In hindsight there were little hints, breadcrumbs along a fairytale trail that something major might be in the offing: The rumors Oilers general manager Glen Sather had told other GMs not long after Edmonton had won its fourth Stanley Cup in five years that Wayne Gretzky might be traded, for example. Like almost everyone else I stepped right over those breadcrumbs, at least the ones I didn't grind into the path with my heel.
It made no sense. Gretzky was 27, the best player in his sport, maybe the most accomplished player of any sport, and whispers that something might be afoot seemed delusional. In July Gretzky and Janet Jones had been married in Edmonton, Canada's royal wedding without any of the House of Windsor weirdness, and there was a warm amber glow surrounding a career -- no, a life -- that had been coated with pixie dust. Traded?
Gretzky trade brings hockey to the Sun Belt (SI.com) 
