[Dion]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Hint: Wayne Gretzky hated this guy!

It might have been the only reason he was on the Flames, come to think of it.

Sheehy knew how to get under Gretzky's skin with his yapping and hits

"The way Gretzky played, there was no use standing in front of the net," Sheehy said. "I went straight for the corner and every time the Oilers rimmed Gretzky the puck, I'd drive him right into the boards. Of course, you had to make sure and hit him clean because everybody knew the league protected Wayne."

Sheehy's strategy worked to perfection and when the playoffs arrived, Flames coach Bob Johnson completely bought in.

"To try and beat the Oilers, Badger came up with a seven-point plan," Sheehy said. "And one of his points was that I had to be on the ice every time Gretzky was out there."

But the rugged defenceman wasn't just looking to bang The Great One's body. Instead, Sheehy also planned to play games with Gretzky's mind.

"I always enjoyed yapping at guys and when Gretzky started to yap back, that's exactly what we wanted. It became big news because when a great player is talking, he's not as focused on the game."

As the series progressed, the action got hotter and so did Gretzky's temper. Earlier that season, Gretzky had made noise about banning fighting. Once again, the super-pest spotted an opportunity.

"Gretzky was always accusing me of turtling when one of the Oilers big guys came after me," said Sheehy, who now works as a player agent. "So I'd say, 'Which is it, Wayne? First you say nobody should fight and then you get mad when I don't.' It drove him up the wall."

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/m...-toth-butcher/