Gretzky Doesn’t Talk Like a Quitter : Hockey: He says he was ‘in shock’ after finals. His primary concern is his level of play.

Wayne Gretzky is starting to miss hockey again, which didn’t seem possible two weeks ago in Montreal when he hinted at retiring after the Kings lost in the Stanley Cup finals.

It now seems more likely Gretzky will return next season after he surfaced Sunday at his youth hockey camp here about 20 miles from Quebec City.

“I was in shock for about five or six days afterward,” Gretzky said. “You get so close to winning--we battled so hard. Physically, you are so beat up and mentally tired. You do everything you can to win. You’d die to win.

“It takes a long time. I’m just starting to finally get over it. My wife says now that I’ve got the hockey blues. I’m just starting to come down to reality.”

The reality of having to deal with his immediate future was eased after Gretzky had a 3 1/2-hour meeting with King owner Bruce McNall last Monday. There are a lot of factors, a prominent one being his ability to meet his own standards.

“That’s the biggest concern I have for next year,” he said. “I don’t want to embarrass myself. I never want to be where people are saying, ‘What happened?’ Or, ‘What’s wrong with Wayne Gretzky?’ I went through it for two months and I don’t want to go through it from October to April.”

Gretzky was asked whether he thinks athletes hang on too long.

“I do,” he said. “But it’s different if you’re making $200,000 or $300,000 and are hanging on. People don’t expect as much. When you’re making between three and five million dollars, people expect you to dominate.”

His first meeting with McNall was productive. There have been breakdowns in communication in the Kings’ organization, starting with the Paul Coffey deal in late January. McNall said it was his fault and he should have at least told Gretzky that his best friend was being traded to the Red Wings.

One thing they did not speak about was a new contract. A recent report in Quebec said Gretzky was asking for a two-year, $20-million deal. “Twenty million, that’s pretty good, though,” he said, laughing.

It’s encouraging that McNall and he are talking about the Kings’ future. Gretzky might have let a hint slip when asked about the loss of center Corey Millen and the lack of depth at that position.

“There’s still me and, who, Jimmy (Carson)?” he said. “There’s still two of us.”