NBA legend helped recruit Wayne Gretzky to TNT

With TNT and ESPN taking over the American broadcasts for the NHL starting next season, they wanted to bring in plenty of fire power for analyst roles. TNT had their sights set on bringing in the NHL's best player of all-time, Wayne Gretzky, but they needed help to recruit him. NBA legend and current in-studio analyst for NBA on TNT, Charles Barkley, stepped up and did what he could to bring The Great One to TNT.

"Charles Barkley is a good friend, and he called me every single day and said, 'This will be fun for you'," Gretzky told Sportsnet 590 in Toronto on Friday, "and ultimately I decided, OK, this is something I've got to try and I'm really looking forward to it. It's going to be exciting."

"There's only one Charles Barkley, right?" Gretzky said. "You have to be yourself, and when I met with TNT and talked to them about being involved in hockey...it doesn't matter where I go, people ask me questions and ask me about my opinion about the game or about players and about the sport, and I'm the most positive person in the world.

He went on to add, "I love everything about our game, and I told everyone at Turner and Charles, 'Look, I'm not a controversial guy. I'm not going to be that guy that's going to be so negative on players. I'm the exact opposite, so if you're looking for that guy, I'm not the right guy.'

The NHL will begin it's historic broadcasting agreement with Turner Sports (TNT & TBS) beginning next season as mentioned and will run until the end of the 2027-28 season. The Stanley Cup Final will be shown on TNT in 2023, 2025, and 2027, while it will be shown on ESPN in 2022, 2024, 2026, and 2028. Turner Sports also secured the rights to broadcast the Winter Classic on New Year's Day in each of the seven years of their agreement with the NHL.

Adding Wayne Gretzky to their lineup as an in-studio analyst is a huge deal for the TNT and the NHL. Hearing his insight during the pre-game show, intermissions, and post-game will be fantastic for fans across the United States.

Source: NHL.com

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