Charles Barkley jokingly crashes Wayne Gretzky's Cup Final Q&A

— -- NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- While facing the media following the announcement from the National Hockey League that his 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers had been voted the greatest team in league history, Wayne Gretzky suddenly fielded a question from an unexpected source.

After sneaking onto the platform as Gretzky and former teammate Paul Coffey faced the media,? Charles Barkley?couldn't help but chime in.

"Wayne, I just always wondered, who is your favorite black athlete of all time?" the basketball Hall of Famer and broadcaster asked.

Without skipping a beat, Gretzky had his answer.

"Grant Fuhr," he responded, referring to his former Oilers teammate.

The response earned a hearty laugh from Barkley, who then was introduced by Gretzky as the "biggest hockey fan in North America."

"Literally," Barkley joked. "But I'm going on a diet."

The news conference before Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators proved to be a fun moment for the NBA great, who was invited to the game at Bridgestone Arena by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. With the NBA postseason being a lopsided affair so far, Barkley has touted the excitement of the Stanley Cup playoffs for weeks.

"The playoffs in hockey have been amazing. I'm not breaking earth-shattering news, our NBA playoffs have not been very good," Barkley said. "There is nothing more nerve-wracking than Stanley Cup overtime hockey. It's the craziest thing you're ever going to see. I just love the sport."

Barkley didn't get overtime on Monday night, but he did get to see the Predators win 4-1 at home in front of their raucous fans to even the series against Pittsburgh at 2-2.

Barkley developed an interest in hockey while growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, which at the time was the home of the World Hockey Association's Birmingham Bulls. When he began his NBA career with the? Philadelphia 76ers, Barkley was further drawn into the sport by the local NHL team, befriending former Philadelphia Flyers great and current general manager Ron Hextall. It was former Flyer Jeremy Roenick, also Barkley's neighbor in Arizona, who convinced him to come to Nashville to watch the Stanley Cup Final.

"He said, 'You've got to come to Nashville for a game, it's the craziest thing I've ever seen,'" Barkley said. "I said, 'Hey, I've got nothing to do.' I'm really looking forward to tonight. They say it's crazy."

Barkley also said that ESPN's Mike Wilbon had taken him to the Stanley Cup Final with the? Chicago Blackhawks?the past few years.?

With much of the talk revolving around the NHL's unveiling of the 10 best teams in its history, Barkley offered his take on what makes championship teams in all sports so special. Sitting beside Coffey and Gretzky, who won the Stanley Cup four times together in Edmonton, his comments proved insightful, particularly with Pittsburgh two victories shy of winning consecutive Stanley Cups.

"The one thing you guys don't understand, winning is hard. We all want to win," he said. "But when you talk about great teams, teams that win multiple championships, I always put them on a pedestal. Because these teams that win one time and then never win again, that's cool. But to win all the time is a big deal."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.