Cooke, Who Has Taken a Gamble or Two, Praises McNall

Jack Kent Cooke, who was responsible for bringing Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Marcel Dionne and Magic Johnson to Los Angeles, tipped his hat to the man who landed Wayne Gretzky.

Owner Bruce McNall of the Kings “has taken an adventurous, spirited gamble, and it ought to pay off for him,” Cooke said Friday.

Cooke, owner of the Washington Redskins and former owner of the Lakers, Kings and the Forum, took a spirited gamble of his own in 1975, signing free agent Dionne in a deal that sent left wing Dan Maloney, defenseman Terry Harper and a second-round draft pick to the Detroit Red Wings.

Dionne, who was traded to the New York Rangers last year, went on to become the No. 2 scorer in National Hockey League history--Gretzky is No. 3--but the Kings, except on infrequent occasions, failed to capture the public’s fancy during his 12 seasons in Los Angeles.

“I thought it would help increase attendance at the Forum,” Cooke said of the deal that brought Dionne a five-year contract worth a reported $1.5 million. “It did slightly, but not to the extent that I thought it would . . . not nearly enough to justify the contract I entered into to get Marcel.”

Cooke said it frustrated him that he couldn’t sell hockey in Los Angeles.

“Very much so,” he said. “As a former Canadian, I dote on the game--still do. And I could never understand why Los Angeles failed to support the hockey club the way hockey is supported in almost every other place in America.”

Told at the time that some 250,000 Canadians lived in Los Angeles, Cooke reportedly said: “Apparently, they all moved here because they hate hockey.”

Gretzky, an eight-time NHL most valuable player, could change that, Cooke said.

“I think Marcel is one of the best hockey players I ever saw, and I think his record will prove that,” Cooke said. “But this other fellow (Gretzky) has a charisma, a glamour about him that just may be ideally suited to bring in people to watch him play.”

Cooke seemed to have a knack for acquiring such talent.

On July 9, 1968, he traded Jerry Chambers, Archie Clark and Darrall Imhoff to the Philadelphia 76ers for Chamberlain, who led the Los Angeles Lakers to their first National Basketball Assn. championship in 1972.

On June 16, 1975, only a week before he signed Dionne, Cooke sent Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Dave Meyers and Junior Bridgeman to the Milwaukee Bucks for Abdul-Jabbar and Walt Wesley.

As was Gretzky, whose introductory press conference Tuesday night at the Sheraton La Reina Hotel was a lavish affair attended by about 250, Abdul-Jabbar was introduced at an elaborately staged, carnival-like press conference.

The houselights dimmed at the Forum as a single spotlight “splashed a glowing circle of brightness on the drapes at the south end of the building,” as one reporter wrote.

After a silent, nervous pause of about 30 seconds, a uniformed policeman ripped open the drapes.

“And I give you KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR,” shouted Laker broadcaster Chick Hearn as Abdul-Jabbar strolled through the parted drapes.

Hearn called the announcement “the most dramatic and explosive in the history of sports” and later told Cooke: “This is the culmination of the toughest endeavor in the history of sports. I’m almost without words to congratulate you.”

Not all reviews of the trade were complimentary, however. Some questioned if the Lakers had given up too much, just as some are now questioning if the Kings gave up too much for Gretzky.

In one letter to The Times, the Abdul-Jabbar deal was labeled “one of the worst trades in the history of the NBA. . . . My conclusions: (1) The Lakers now have a lot of old athletes and one great center; (2) the Bucks, thanks to the Lakers, will be a dynasty within two years; (3) L.A. fans should trade J.K.C. to the N.Y. Fulton Fish Market.”

Cooke said of the criticism: “I ignored it, as usual, because I knew that I had one of the best players that ever lived.”

Cooke also ignored those who advised him to select Sidney Moncrief of Arkansas, rather than Johnson, with the No. 1 pick in the 1979 NBA draft.

And he did so, he said, not because of Johnson’s entertainment value, but because of Johnson’s ability as a player.

The same logic, he said, was used by McNall in acquiring Gretzky.

