National Hockey League

Gretzky reportedly part of group seeking to bring NHL to Seattle

Published Jul. 4, 2014 10:05 p.m. ET

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If Seattle is going to land an NHL team, it could be a "Great" move --€“ as in The Great One, Wayne Gretzky.

Gretzky is part of one of the three groups trying to change things so they're not hockey-less in Seattle, the New York Post reports.

But Gretzky the owner won't be able to just glide into town like he did on so many goalies in his legendary NHL career. For one thing, there are the competing groups. For another, the league hasn't said it's ready to expand, so that means possibly buying and moving an existing franchise.

Gretzky, who coached the Phoenix Coyotes for four seasons through 2008-09, was part of another group that attempted to buy the Toronto Maple Leafs and the NBA's Toronto Raptors in 2011, but the NHL wouldn't allow the purchase because Gretzky and his partners planned to take on too much debt.

Gretzky declined to comment on the report to the Post. 

UPDATE:

The Canadian Press reported Friday that Gretzky's agent Darren Blake denied his client's involvement in any bid.

“As you can imagine prospective team owners from various franchises call frequently to gauge his interest in coming on board. Seattle is no different,” Blake reportedly said in an email.

The Canadian Press also wrote that Bill Daly, the NHL's deputy commissioner, declined to comment on the Post's report.

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