Wayne is a great businessman. Because of how big he became as a public figure it's been part of his makeup for a long time. He knows, in whatever venture he's been a part of, the numbers have to add up. He is also, as all truly great players, driven by winning. Phoenix and Winnipeg have not won a first-round playoff series since 1987. That will not be acceptable to him. Therefore he's going to be very hands-on with this team. He will be active and making decisions from the start.
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He believes in Phoenix as a hockey town and he believes this team is better than how it's been playing. That's what intrigued Wayne about the situation and may be what ultimately separates him from Michael Jordan. |
Wayne's advantage is he knows what it takes to win championships. He knows what it takes in the dressing room and he already knows many of the players on the team. The next month leading up to the trading deadline will be very interesting. The first order of business will be taking care of the situations with Nikolai Khabibulin and Claude Lemieux. Once those players have been dealt or signed it comes down to him whether he believes in this team or he wants to tweak it or dismantle it completely and start over.
There have been whispers that he might pull out of this venture given the problems that have been associated with getting the deal done. But if he didn't truly believe in what he was doing, and his ability to see it through, he would have pulled out long ago. He has always been very careful with the business opportunities he has attached his name to. If you look at his record over the past 20 years he has not made many bad decisions or let himself become associated with too many deals that have failed. If Wayne felt that he would be embarrassed by the situation in Phoenix he would have distanced himself from it early.
On the surface, Wayne's situation has a lot of similarity to the one Michael Jordan is facing in Washington -- the acknowledged greatest ever in his sport with an ownership stake in a team, charged with turning that team around and getting them to win in the playoffs. I mentioned earlier that Wayne's advantage is knowing what it takes to win. Well, Michael knows a thing or two about winning championships as well, but that hasn't translated to success for the Wizards yet.
If Phoenix is as bad as Washington has turned out for Jordan, Wayne isn't going to be a very happy camper. But Phoenix isn't the shambles, talent-wise, that Washington is. Phoenix is a good hockey club. No, they haven't won a playoff round in ten years, but there is a good nucleus of players here. Sean Burke is my pick for MVP so far this year, so that gives them some flexibility in the Khabibulin negotiations. Keith Tkachuk and Jeremy Roenick are two of the toughest players with skill in hockey. Their names are swirling in trade rumors but it's not clear yet what Wayne will do. Whatever happens, there is talent on this team.
The decision on how best to approach things, how to make this team win is Wayne's, whether that means multiple deals or standing pat. He believes in Phoenix as a hockey town and he believes this team is better than how it's been playing. That's what intrigued Wayne about the situation and may be what ultimately separates him from Michael Jordan.
Barry Melrose, a hockey analyst for ESPN and a former NHL defenseman, coached Wayne Gretzky and the L.A. Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup finals.
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AUDIO VIDEO
 Wayne Gretzky says he will not be returning to the ice in a Coyotes uniform.
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