VANCOUVER, British Columbia --Multimedia from the Wayne Gretzky trade
Great One creates excitement even in practice
Wayne Gretzky said Wednesday that his first choice all along was to play for the St. Louis Blues, who are hoping he has enough to lead them to their first Stanley Cup championship.
| Gretzky |
Gretzky and Blues coach and general manager Mike Keenan appeared together Wednesday at a teleconference in Vancouver, British Columbia, one day before The Great One takes the ice in his trademark No. 99 jersey for the Blues against the Canucks.
"My priority was to play for Mike and the St. Louis Blues," said Gretzky, who was rumored to be headed to a number of teams before being dealt by the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. "There was some other opportunities but we came back to Mike and the St. Louis Blues."
Gretzky, who wants more than anything to go out a winner, is in the ultimate win-now situation under Keenan, who was brought in to deliver a Stanley Cup to St. Louis.
Despite numerous trades by Keenan, the Blues are just two games over .500 and in fourth place in the Western Conference. But the acquisition of Gretzky has both men thinking about winning the Stanley Cup.
"Looking at this organization and Mike's leadership, they're as competitive as any team," Gretzky said. "I feel like a young kid, nervous and excited."
"This is the biggest piece," said Keenan, who added that the team will still be looking to improve between now and the March 20 trading deadline.
Keenan dismissed the notion that Gretzky is under pressure to produce a Stanley Cup championship, which he did four times for the Edmonton Oilers but was unable to do for the Kings.
"Those pressures are really what drives the best athletes in this game," Keenan said. "They aspire to have those pressures put upon them. We don't think in negative terms. We only think about the possibility of winning the Stanley Cup."
That possibility begins Thursday, when the Blues resume the regular season against Vancouver in 10:30 p.m. ET game to be broadcast on ESPN2. Gretzky has recorded numerous milestones in his career against the Canucks, including his first NHL goal and the all-time record 802nd goal.
"I look forward to playing for Mike," Gretzky said. "My level of play is fine. I'm looking forward to playing with these players."
On the brink of retiring after the Kings' five-game loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the 1993 Stanley Cup finals, Gretzky rallied to win the scoring title for the Kings the next season. But Los Angeles has not made the playoffs since and Gretzky came under much criticism.
Kings general manager Sam McMaster said last month that the team intended to keep Gretzky and build a contender around him, but Gretzky revealed Wednesday that the team's decision about his future really had already been made.
"Four to five weeks ago, I thought I was going to be moved," he said. "Yesterday was the final day but the reality was the decision was made four to five weeks ago."
Some rumors had Gretzky headed to the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings. Two weeks ago, a reported deal had him going to the New York Rangers for players, draft picks and cash.
But the Blues and Keenan finally made it work, sending center Patrice Tardif, left wing Craig Johnson, center Roman Vopat, a first-round pick in 1997 and a fifth-round pick in this year's draft to the sputtering Kings.
Now that they've dealt for Gretzky, the Blues have to deal with him. Gretzky is not signed for next season and is eligible for unrestricted free agency, but indicated that he intends to stay put.
"Yes, this will be my last stop, hopefully," he said.
Gretzky immediately became captain of the Blues, as left winger Shayne Corson gladly relinquished the title given to him when Keenan stripped it from right winger Brett Hull.
Gretzky's 829 goals, 1,758 assists and 2,587 points in his 16-plus seasons are all NHL records. He also holds playoff records with 110 goals, 236 assists and 346 points. Gretzky owns 61 NHL records, has won nine Hart Trophies as the league's most valuable player and is a 10-time winner of the scoring title. He holds 17 single-season records including goals scored (92 in 1981-82), assists (163 in 1985-86) and points (215 in 1985-86).
A 15-time All-Star, Gretzky has led the NHL in points 10 of 16 seasons, in assists 14 times and in goals on five occasions.
The first time Gretzky was traded rocked the sports world as well. In one of the biggest deals in history, Gretzky was traded to the Kings from the Oilers on Aug. 9, 1988, after Edmonton won its fourth Stanley Cup title in five seasons. The Oilers dealt Gretzky and defenseman Marty McSorley to Los Angeles for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three first-round draft picks and $15 million.
"I think my emotions are very similar to that of eight years ago," Gretzky said. "A lot of me was disappointed in that I had to leave but part of me was excited about where I was going."
