40th National Hockey League All-Star Game



The 40th National Hockey League All-Star Game was held in the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta, home to the Edmonton Oilers, on February 7, 1989.

The return of Wayne Gretzky
The previous year saw the then-unthinkable trade of Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings, a move that shocked many Canadians, but allowed the NHL to expand into new American markets. As Gretzky was a no-brainer to be a starter due to the fan-balloting process, the game was highly touted as Gretzky's return to Edmonton (despite the Kings having faced the Oilers in Edmonton earlier in the season). To this extent, even Campbell conference coach Glen Sather reserved Gretzky's old stall in the Oilers' dressing room, and he played on the line with then-current linemate Luc Robitaille and former linemate Jari Kurri. Gretzky was warmly welcomed in Edmonton, and for his part, scored a goal and two assists and earning the ceremonial car as the game's MVP (which he promptly gave to friend and former linemate Dave Semenko).

Boxscore

 * Referee: Ron Hoggarth
 * Linesmen: Ron Asselstine, Wayne Bonney
 * TV: CBC, SRC, SportsChannel America