Peter Pocklington
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Peter Pocklington (b. November 18, 1943 in London, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian business owner who has dabbled in politics. While he made his fortune in the meat packing industry, he is best known as the owner of the Edmonton Oilers and, as such, brought Wayne Gretzky to the team. They won five Stanley Cups from 1984-1990. Pocklington however, is best remembered as the man who sold hockey icon and Canadian hero Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings.
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[edit] Business controversy
As a business owner, Pocklington gained a checkered reputation by moving to bust unions and reduce the wages of his employees. The most infamous incident took place during a 1986 strike at Gainers Foods in Edmonton where striking workers attacked police who were attempting to protect buses carrying replacement workers to the now-closed Edmonton plant. Pocklington's use of replacement workers marked the beginning of his remarkable unpopularity in Alberta, especially with organized labour. Although the strike was eventually settled, Gainers never recovered and was eventually placed in receivership.
As owner of the Oilers, Pocklington was criticized for paying himself $2 million CAD in annual management fees, especially after they missed the playoffs in 1992-93. The Gainers meat-packing industry owned by Pocklington failed amidst charges of scandal and corruption, and he lost control of the team.
[edit] Basil Pocklington
After the Edmonton Oilers won their first Stanley Cup in 1983-84, Peter Pocklington included his father, Basil Pocklington, on the list of people and players who were to have their names engraved on the trophy. The NHL did not check the validity of the names on the list, and the Cup was engraved as usual. After the mistake was discovered, NHL executives, via the Hockey Hall of Fame, had the engraver strike out the name of the senior Pocklington by engraving a series of Xs over his name. Of the 12 engraving errors that appear on the Stanley Cup, 11 of them are spelling errors. Pocklington's is the only name that was covered. After this error, the NHL and Hockey Hall of Fame adopted policies to confirm the roster and the relation of the people on the engraving list to the championship team.
[edit] "The Trade"
On August 9, 1988, Pocklington shocked hockey fans by trading Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, $15 million cash, and the Kings' first-round draft picks in 1989, 1991 and 1993. "The Trade" so upset Edmontonians, that one lawmaker demanded the government block it, a mob burned Pocklington in effigy, and Gretzky's bride, actress Janet Jones, was branded hockey's Yoko Ono.
There is debate as to whether Gretzky "jumped" or was "pushed." A book by former Kings owner Bruce McNall quotes Pocklington as saying Gretzky had become impossible to deal since he began dating Janet, who let it be known that she was not going to live in Edmonton after they got married. Pocklington claims he's had only nice things to say about the couple, yet admitted The Trade was a business decision he wouldn't hesitate to make again. Still, "Peter Puck" is widely despised throughout Edmonton to this day.
[edit] Other sports
He is also well known for his involvement in other sports. He was long time owner of a baseball team — the Pacific Coast League's Edmonton Trappers. He also owned soccer teams such as the Edmonton Drillers in the North American Soccer League, Edmonton Brickmen of the Canadian Soccer League, and a later reincarnation of the Drillers in the National Professional Soccer League. In a sense which might be a credit to him, none of these teams remained in Edmonton long-term after his departure from ownership.
[edit] Politics
Pocklington ran as a candidate at the 1983 Progressive Conservative leadership convention finishing sixth. His main policy proposal was the replacement of progressive income tax with a flat tax.
[edit] Hostage Incident
On April 20, 1982 Pocklington was taken hostage in an apprent ransom effort. He was held hostage for about one hour before being rescued by the Edmonton Police Service tactical unit.[citation needed]
