Following its seven year TV and media rights deal with the NHL, ESPN is reportedly in talks with Wayne Gretzky to join their team in a broadcasting role. ESPN, whose new deal with the league is set to come into effect next season, pitched The Great One in recent weeks on picking up a microphone and thus far hasn’t been told no by Wayne.
The move falls in line with the network’s highly publicized attempts to lure prominent former athletes (such as Alex Rodriguez and Peyton Manning) into commentator roles for their prime time slots. While Gretzky coming on board is far from a done deal, it would be intriguing to see what insights #99 could bring to a broadcast.
Gretzky has prided himself on his squeaky clean image, often going out of his way to remain bland in interviews, and avoiding unnecessary controversy with bold takes. He currently serves as an alternate governor with the Edmonton Oilers, owns a burgeoning wine and alcohol business, and has a reported net worth of $250M, so money isn’t a huge factor in heading to the booth. Nevertheless, ESPN is likely to open the vault to bring Gretzky aboard as even 20 years after his retirement he remains one of the most recognizable names in all of sports.
For a league that’s been lagging behind in nearly every metric when compared to the other “Big 3” in north America (NBA, NFL, MLB), getting a recognizable figure to usher in a new era of media coverage certainly can’t hurt. If the partnership does come to fruition, ESPN has to hope that Wayne’s broadcasting career goes better than his brief coaching career with the Coyotes where his teams failed to ever qualify for the playoffs under his watch. For now, talks remain ongoing.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner