Puck Daddy: Gretzky Can Reclaim Legacy Post-Resignation

Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski sees Gretzky’s departure more as a new beginning, not so much as the end of an era:

It’s often said that great players make lousy head coaches in sports, and Gretzky’s Exhibit A. This was a frustrating coda for a stellar career, like Jordan in a Wizards’ jersey. Today marks the day in which the Coyotes have a new chance to compete under new leadership, and the day The Great One starts bringing the focus back to his unparalleled successes in a hockey sweater on the ice rather than his failures in a suit behind the bench.

But can anyone honestly blame Gretzky for staying on as coach for so long? When you’re still getting paid $8 million a year to coach one of the worst teams in hockey after three years of nothing but failure, it’s only natural that you’re tempted to test your luck by staying. Or even to just start not showing up at all.