Sport Today

>That's a harder sell; besides, Gretzky has not entirely conquered
>California which is a better infiltration point for the game, 'cos
>taking the rest of California (the north) will go a longer way in
>forcing the game down the throats of people on the rest of the West
>Coast and Rockies region, and ultimately the rest of the U.S.

>I don't deny that San Jose would also be a good location for Lindros,
>but Gretzky, in a sense, has already broken hockey in California.

>People say Gretzky is big in California? While I don't have first
>hand knowledge, he probably does pretty well in the L.A. market. But
>excepting those Bo knows pieces (big deal, Sonny Bono is them to)
>I've seen none of his commercials in northern California.

> >That's a harder sell; besides, Gretzky has not entirely conquered
> >California which is a better infiltration point for the game, 'cos
> >taking the rest of California (the north) will go a longer way in
> >forcing the game down the throats of people on the rest of the West
> >Coast and Rockies region, and ultimately the rest of the U.S.

> >I don't deny that San Jose would also be a good location for Lindros,
> >but Gretzky, in a sense, has already broken hockey in California.

> >People say Gretzky is big in California? While I don't have first
> >hand knowledge, he probably does pretty well in the L.A. market. But
> >excepting those Bo knows pieces (big deal, Sonny Bono is them to)
> >I've seen none of his commercials in northern California.

> Mike, who is in the Bay Area, seems to have confirmed my impressions
> of northern California hockey; maybe it will change with the Sharks,
> but they need a star.  While Gretzky has access to 60%+ of California
> by being in the south, a market roughly under the size of Canada, the
> entire mass of California has not been hit and thus no media steam-
> roller to couple with the Northeast and inundate the rest of the U.S.

>gld