Cereal to superhero: 10 great Gretzky pop culture moments

When Wayne Gretzky landed in Los Angeles, he wasn't like many starry-eyed hopefuls looking for their start in showbiz. Though his stardom grew bigger once he came to play in the United States, he'd already established his celebrity status when the Edmonton Oilers traded him to the Los Angeles Kings on August 9, 1988.

\[RELATED: Gretzky trade to Kings left long-lasting impact on NHL, sport\]
The trade was a blockbuster for hockey reasons, but Gretzky's prominence added another layer to the historic deal. On the 30th anniversary of the trade, here are some of The Great One's best pop culture moments.

The Young and the Restless, 1981

Gretzky disclosed in an interview with Tommy Banks of CBC in January 1981 that he and his Oilers teammates had a daily habit of watching soap operas before heading to the rink. So it made perfect sense that Gretzky wound up making an appearance on "The Young and the Restless" later that year.
And what role did they give a fresh-faced, 20-year-old from Brantford, Ontario? A mobster, of course. But you can call him Wayne. Everybody does.
In this clip from the 1984 NHL Awards, host Alan Thicke introduces Gretzky as the Art Ross Trophy winner using a highlight reel of his appearances, including his cameo on the soap and his spot as a judge on "Dance Fever," where he met his wife Janet.
Watch: Wayne Gretzky's 'Young and the Restless' cameo on YouTube

Andy Warhol portrait, 1983

Vancouver art dealer Frans Wynans wanted to bring his love of art and Canada together, and in 1983, he commissioned famed artist Andy Warhol to do six paintings of Gretzky. Gretzky sat for the portraits in Warhol's New York City studio and they sold for $35,000 each. A limited number of prints were also available for $2,000 a piece.
Warhol was famous for his pop art and colorful portraits of celebrities, especially that of Marilyn Monroe, and he thought Gretzky was a worthy subject for his impact on sports and entertainment.
"He's more than a hockey player,"
Warhol told CBC Radio in 1983.
"He's an entertainer. An entertaining hockey player."
Of the six portraits, which looked fairly similar except for color variations, Gretzky kept the one that had the Oilers' blue and orange.
Following Warhol's death in 1987, the value of all his artwork went up and the Gretzky paintings were worth $100,000. In 2007,
one of the paintings sold at Christie's for $390,000.

Pro Stars cereal, 1984

When Pro Stars cereal, produced by General Mills, hit the shelves in 1984, Gretzky's picture was splashed on the box. He was also featured in a series of TV commercials touting the importance of a healthy breakfast with this lightly sweetened star-shaped oat cereal. You can find some old boxes online if your dreams of being the next Gretzky are still alive.
Watch: 1984 Pro Stars Cereal commerical with Wayne Gretzky on YouTube
Watch: 1989 Pro Stars Cereal commercial with Wayne Gretzky on YouTube

Keeping the Cup, 1984

NHL players hauling the Stanley Cup all over their hometowns for personal celebrations have Gretzky to thank for the honored custom. In a 2016 episode of "

, Gretzky revealed that after his first championship, he was left in the empty locker room with only the Cup. Then-Oilers general manager Glen Sather told him he could leave with it.
"We took it everywhere," he said. "We took it to barbecues, we took it to friends' houses, we took it to restaurants, we took it to hospitals."
Gretzky had unknowingly launched one of the most special traditions associated with the greatest trophy in sports.

The Tonight Show, 1988

"The Tonight Show" was the entrenched institution of television. Jay Leno, filling in for Johnny Carson, interviewed Gretzky in his first talk show appearance since the mega-trade that sent him to the Kings from the Oilers, and the guest spot served as an introduction of sorts to a broader American audience.
Watch: Wayne Gretzky on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' in 1988 on YouTube

Saturday Night Live, 1989

Gretzky had arrived in Los Angeles less than a year prior to hosting "Saturday Night Live." Two years before Michael Jordan would take the "SNL" stage, Gretzky presided over one of the show's most memorable episodes.
Years later he confessed he'd originally declined
but his wife Janet had accepted the gig on his behalf.
It was the right call, because from getting checked by Wayne Campbell in a "Wayne's World" sketch to being forced into explaining to some Hollywood celebrities why their half-baked hockey strategies wouldn't work in an actual game, Gretzky's performance set a high bar for athlete hosts.
Watch: Wayne Gretzky on 'Saturday Night Live' in 1989 on YouTube

The Arsenio Hall Show, 1989

A year after being traded to Los Angeles, Gretzky became an official member of "The Dog Pound" when he was the first hockey player to be a guest on "The Arsenio Hall Show."
At the time, Gretzky was 13 points away from being the NHL's all-time leading scorer, a record he obliterated and stands to this day. The late-night talk show was the pinnacle of cool, with Hall's fashion sense and biting humor being unlike anything seen on television before.
Hall did two thoughtful segments with Gretzky where they covered a multitude of topics, including Gretzky's childhood, his relationship with his wife Janet and whether all of his teeth are real.
Watch: Wayne Gretzky on 'The Arsenio Hall Show' in 1989 on YouTube

Pro Stars cartoon, 1991

What would happen if a few of the world's most popular athletes were also James Bond? In 1991 the question was answered with "Pro Stars," a morning cartoon that starred Gretzky, Jordan, and baseball and football phenom Bo Jackson representing the four major American sports. Townsend Coleman voiced Gretzky's character, who carried a wristband that became a hockey stick and boomerang puck while rocking some impressively animated hockey hair. The show is remembered fondly today despite lasting just one season.
Watch: Wayne Gretzky on 'Pro Stars' cartoon on YouTube

Gretzky's Kings jersey worn in 'Swingers', 1996

"Swingers," set in ultra-cool 1990s Los Angeles, was an indie movie classic written by Jon Favreau and starred Vince Vaughn and Ron Livingston. Patrick Van Horn's character, Sue, donned a white No. 99 jersey while he battled Vaughn's character, Double Down Trent, in a game of NHLPA '93 Hockey on Sega Genesis.

, Sue, whose character is an L.A. native, sings Gretzky's praise while Vaughn vehemently and vulgarly disagrees.

30 for 30: Kings Ransom, 2009

The award-winning ESPN documentary series began in 2009 with director Peter Berg's take on the blockbuster trade that sent Gretzky to the Kings. The trade had been documented before, but the fact that it was the very first episode of what has become a wildly popular series shows the pop culture impact of the trade is still felt today.
Watch: '30 for 30: Kings Ransom' on YouTube