You've got to consider the source of the "you can own 25% of the Canucks" remark was Nelson Skalbania, who himself didn't own any of the Canucks and never diid.
Skalbania was a notorious shyster. He was never in a position to make any kind of offer to Gretzky. He probably tried to get Gretzky to agree with a deal in principle, and then would use that tentative agreement to weasel his way into buying a share of the Canucks. Frank Griffiths was getting old and transferred managerial responsibilities to his son Arthur in the summer of '88; Skalbania probably saw that as an "in", with the tantalizing prospect of Gretzky becoming a Canuck as his primary bargaining chip.
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Originally Posted by FanIn80
Oh is this already a known thing? I literally just learned about it today from that video. I was wishing he would've elaborated on it a bit more. Like why didn't he accept. etc. It seemed like such a weird thing to just say and have no one ask a follow up on, but I guess it's not that weid if the story is already in a book lol.
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It is a known thing that Pocklington actively shopped Gretzky, and the Canucks were among the teams he talked to. The reported ask was Kirk McLean, Greg (D.) Adams, three first-round picks and $25 million cash, which the Canucks balked at. (The deal the Kings eventually agreed to was Jimmy Carson, Marty Gelinas, three first-round picks and $15 million.) The players were secondary; Pocklington wanted/needed the money.