Gretzky Big Draw, but Kings Lose

They packed the Memorial Arena Saturday night to see Wayne Gretzky, but that doesn’t mean everyone came to pay their respects.

One woman in the crowd of 5,448, sitting behind the goal, came with a hand-made sign that read: “The King is a Fink.”

That may have been a little harsh because Gretzky--playing in a Kings’ uniform for the first time--had two assists, setting up goals by linemates Bobby Carpenter and Bernie Nicholls.

But with owner Bruce McNall in attendance, the Kings were scored upon four times while Gretzky was on the ice in a 7-4 exhibition loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

After falling behind early, the Kings closed within 5-4, when Nicholls tipped in a blast of a Gretzky shot at 15:57 of the third period, but they couldn’t score again.

Bob Janecyk gave up 4 goals on 18 shots, and Glenn Healy yielded 3 on 16 for the Kings. Rookie Mark Fitzpatrick, suffering from a bruised knee, did not play.

The Kings, playing without Gretzky, had tied Vancouver, 3-3, Friday night at Duncan, B.C.