Olbermann, then working at KTLA Channel 5 in Los Angeles, recalled how the tip came together in the most unlikely way. That evening, he began receiving calls from viewers who had just seen Kings owner Bruce McNall at a Los Angeles golf course, openly telling people to “buy your Kings tickets now” because he had just traded for Gretzky. At first skeptical — suspecting a prank from a rival station — Olbermann picked up five such calls in succession. Then came the clincher: a fan phoned in claiming to be holding the actual check for part of the trade payment. That was enough for Olbermann to move forward. He quickly turned the information into a script, which colleague Gordon Edes helped place on the Associated Press wire. The Gretzky Trade Changed The NHL Forever The deal itself was staggering. Los Angeles acquired Gretzky, Marty McSorley, and Mike Krushelnyski in exchange for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three first-round draft picks, and $15 million cash. Financial records from the NHL later showed the Kings’ franchise value doubled from $50 million to over $100 million by 1993. Gretzky’s arrival also fueled a run to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final and helped ignite a surge of interest in hockey across non-traditional U.S. markets — with a 1993 Journal of Sport & Social Issues study citing a 35% jump in NHL viewership outside Canada and the northern U.S.