re: Was the Gretzky trade from Edmonton to LA the biggest sports trade ever?

How did the Gretzky trade change the league? The Oilers won the Stanley Cup without Gretzky. Their dynasty ended because Messier, Kurri, and Anderson all turned 30 at the same time.

Sure, 5 years after the deal, the Kings finally made the Stanley Cup finals, in which they lost to the Habs. A warm weather team wouldn't win the cup until 1999 (and you could argue the Iginla for Nieuwendyk trade was more important, though it didn't make the headlines)

It's a trade that didn't impact any titles, really. It didn't change the style of play, and it didn't ressurrect a franchise (yes, the Kings were briefly popular before going back to irrelevance for another decade or so).

I'd say the Lindros deal was FAR more important to hockey, as it lead to one dynasty (the Avalanche), essentially ended hockey in one city (Quebec), and involved several Hall of Famers (Lindros, Forsberg) and All-Stars (Hextall, Ricci, Ducschene). It also changed the salary structure of the league and lead indirectly to the labor troubles due to the power of agents.

The Gretzky deal was all sizzle, no steak.