Gretzky Gets the Best of His Young Brother

The importance of the occasion suddenly emerged seconds before Brent Gretzky started to skate out on the ice for a family reunion Wednesday night.

Wayne Gretzky vs. Brent Gretzky.

“Coming up the ramp, someone mentioned Wayne and my legs went funny,” Brent said. “It really hit me then.”

Wayne, 32, was taking part in another memorable moment in his career, playing against his 21-year-old brother for the first time. Brent, called up by the Lightning from the minor leagues on Monday when center Rob DiMaio suffered a broken leg, was in his second NHL game and taking draws against the sporting legend also known as his older brother.

Wayne won three of their four faceoffs, scored a goal and added two assists as the Kings beat the Lightning, 4-3, at the ThunderDome before 21,536, the second-largest crowd in NHL history.

“I didn’t want to lose the faceoff; I never would have heard the end of it all summer,” said Wayne, laughing.

Since Wayne left home at age 14 when Brent was 3, the brothers hardly have ever seen each other, let alone skated or played in pickup games together. Watching Wayne from the stands or on television is one thing.

From the bench or on the ice is different, of course.

“I’ve asked players on our team that have played against him: ‘Is he really that good?’ ” Brent said.

“I was in awe watching him. The things he does, even though I knew he was going to do it. We were taught the same things. He just does it at a different level.”

Gretzky’s three-point performance helped keep the Kings (5-1-2) unbeaten in their last seven games, and goaltender Robb Stauber performed well in his season debut. The other King goals were scored by Jari Kurri, Shawn McEachern and Tomas Sandstrom

But the meeting between the Gretzky brothers seemed to overshadow anything else. Brent wore No. 49--in reference to when he was drafted in 1992. He put a slight hit on his brother and nearly scored midway through the third period with the Lightning trailing, 4-2, when he hit the left post at 9:30 with Stauber down and out.

“When he hit the goal post, I found myself kind of chuckling a little bit,” Wayne said. “If it was 5-2 or 6-2, you would hope for him to get a goal. But it was 4-2.”

Said Brent: “It was strictly business. We had four or five faceoffs together. I think I won one, and I think he let me win it.”

Between the second and third periods, the Gretzkys did a live interview with ESPN2 and there were laughs all around when they watched footage of the Edmonton Oilers winning their first Stanley Cup in 1984. Brent, then 12, ran and jumped into Wayne’s arms during the celebration.

“They’re a lot different,” King Coach Barry Melrose said. “There’s not a lot of similarities. They skate different. Gretz is unique, and it’s difficult to compare any players to him.”

Wednesday, the brothers shook hands before their intermission interview and sat side by side. Brent closely resembles their father, Walter, who was probably the proudest man in North America on Wednesday. None of the other Gretzky family members were on hand because of the death of an aunt earlier in the week.

“Any time you face your brother it’s a proud moment,” Wayne said. “I know my dad was probably watching. I’m sure he’s very proud tonight. That was always his ambition and goal--that once I got in here, maybe one of my brothers would get a chance.”