Rumors of courtship between Wayne Gretzky and the Washington Capitals have persisted since late November, with things heating up in late-April when it was reported by Sportsnet's John Shannon that the Ted Leonsis-owned club and 'The Great One' had "mutual interest" in teaming up. 

The Capitals have now gone a month since firing general manager George McPhee, and while they've been connected to the likes of Paul Fenton and Don Sweeney in the interview process, the Capitals haven't named McPhee's replacement yet and don't appear to be close. 

Meanwhile reports have surfaced this week suggesting that Gretzky would be eager to take over as the Capitals' president of hockey operations.

The latest reporting from Katie Carrera of the Washington Post goes even further than that. Citing unnamed sources, Carrera passed along a juicy tidbit on Monday night suggesting that Gretzky wants to have even more skin in the game than he'd have as a standard front office executive:

But sources say Gretzky would want an ownership stake in the organization as well. It’s unknown whether majority owner Ted Leonsis would agree to such an arrangement. Leonsis has 18 ownership partners in Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Capitals, Wizards, Mystics and Verizon Center.

Carrera also suggests that the Capitals have reached out to recently deposed Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Rejean "Ray" Shero in their search for a new top-executive.

While the Gretzky/Capitals rumors are everywhere these days, the greatest player in hockey history has reportedly not talked with the Capitals about the possibility. 

Wayne Gretzy, the greatest hockey player in history and the former part-owner and coach of the Phoenix Coyotes, is reportedly still very interested in becoming the president of the Washington Capitals per a report from CSN's Chuck Gormely. 

The Capitals fired general manager George McPhee in late-April, and there's been little reported movement in terms of their efforts to replace him. Darcey Regier, Mike Gillis and Jay Feaster have been linked to the job, while Bruins assistant general manager Don Sweeney has reportedly interviewed for the position. But there's little in the way of smoke.

Gormley's sources suggest, however, that Gretzky could still be in the running - although negotiations haven't progressed quickly, and there are still some internal roadblocks to clear:

A source close to Gretzky said Monday that the 53-year-old native of Brantford, Ontario very much wants to be president of the Capitals and would consider former Columbus general manager Doug MacLean as his general manager.

However, the source said Gretzky has not had more than a few casual conversations with the Capitals and believes that if they really wanted Gretzky they would have hired him by now.

It is entirely possible that Patrick is not prepared to surrender the duties he has had with the Capitals since 1982.

In mid-May during an episode of Hockey Night in Canada radio, CBC's Glenn Healy suggested that the major hold up on the Gretzky-to-the-Caps front was money. "I think (Gretzky) wants too much money," suggested Healey. "It's all down to money, and I think his asking price - probably it was the same as when Toronto offered him a position, and that asking price was too high, and Shanahan takes the job.

"Until there's reasonable terms, the name will be mentioned, but the position won't be filled," Healy concluded. 

Former NHL player and coach Wayne Gretzky has been tied to the Washington Capitals again, if only by rumor.

TSN's Bob McKenzie told TSN Radio 1050 on Monday afternoon that he sees Washington as a fit for Gretzky. "I was told that Washington, the Rangers, and Toronto were places Gretzky would look at under the right circumstances."

While unleashing that, he also snuck in the fact that Gretzky may have been in consideration for Brendan Shanahan's current job in Toronto as president of hockey operations: "... he was eyeing Shanahan's job."

McKenzie went on to say neither side has declined reports, and until that happens, he's under the impression there may be talks going on.

Wayne Gretzky denied the rumor on Wednesday that he would become the next president of the Capitals after he was seen attending a Washington game on Nov. 22.

The invitation to attend the game was seen as some sort of invitation to run the franchise. If an invitation is a gateway to presidency, there are going to be a lot of appearances to keep up with.