Keith Gretzky Is Used to Being Compared With Brother

His teammates have dubbed him, “The Good One,” and Keith Gretzky thinks it’s pretty funny.

The 20-year-old rookie center with the Rochester Americans smiles when his new nickname is mentioned, shrugs his slender shoulders and talks about anything but his famous brother.

It’s not the first time he’s been reminded that he’s the younger brother of hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky, whose known around the world as “The Great One,” and it won’t be the last time.

What’s it like to be compared with a 26-year-old brother who holds 44 National Hockey League records and has been selected the league’s most valuable player for eight consecutive years?

“You get used to it,” said Keith Gretzky. “But no one really talks about it because there’s really nothing to say. I just try to be myself and that’s about it.”

There’s not much to compare between the two brothers, the younger Gretzky said.

When Wayne swept into the professional ranks nine years ago at age 17 without playing in the minor leagues and turned the hockey world on its ear with his ingenious passing ability and overall superb play.

Keith’s appearance on the professional hockey scene hasn’t created much of a sensation in the American Hockey League or even on the Rochester Americans, the farm team of the Buffalo Sabres.167772161 In fact, Gretzky is finding it difficult to break into the Amerks’ lineup, which is filled with talented and more experienced centers with less familiar names such as Hogue, Brydges and Priestlay.

He’s been spending a growing amount of time scoring and setting up goals in practice by day, and sitting in the stands and watching his teammates at night.

He’s played in five of the team’s 10 games and has two assists, but he got into those games mostly because of injuries to other starting centers.

“I know my chances will come,” Gretzky said. “I’m just trying to work hard and be ready to make the most of them, whether it be one line shift or 10 line shifts.”

Coach John Van Boxmeer calls Gretzky, from Brantford, Ontario, a typical rookie hockey player who just happens to be related to a great hockey player.

“It’s something he’s had to deal with his whole life and probably will have to continue to deal with, but to me he’s just another hockey player who I look at in terms of how he can help my club,” Van Boxmeer said.

The two things that are keeping the younger Gretzky on the bench so far are his size--at 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, Gretzky is one of the smallest players on the roster including goalies -- and his lack of speed.

He makes up for those drawbacks by being a “very, very smart” hockey player, who can see plays developing both on offense and defense and who, like his brother, can make precision passes.

“Everybody has to wait for their turn and that’s the way life is,” Van Boxmeer said.

If more injuries occur or if some Amerks get called up to the Sabres, Getzky will get his chance, Van Boxmeer said. Until then, he has to be patient.

Getzky said he’s trying not to think about the future that could have him facing off against his brother, as he did last year in an exhibition game at Lake Placid--Wayne won the faceoff--and he’s trying not to think about getting demoted to Flint of the International Hockey League.

“I’ve got enough things to think about just trying to stay here,” he said.