“Anybody that hires a man because of his personality or his popularity needs his bloody head read,” Cooke said. “In this instance here, McNall is getting an unquestioned great, if not the greatest hockey player that ever lived, and may ever live. So, that’s the reason for all of this.”

So, he’s convinced that Gretzky will sell hockey in Los Angeles?

“As I said,” Cooke said, “I think that McNall deserves all the credit in the world for his derring-do, for his spirited, adventurous move, but I have no idea.”

Referring to a character in Greek mythology whose name has come to be synonymous with a prophet of doom, he said: “The name’s Cooke. It’s not Cassandra.”

Owner Peter Pocklington of the Edmonton Oilers, hoping to “set the record straight once and for all,” issued a statement Friday in which he reiterated that Gretzky was traded at his own request.

“He was neither paid nor pressured by us to make the deal or the statements he has made,” Pocklington said in the statement.

” . . . I could have received more money from other National Hockey League clubs if money was the prime motivation. However, I only have the utmost admiration for Wayne and respect for his wishes.

” . . . . I only ask that you join me in savoring the wonderful years we received from Wayne. . . . Meanwhile, it is time to get on with the job of keeping the Stanley Cup in Edmonton.”

In separate interviews published Friday, Gretzky’s wife and father lashed out at Pocklington for making what Walter Gretzky called “foolish” statements and for painting an inaccurate picture of the events leading up to the trade.

“I guess maybe Mr. Pocklington couldn’t see over (the) top (of the) pile of money,” Walter Gretzky said. “Everyone refers to it as a trade. I say it was a sale.”

The Oilers received $15 million, three first-round draft choices and three players, including Jimmy Carson, from the Kings for Gretzky and three other players.

Actress Janet Jones, Gretzky’s wife of four weeks, told the Edmonton Sun: “The story of the trade as presented by Peter Pocklington is false. Pocklington is the reason Wayne’s gone. . . .

“You don’t make deals for $18 million (in Canadian dollars) to satisfy Wayne Gretzky’s wife. If this is to help my movie career, I wouldn’t be expecting a child at this time. . . .

“I brought my car to Edmonton, and we had every intention of living the rest of our lives in Edmonton.”

Jones said that she and Gretzky were surprised to get a call during their honeymoon from McNall, who told Gretzky that he had received permission from Pocklington to talk to the player.

“There was no call from Pocklington,” Jones said. “You play for a man for 10 years and he doesn’t even have the courtesy to call and tell you what is happening.”

Walter Gretzky and three of his son’s friends and former teammates--Eddie Mio, Paul Coffey and David Lumley--have also disputed Pocklington’s claim that Gretzky asked to be traded.

Wrote the Edmonton Journal in an editorial published Friday:

“For Edmonton fans, the opinions of Gretzky’s former teammates--and their own recollections--will ring more nearly true than the picture of ego and ambition now presented by Pocklington. Gretzky’s record of selfless contributions to his former team and his former city won’t be questioned by anyone familiar with his life here.

“The people of Edmonton are capable of recognizing the real thing, in hockey and outside it. They are also capable of recognizing boundless ego and ambition.

“There may, indeed, have been phony performances at the press conference (as Pocklington has portrayed Gretzky’s behavior), but none of those performances was Gretzky’s.”

Alan Eagleson, executive director of the NHL Players Assn., said that the Kings, with the addition of Gretzky, probably will be invited to the Soviet Union for training camp next season.

Eagleson and NHL President John Ziegler, who left for Moscow Friday to work out the details of a Christmas exhibition series involving a pair of Soviet clubs, will also explore the possibility of NHL teams setting up training camps in the Soviet Union in 1989.

Eagleson said the proposal involves sending one team to Moscow and one to Leningrad. Each would play four exhibition games against Soviet club teams.

“Now that Gretzky is in L.A., they will probably be interested in the Kings,” Eagleson said of the Soviets.

However, Eagleson also said, “We have no shortage of clubs interested in going,” mentioning the Quebec Nordiques, Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks.