Gretzky Returns to Ice, but the Pain Remains : Kings: He gets an assist in 4-3 victory over the Red Wings but says he can’t erase thoughts of his stricken father.

For 12 days, Wayne Gretzky maintained a vigil at the hospital bedside of his father, Walter, in Hamilton, Canada.

Seeing his father unconscious after brain surgery for an aneurysm on Oct. 16 was painful for Gretzky. He recalled when his father taught him to play hockey.

“We had a lot of good times together and it’s tough to see him lying there like that,” Gretzky said of his father, who is now in stable but serious condition.

Absent for five games since leaving the Kings to be with his father, Gretzky returned for Monday night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings and assisted on a goal by Jari Kurri as the Kings won, 4-3, before a sellout crowd of 19,875 at the Joe Louis Arena.

Was playing good therapy for Gretzky?

“That’s tough to answer,” Gretzky said. “Right now, we’re just in a holding pattern. I could be there thinking about it, or I could be here thinking about it. It’s not a good situation. It’s something I wish I didn’t have to be going through right now. It’s going to be a long haul, and I’m just trying to do the best I can.

“To say that it’s not on my mind is crazy,” Gretzky said, his voice choking with emotion. “He’s my father, and it’s not going to get out of my mind. It’s as simple as that.

“I think I’ve always had things in pretty good perspective. I’ve never lied about it. My family has always been No. 1. And anybody who says that their sport is No. 1 and their family is No. 2 is crazy. Hockey is a game and I love to win and I love to play, but my family has always been No. 1.”

The Kings, who were 3-2 during Gretzky’s absence, welcomed him back.

“Just having Wayne around is a huge lift,” said left wing Tony Granato, who scored two goals, including the winner with 1:17 to play. “It takes a lot of pressure off the guys. We can just go out and play and we don’t have to try and do too much to try and fill his shoes, because there’s no way we can.”

Defenseman Marty McSorley said Gretzky put his troubles behind him once he hit the ice.

“Knowing Wayne Gretzky, he just puts everything into perspective, and he went out and immersed himself in the hockey game and went out and played his butt off,” McSorley said.

“Before the game, a couple of us talked about trying to keep an eye on him because he’s not that big and he might get hurt if he wasn’t immersed in the game for a moment. But that wasn’t the case at all tonight.

“You wonder if he’s going to be able to play with the same consistency he’s played with, but he went out and was phenomenal. Some guys would have just put the skates on and played, but that wasn’t the case with Wayne.”

Although he didn’t get much sleep while maintaining a bedside vigil, and is still bothered by a back injury, Gretzky appeared to be skating better than he did when he left the team.

“He hasn’t skated for almost two weeks,” Kurri said. “That’s a tough situation, but I thought he came out and played well tonight.”

Gretzky, who had five shots, including three in the third period, had a good chance to score his first goal of the season, but Red Wing goalie Tim Cheveldae made a glove save on Gretzky’s 40-foot shot with 8:42 remaining while the Kings were on a power play. Cheveldae also made a nice glove save of another 40-foot slap shot by Gretzky in the first period.

While Gretzky got most of the attention, Granato and goalie Daniel Berthiaume were responsible for the Kings’ second consecutive victory.

Berthiaume made 28 saves, including a spectacular stop of center Steve Yzerman’s shot in the slot in the final minute to preserve the victory.

Trailing, 1-0, after left wing Paul Ysebaert scored his fifth goal of the season at 7:04 of the first period, the Kings scored two second-period goals to take a 2-1 lead into the final period.

Defenseman Larry Robinson scored his first goal of the season on a rebound at 3:45 and Granato gave the Kings the lead when he scored off of a pass from McSorley at 13:19.

After Detroit tied the score when center Sergei Fedorov tipped the puck between Berthiaume’s legs at 1:26 of the third period, Gretzky gave the Kings the lead when he fed Kurri, who scored his sixth goal of the season at 3:03.

Detroit right wing Kevin Miller made the score 3-3 at 8:30 of the third period. McSorley checked Bob Probert off the puck, but Yzerman pushed it ahead to Miller.

Granato then scored his second consecutive winning goal.

Kings Notes

The Kings traded defenseman Rod Buskas to the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman Chris Norton. Buskas, who had sat out five games this season, didn’t have a point. Norton, 26, is expected to be assigned to the Kings’ minor league affiliate in Phoenix. . . . King defenseman Tim Watters left the game after suffering a sprained left ankle during the second period. Although X-rays were negative, he will be re-evaluated today and might return to Los Angeles to be examined by team doctors. . . . Defenseman Charlie Huddy, sidelined for seven games because of a groin injury, might be able to return Wednesday when the Kings play at Hartford. Defenseman Brian Benning, who had missed the last two games because of a groin injury, returned Monday night.