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Wayne Gretzky, Emmitt Smith and 'Sugar' Ray Leonard will speak in Rancho Mirage in 2023

andrew l. john, palm springs desert sun
·4 min read
Wayne Gretzky, speaking during a press conference prior to Game Four of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final in Nashville, Tennessee, is set to join the Rancho Mirage speakers series Jan. 23.
Wayne Gretzky, speaking during a press conference prior to Game Four of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final in Nashville, Tennessee, is set to join the Rancho Mirage speakers series Jan. 23.

The Coachella Valley has hosted a number of iconic professional athletes who have come here to share their stories in recent years, from Joe Montana to Michael Phelps, Simone Biles and Hank Aaron. Early next year, even more star power will be on the way.

The City of Rancho Mirage will launch what is being described as a new era of the popular Rancho Mirage Speaker Series, and it begins with hockey legend Wayne Gretzky on Jan. 23.

The series will continue on Feb. 21 with NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, the league’s all-time leading rusher, and boxing icon “Sugar” Ray Leonard on March 21.

"It's hard to believe it's been 35 years since I was traded from Edmonton to the Los Angeles Kings," Gretzky said. "It was an exciting time in my life. To see hockey grow in Southern California, and to have an AHL team in the desert is exciting."

The series will be held at The Show, the 2,100-seat concert theatre at Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Tuesday and are available for purchase at rmspeakerseries.com.

“For the first time in Speaker Series history, the city is partnering with Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa to host the event at their spectacular venue, The Show," City of Rancho Mirage Mayor Richard Kite, said. "We are also partnering with the Coachella Valley Firebirds to promote Wayne Gretzky’s interview in January. The lineup for this season is nothing less than riveting and we look forward to seeing everyone at these signature events."

The speaker series has typically consisted of an hour-long sit down interview, with the individual being interviewed also taking several questions from the assembled crowd.

Montana, an NFL Hall of Famer who won four Super Bowls as the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, was the most recent to be interviewed as a part of the series. Montana came to the desert for the series in February of 2020, before the series took a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We believe The Show will provide an exceptional venue for the types of conversations and education that will stem from this next series’ unique sports theme,” said Monica Reeves, Senior Director of Entertainment at Agua Caliente Casinos. “We hope to fill the seats with locals, sports fanatics and everyone in between.”

The return of the series will kick off with an appearance by Gretzky, a four-time Stanley Cup champion with the Edmonton Oilers who held 61 NHL records when he retired in 1999. Gretzky is still the NHL’s all-time leading scorer. The event will start at 7 p.m.

Gretzky’s interview will be moderated by Hockey Night in Canada personality Christine Simpson, who has worked rink-side for ABC, ESPN, Versus, and the New Jersey Devils. In 2020, Simpson was part of the first all-female crew to broadcast an NHL game between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Calgary Flames for International Women’s Day.

Emmitt Smith, looking on from the 16th hole during the pro-am prior to the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on February 09, 2022, will join the Rancho Mirage Speaker Series in February.
Emmitt Smith, looking on from the 16th hole during the pro-am prior to the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on February 09, 2022, will join the Rancho Mirage Speaker Series in February.

Moderating both the Smith and Leonard interviews will be Sibley Scoles, the host of Raiders: Talk of the Nation and in-game host for the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. Sibley has previously hosted the NFL Pro Bowl red carpet in Las Vegas, along with the NFL Draft red carpet.

For two decades, Rancho Mirage’s speaker series has featured some of the biggest names in entertainment, politics, and journalism for an evening of lively discussions. The first series featured a storied trio of media titan Arianna Huffington, legendary television writer Carl Reiner and Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Halberstam.

Over the years, other legendary names in entertainment have participated in the series, including Julie Andrews, Richard Dreyfuss, Sigourney Weaver, Ted Danson and Bob Newhart. Journalists Andrea Mitchell, Bob Woodward, Dan Rather, Bob Costas, Lara Logan, John Stossel and Helen Thomas are also among those who’ve joined the series to share stories of their careers.

"Sugar" Ray Leonard, looking on during the Gary O'Sullivan and David Toribio bout on October 10, 2015, is slated to speak in Rancho Mirage in March.
"Sugar" Ray Leonard, looking on during the Gary O'Sullivan and David Toribio bout on October 10, 2015, is slated to speak in Rancho Mirage in March.

Phelps, Biles and Aaron are among those who’ve come to the valley in recent years for other speaking engagements.

In 2020, the speaker series reinvented itself a bit by hosting renown sports figures for the first time. It began with pioneering race car driver Danica Patrick, who was then followed by Montana. Tennis legend Chris Evert was scheduled for March before the pandemic led to her appearance being canceled.

Now, almost three years later, Gretzky, Smith and Leonard will pick up where the series left off.

"I have fond memories of the desert," Smith said, "having played in the Bob Hope Classic golf tournament. So, it will be nice to return to Rancho Mirage a few days after the Super Bowl."

Leonard, who won world titles in five weight classes, will be the latest in a long line of boxing stars who’ve come to the valley over the years, either to train or to fight at one of the casinos.

"The Coachella Valley has a rich boxing history with Timothy Bradley, the Diaz brothers and Lee Espinoza," Leonard said. "(The fans) have a high boxing IQ, so it should be a fun night talking about my career and the state of boxing."

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Wayne Gretzky, Emmitt Smith, 'Sugar' Ray Leonard to speak in valley