On Aug. 9, 1988, the biggest trade in hockey, if not sports, history went down. The Edmonton Oilers traded Wayne Gretzky — the greatest NHLer of all time at the prime of his career — to the Los Angeles Kings. The all-time NHL leader in goals and assists moving to L.A. was monumental for the entire state of California, resulting in two more NHL teams — the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks — joining the league over the next six seasons.
The impacts of that trade are still felt today, as hockey continues to popularize in the Golden State.