Nicholls Has Kings in Mind

For the NHL, it was a weekend without Bernie.

And it could be a lot longer.

Former King center Bernie Nicholls, traded by the New York Rangers to the Edmonton Oilers Friday, has refused to report.

And now he says he would like to return to the Kings.

“Maybe I could be traded back to L.A.,” he said from his New York home. “They need a second-line center, don’t they?”

Told of Nicholls’ desire, King owner Bruce McNall said: “That’s the business of the Oilers. I doubt we would be at the top of their list of teams to contact.”

General Manager Rogie Vachon had no comment.

When the Kings traded Nicholls, Todd Elik became their second-line center. But when he produced only 21 goals and 58 points last season, he was traded to the Minnesota North Stars.

The Kings say they are confident that Bob Kudelski can do the job this season.

Nicholls, 30, excelled over his 8 1/2-year career with the Kings, peaking in 1988-89. That season, Wayne Gretzky’s first as a King, Nicholls scored 70 goals and 150 points.

But with the team going nowhere a year later, the Kings made a trade that was controversial at the time, sending Nicholls to the New York Rangers for Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato early in 1990.

Ranger General Manager Neil Smith, in his first year on the job, staked his credibility on that deal, making it at the All-Star game.

The inference was obvious: Nicholls was going to lead the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup in half a century.

But bothered by injuries last season, his first full one with the Rangers, Nicholls scored only 25 goals and 73 points.

And when the Rangers were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round, Nicholls was forced to watch the final game from the seats because of a stress fracture in his left foot.

So when the chance to get former Hart Trophy winner Mark Messier came up, Smith moved, trading Nicholls along with 20-year-old forwards Steve Rice and Louie DeBrusk.

Messier was in his new uniform 24 hours later, helping the Rangers to a victory.

But Nicholls hasn’t budged from his New York home.

“As of now, I’ve got no choice,” he said. “My wife (Heather) is pregnant. We’re expecting twins and she’s already having contractions.

“Both sides knew this, but they went ahead with the trade anyway. How could you go ahead and trade someone like this? Management showed its true colors. They showed this is just a business.”

Said McNall: “You have to play by the rules of hockey. And trades are part of the game. Unfortunately, people sometimes have to suffer. What about bankers being transferred to another city or factory workers being laid off? It’s unfortunate, but that’s life. And in hockey, this is the negative part.”

There was some sympathy for Nicholls in Edmonton when word of his wife’s condition was relayed. But that sympathy dissipated when Nicholls told Edmonton reporters on Saturday that, even after his wife’s delivery, he didn’t want to report to a team undergoing a rebuilding program.

“I think it’s brutal,” Oiler defenseman and captain Kevin Lowe told the Edmonton Journal. “It’s giving this organization another blemish. It’s undeserving.”

But Nicholls hasn’t backed off.

“(Oiler General Manager) Glen Sather himself came out and said they were rebuilding the team,” Nicholls said. “I don’t want to be part of a rebuilding team. I was in L.A. with a team that had a chance to win the Stanley Cup. We were so close. It was the same situation in New York.”

Nicholls said he is satisfied with his contribution to the Rangers.

“I think I responded real well, especially in the playoffs, where it counted,” he said.

“I understand. It’s not every day you get a chance to get a Mark Messier,” Nicholls said. “I’m a fan of his. I just wish I could play with him instead of getting traded for him. It’s frustrating.”

Nicholls has turned the situation over to agent Mike Barnett, Gretzky’s agent as well. But Nicholls knows what he wants.

“I’d like to stay in the U.S.,” he said. “It’s a better place to play than Canada. But at this point in my career, it’s not about playing the game as much as it is about winning the Stanley Cup.

“I just wish for once I would have a say about where I’m going to play instead of being told where to play.”

And if he had that say?

“I have no choice,” Nicholls replied. “But if I had my choice, L.A. is my favorite city.”