Legend Gretzky leaves the boardroom for broadcasting

Within hours of the Edmonton Oilers being swept out of the Stanley Cup playoffs last week, Wayne Gretzky resigned from his executive post with the club to join Turner Sports as a studio analyst.

"The Oilers, their fans, and the city of Edmonton have meant the world to me and my family for over four decades, and that will never end," Gretzky wrote on Twitter. "Given the pandemic and other life changes, I realize I will not be able to dedicate the time nor effort needed to support this world-class organization.

"I want to thank (Oilers owners) Daryl and Renee Katz, their family and entire team for all the support and friendship these last several years, and wish them nothing but success."

The move came one day after the Oilers were swept by the Winnipeg Jets in the best-of-seven opening round of the NHL playoffs.

Gretzky played nine seasons with the Oilers, helping them win the Stanley Cup four times, before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings on Aug 9, 1988. He retired in 1999 after 20 seasons with the Oilers, Kings, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers.

He won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer 10 times, the Hart Trophy as league MVP nine times, and the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs twice. His No 99 was retired throughout the NHL prior to the 2000 All-Star Game.

Gretzky holds or shares 61 NHL records, and is its all-time leading scorer with 2,857 points (894 goals, 1,963 assists). He joined the Oilers Entertainment Group as a partner and vice-chairman in October 2016.His new job will be based in Atlanta.

"I've long admired Turner Sports' coverage of the NBA, among other sports, and I'm thrilled to be joining the studio team for their inaugural NHL season," Gretzky said.

"This is an exciting opportunity to share my experiences and perspectives on the game I will always cherish, while hopefully informing and entertaining fans along the way."

Play-by-play commentator Kenny Albert and analyst Eddie Olczyk will call live games airing on TNT and TBS throughout the regular season and playoffs. They both now work for NBC, the NHL's rights holder.

"Calling the NHL's biggest games, including the Stanley Cup final, has been a lifelong dream since I was 5 years old," Albert said.

"Becoming a teammate of 'The Great One' and sharing the broadcast booth with Eddie Olczyk, one of the best analysts in all of sports and a longtime friend and colleague of mine, is the icing on the cake!"

Olczyk will be the lead analyst. He played 16 seasons in the NHL and won the Stanley Cup with the Rangers in 1994. He was an analyst for the Pittsburgh Penguins, ESPN, ESPN2 and NHL Radio before coaching the Penguins from 2003-05. He returned to broadcasting in 2006 as lead analyst for NBC Sports.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Turner Sports family and its coverage of the NHL," Olczyk said. "I'm equally thrilled to be on the same team with 'The Great One' for the first time in my career; that's just tremendous! Thanks to everyone at Turner Sports for all of their efforts in assembling this amazing team."

On April 27, the NHL and Turner Sports announced a seven-year media rights agreement that will have regular-season and postseason games televised on TNT and TBS starting next season and running through 2027-28.

The agreement with Turner gives the NHL two network partners in the United States for the first time since 1998-99.

The league received $350 million in broadcast revenue from NBC($250 million) and Disney Streaming Services ($100 million for digital rights) this season. The new deal will average $635 million a year ($410 million from Disney and $225 million from Turner).