Gretzky came to a loaded Blues team with forwards such as Brett Hull, Dale Hawerchuk and Shayne Corson, as well as defensemen Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger and goaltender Grant Fuhr.
"The Kings asked me if I'd like to play in St. Louis, and I told them I'd love to play in St. Louis," Gretzky said at a press conference following the trade. "They wanted me, they're excited to get me. I'm thrilled to be there."
"I weighed all my options and just said it makes perfect sense for me to become a St. Louis Blue," Gretzky told Dan O'Neill of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch soon after the deal. "My wife's from St. Louis. We can live in St. Louis and raise our family there. That's our home and … there were no alternatives, really. Ultimately, they pulled the trigger and I became a St. Louis Blue."
Gretzky would play just 18 regular-season games for the Blues, posting 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists), but did lead the Blues to seven postseason victories. The club eventually lost in the Western Conference Semifinals to the Detroit Red Wings in double-overtime of Game 7.
Gretzky led the Blues in scoring in the postseason, scoring two goals and 14 assists.
Gretzky also served as the Blues captain in his short tenure, becoming the 16th captain in franchise history. Gretzky decided to sign with the New York Rangers as a free agent in the offseason, playing his final three seasons in New York before retiring in 1999.
While Gretzky's time with the Blues was short, his memories and impact on hockey in St. Louis were not.
"You know, I'll go into a grocery store or something in St. Louis and people are wearing Blues jerseys or Blues hats and they'll ask me how I'm doing," Gretzky added. "It's a sports city, it really is. People there are the salt of the earth, that's what makes it such a special place."
Gretzky continues to be the NHL's all-time leader in goals (894), assists (1963), points (2857) and hat tricks (50). He also still holds 60 NHL records, including more MVP awards (9) than any other player.
The NHL retired Gretzky's number 99 league-wide in 2000 at the NHL All-Star Game.
