All-Stars Standing Behind Superstar

Wayne Gretzky remains a hero to his peers, if not necessarily to reporters assembled at the FleetCenter for today’s NHL All-Star game.

While reporters questioned his motives Friday for asking the Kings to take swift action to improve the team--and suggested the timing diverted attention from the All-Star festivities and toward himself--players supported him without reservation.

“He is hockey,” said St. Louis winger Brett Hull, who will skate on a line with Gretzky and the Mighty Ducks’ Paul Kariya for the Western Conference squad. “He’s meant so much to the game. If at this level something like that gets you distracted, you shouldn’t be playing.”

Said Toronto Maple Leaf right wing Mike Gartner, “Wayne isn’t a star player, Wayne is a superstar player. He transcends the game. Wayne has to be treated in a more special manner, and he’s not doing anything out of the ordinary. He was just saying, ‘I want to win another Stanley Cup and before I make my decision I want to know if this team is committed to winning.’ I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

Gretzky, who will become an unrestricted free agent after this season for the first time, reiterated that he doesn’t regret saying the Kings need a prolific scorer and an offensive defenseman to become a serious playoff contender.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. “I don’t really have an answer. But I made my points and I said my piece and I don’t back down. . . .

“The immediate answers I thought we would probably get didn’t materialize. Obviously I didn’t get traded or re-signed. But we might be on the same page now.”

Gretzky’s agent, Mike Barnett, said he expects discussions to resume after the Kings’ next trip.

“It’s not a closed door,” Barnett said of Tuesday’s meeting with club executives. “We felt very good about the comments they made in respect to Wayne. Our thoughts were positive.”

Although the Montreal Gazette sarcastically called Gretzky “Saint Wayne” and said “his halo has started to tilt,” he’s still an idol to Kariya.

“They were taking the team picture, and there’s Brett Hull in front of me and Gretzky over there, and those were my heroes growing up,” said Kariya, a first-time all-star. He ranks 13th this season with 24 goals. “The first thing that goes through your mind when you walk into the locker room and see guys like that is, ‘What am I doing here?’ ”

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Mario Lemieux, the Pittsburgh Penguin center who has recovered from Hodgkin’s disease and back surgery to lead the NHL in scoring, feared the disease had recurred when he discovered a lump on his neck more than a month ago.

A lump on his neck led to his Hodgkin’s diagnosis three years ago. However, tests showed the new lump was benign.

Lemieux is making his seventh All-Star appearance and first since 1992. He has been named most valuable player three times.

“It’s nice to come back and see your old friends,” he said. “I’m always excited to be here because you never know when it’s going to be your last one.”

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As expected, the NHL Board of Governors unanimously approved the Winnipeg Jets’ sale to Richard Burke and Steven Gluckstern, and the franchise’s move to Phoenix next season, as well as the sale of the Dallas Stars to Thomas Hicks.

The governors were updated on plans for the World Cup tournament, which will be held next summer in North America and Europe.

The governors were also cautioned by league officials to avoid tampering with players under contract to other teams. No names were mentioned, but several general managers have expressed interest in Gretzky if the Kings were to make him available.

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NHL Notes

Mike Gartner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the oldest all-star at 36, won the fastest skater event of the SuperSkills competition. Dave Manson of the Winnipeg Jets had the fastest shot, 98 mph, and the New York Rangers’ Mark Messier won the shooting accuracy contest by hitting four targets on four tries. The West won the team competition by one point over the East.

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All-Star Rosters

EASTERN CONFERENCE

CENTERS

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Player, Team G A Pts x-Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh 40 60 100 Ron Francis, Pittsburgh 20 57 77 Mark Messier, NY Rangers 31 35 66 Eric Lindros, Philadelphia 27 32 59 Pierre Turgeon, Montreal 20 32 52 Craig MacTavish, Philadelphia 2 7 9 WINGS Player, Team G A Pts x-Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh 38 51 89 x-Brendan Shanahan, Hartford 21 13 34 Pat Verbeek, NY Rangers 32 31 63 John LeClair, Philadelphia 26 27 53 Scott Mellanby, Florida 23 24 47 Peter Bondra, Washington 26 16 42 Cam Neely, Boston 23 18 41 Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa 12 19 31 DEFENSEMEN Player, Team G A Pts x-Ray Bourque, Boston 14 29 43 x-Scott Stevens, New Jersey 3 15 18 Brian Leetch, NY Rangers 8 43 51 Roman Hamrlik, Tampa Bay 8 30 38 Mathieu Schneider, NY Islanders 5 24 29 Eric Desjardins, Philadelphia 4 19 23

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GOALIES

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Player, Team W L T GAA x-Martin Brodeur, New Jersey 16 19 4 2.47 John Vanbiesbrouck, Florida 18 8 3 2.52 Dominik Hasek, Buffalo 12 15 3 2.94

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WESTERN CONFERENCE

CENTERS

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Player, Team G A Pts x-Wayne Gretzky, Kings 13 54 67 Joe Sakic, Colorado 30 36 66 Peter Forsberg, Colorado 15 49 64 Doug Weight, Edmonton 15 47 62 Sergei Fedorov, Detroit 19 32 51 Mats Sundin, Toronto 21 28 49 Denis Savard, Chicago 6 17 23 WINGS Player, Team G A Pts x-Paul Kariya, Mighty Ducks 25 31 56 x-Brett Hull, St. Louis 27 23 50 Teemu Selanne, Winnipeg 23 42 65 Alexander Mogilny, Vancouver 35 24 59 Theoren Fleury, Calgary 23 32 55 Owen Nolan, San Jose 23 23 44 Mike Gartner, Toronto 23 9 32 DEFENSEMEN Player, Team G A Pts x-Chris Chelios, Chicago 8 34 42 x-Paul Coffey, Detroit 4 33 37 Larry Murphy, Toronto 8 33 41 Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit 9 28 37 Al MacInnis, St. Louis 8 25 33 Kevin Hatcher, Dallas 8 19 27

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GOALIES

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Player, team W L T GAA x-Ed Belfour, Chicago 12 10 6 3.04 Chris Osgood, Detroit 20 5 2 2.17 Felix Potvin, Toronto 18 12 6 2.91

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Now You See It

A new puck developed by Fox Sports will make its debut in today’s NHL All-Star game. Infrared emitters embedded in the puck create halo effect that will make it easier to see on television and a special cip will allow the speed of the shots to be shown on screen

* “Comet tail” effect: Trails slap shots.

* Inset infrared emitters: Four on each side, 12 around the perimeter.

Slap shots’ speed appears in the lower right corner of the TV screen.

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Sources: NHL, Fox Sports