There was a time when the greatest player in the history of the NHL was on the St. Louis Blues. Wayne Gretzky's time with the Blues was brief, and if you ask anyone about his career, there might be a good majority of fans that didn't even know who played for the Blues.
The Gretzky trade
Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Blues from the Los Angeles Kings on February 27th, 1996 in exchange for Patrice Tardif, Roman Vopat, Craig Johnson, and two draft picks. There was a lot of excitement around the Blues when this trade went down. The idea of having two of the best players in the league at the time created quite a buzz.
The pairing was productive together, but their performace was not game breaking due to the limited amount of time they had together. Gretzky finished his regular season stint with the Blues scoring eight goals, 13 assists, and 21 points in 18 regular season contests. He was not producing at the elite level he did in his earlier years, but those numbers were so godlike it would've been insane to think he could repeat that production later on.
The Playoffs
The Blues made the playoffs in 1996 with Gretzky, finishing with a record of 32-34-16. By the way, qualifying for the playoffs with 32 wins in today's NHL would be unheard of, but that's how much the league has changed. The Blues managed to win a round in the playoffs, defeating the Maple Leafs in six games.
However, as a lot of Blues fans from that era remember, the Blues were eliminated in seven games in the second round via the infamous Steve Yzerman goal. The Blues losing in the second round with Gretzky and Hull can be looked back on as a major disappointment considering Gretzky was a rental.
Gretzky's departure
This section of the story always pains me and Blues fans alike when we hear it. Gretzky wanted to stay in St. Louis and potentially end his career with the Blues, but the dislike and strained relationship with head coach Mike Keenan drew him away from the team. Gretzky would sign with the New York Rangers in that offseason.
Keenan's coaching style was intense, and he tried to strike fear in his players to motivate them. This style always backfired, as he was incapable of holding a position for more than four seasons. His Blues tenure consisted of good regular seasons but not much to show for it in the playoffs.
Keenan being a main factor as to why Gretzky did not resign with the Blues is and always will be a heartbreaker for Blues fans. The fact that he himself had the desire to stay here and only left because of the dislike of the coach is extremely frustrating. If Gretzky resigned with the Blues after 1996, there's a reasonable chance the franchise could've won their first championship with the amount of talent they had.