Kings re-signed defenseman Kyle Clifford for two years, making it 17 players from L.A.'s 2012 Cup roster who are still with the team.

• Since being named the Kings' new assistant general manager, Rob Blake has been learning the ins and outs of the organization and life in the front office. L.A. Kings Insider catches up with the former defenseman.

• St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong, who signed Jay Bouwmeester to a five-year deal Thursday, stayed busy a day later, inking Magnus Paajarvi, his acquisition from the David Perron trade with Edmonton, to a two-year extension.

• Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier, stuck in Jonathan Quick's shadow in L.A., hopes to step out in Toronto and win the No. 1 job over James Reimer.

• The deal to sell the Phoenix Coyotes to the Renaissance Sports and Entertainment could be closed Monday. No, really. Monday.

• NHL.com's 30-in-30 today focuses on the Edmonton Oilers, their new coach, Dallas Eakins, and the pipeline of talented D coming up.

• Over at the United States of Hockey, Chris Peters has a look at the U.S.'s U-18 Select Team before the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Tournament, set to begin Monday in the Czech Republic.

• USA Hockey's World Junior Evaluation Camp gets underway today in Lake Placid. NHL.com previews the week-long tryout.

• Dick Kazmaier, the 1951 Heisman Trophy winner who spurned the NFL in favor of Harvard Business School, died at age 82. He will also be remembered as a devoted hockey dad, helping create the Patty Kazmaier Award, given to the top female college player, in honor of his daughter who died of a rare blood disease.