Gretzky Is Back to Old Tricks : Hockey: He scores at Forum for first time since last March, and Kings beat Flames, 6-2.

For Wayne Gretzky, it never used to be a big deal when he scored a goal.

Gretzky shoots, Gretzky scores.

This was almost a standing phrase in any hockey fan’s vocabulary.

But King fans hadn’t seen him score a goal lately, that is, unless they went on a trip. But they heard rumors he was scoring again.

On Tuesday night, there was an actual sighting--twice, in fact--of Gretzky scoring in the Kings’ 6-2 victory over the Calgary Flames. He hadn’t scored at the Forum since March 21, 1992.

On the other hand, no one is surprised when King left wing Luc Robitaille scores, as he is among the NHL leaders. Robitaille had three goals against the Flames, which gives him 43 this season. It was the 10th hat trick of his career and second of the season.

The combined five-goal effort of Gretzky and Robitaille, along with the 33-save performance of goaltender Rick Knickle, gave the sellout crowd of 16,005 at the Forum the chance to enjoy a rare home victory. The Kings (28-29-7) had won only two of their last 16 games at home before Tuesday, going 2-11-3 since Dec. 12.

It was Knickle’s first start at the Forum. Knickle, who turned 33 on Friday, was signed by the Kings late last month and could earn the No. 1 spot if he continues his consistent play. He will also start Thursday against Ottawa.

“He’s played four games, and he’s been everything we thought he would be,” King Coach Barry Melrose said. “It’s a great story. I hope there’s a happy ending.”

Knickle, whose wife, Tracy, saw him play in the NHL for the first time, said he knew where she was sitting and acknowledged sneaking several glances at her.

“It’s competitive here,” he said. “With Kelly (Hrudey), and Robb (Stauber), I hope I can make them play better. They make me play better. It’s dog eat dog. You can’t expect anyone to hand anything to you. . . . When I was younger, I wasn’t used to playing second fiddle. Now, I could. I could accept playing 20 games. I feel I can play with anybody.”

Knickle’s play helped push the Kings into third place in the Smythe Division, putting them one point ahead of the Winnipeg Jets.

Gretzky got the Kings going when he ended his drought at the Forum at 12:08 of the first period with his fifth goal of the season. Defenseman Tim Watters started the play with a shot from the left point. Gretzky, at the right crease, shoved the rebound into Flame defenseman Gary Suter. Suter couldn’t clear the rebound and Gretzky pushed it under Suter’s arm into the net past goaltender Jeff Reese. Reese hadn’t lost to the Kings in five starts.

“Everybody wants to score goals, but it’s just nice to win,” Gretzky said. “I knew I hadn’t scored at home all year, so it was nice to put one in.”

Robitaille followed with a power-play goal at 13:26 from the right crease to make it 2-0, converting a pass from Tony Granato, who was low in the middle of the slot. A half-minute later, Calgary’s Brent Ashton cut the Kings’ lead to 2-1.

The game turned in the second period with goals by Granato, Robitaille and Gretzky. Gretzky’s goal, shorthanded at 7:01, made it 5-1 and essentially decided the outcome. Gretzky stole a pass from Robert Reichel at the Kings’ blue line. Gretzky carried the puck into Calgary’s zone with the Flames in pursuit.

On the breakaway, Gretzky shifted the puck a couple of times, went to his backhand and beat Reese between his leg and the right post.

With NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in attendance, the game deteriorated by the final two periods. One of the Flames, defenseman Frank Musil, was given a game misconduct in the second period when he shoved Robitaille into the goal post and knocked over Granato.

With 38 seconds to play, the Kings’ Marty McSorley was given a five-minute major for cross-checking Theoren Fleury and a game misconduct, which earned him a three-game suspension. And the game ended with enforcer Craig Berube exchanging words with Gretzky.

Hockey Notes

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman tried to deflect criticism of Anaheim’s official team name, which is something he will get plenty of practice at. “A lot has been written about the old-timers and how they weren’t progressive,” Bettman said during a news conference at the Forum before the game. “Then somebody comes in with new ideas and a lot has been written about that. The Mighty Ducks’ name has gotten a lot of attention to the extent it’s getting young fans interested. It’s for the good of the game. They didn’t pick anything obscene or trivial. It’s the University of Oregon, the Ducks. It’s not an unusual name.” Maybe he thinks everyone will drop Mighty . . . . There are several proposals on the table for realignment. Most of the teams want a two-conference, four-division format. The Kings would prefer to continue with the unbalanced schedule but more balanced that it is now. For instance, they will play the Vancouver Canucks nine times this season.