Wayne Gretzky reveals he nearly coached Patrick Kane because of wild mistake

The Arizona Coyotes are no more, as the NHL moved the franchise to Utah before this season. That led to many fans asking "what if?" about an arena, big free agents, and various questionable decisions. Former Phoenix Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky revealed the greatest "what if" in franchise history involving Patrick Kane and the 2007 draft. Here's the clip from the TNT pregame show on Wednesday.

"Not a lot of people know this, but in '07 when [Kane] got drafted, they had the lottery and they did it by telephone. And the guy actually said on the telephone, 'The first pick goes to the Phoenix Coyotes.' And he goes, 'Oh, I got it wrong. it's the Chicago Blackhawks.'"

It is not hyperbole to say the entire landscape of the National Hockey League is different today if it was not a mistake. Kane went to the Blackhawks, won three Stanley Cups, an MVP, and cemented himself as a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. Gretzky lasted two more seasons as the Coyotes coach before he was fired. Now, the Coyotes do not exist. The Great One seems to have forgiven the man who made the mistake.

"And Patrick Kane became a generational player obviously. But it was one of those things, it was just an honest mistake. The Guy misread the ball, thought it said Coyote but it was a Blackhawk." I guess when you have 894 goals, you can let something like that slide off your back.

Would Wayne Gretzky have been a great coach with Patrick Kane?

Part of the reason that the NHL changes forever if the Coyotes get Patrick Kane is the reputation of Wayne Gretzky. The greatest hockey player of all time was not a great NHL coach. That is not rare in sports, as great players struggle to coach up young prospects, but Kane was different. Coming off a ridiculous 145-point season in the OHL, he was the prospect of a generation.

One player cannot change an entire franchise forever. Even Kane had Jonathon Toews, Duncan Keith, and Patrick Sharp to help usher in a dynasty in Chicago. Gretzky himself had multiple Hall-of-Fame teammates for his four Cups in Edmonton in the '80s. There were problems in Phoenix/Arizona that would not have been solved by five years of Patrick Kane. But maybe they get more fans and can build a sustainable contender.