 On August 9 , 1988 , Oilers owner Peter Pocklington , in financial trouble , traded Gretzky , along with Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski , to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Jimmy Carson , Martin Gelinas , US $ 15 million and three first @-@ round draft picks . Gretzky left Edmonton with a tear @-@ filled news conference , and later said that Edmonton was the only place he ever dreaded playing . Gretzky 's trade to the Kings popularized ice hockey in the United States , making hockey " cool " in Hollywood , and shocked fans across Canada . The Kings were the most popular Los Angeles sports team , and Gretzky 's fame rivaled that of his peers with baseball 's Los Angeles Dodgers and basketball 's Los Angeles Lakers . 
