In the Great Debut, Gretzky Gets Goal and Blues Get Tie

A whole new world dawned for Wayne Gretzky on Thursday night in his friendly native country--a hat trick of sorts--in his debut with the St. Louis Blues.

He played. He scored. And . . . he didn’t lose as the Blues tied the Canucks, 2-2, in overtime.

For Gretzky, it was back to the future at GM Place in his first game in a Blues’ uniform after a tumultuous week in which the league’s all-time leading scorer was traded to St. Louis on Tuesday night for three players and two draft picks.

Gretzky said he hadn’t been this nervous since his King debut after being traded to Los Angeles from Edmonton in 1988. “I didn’t want to let Mike and the Blues down,” Gretzky said of Mike Keenan, general manager and coach. “I don’t care who you are, and what you’ve done, you’re always nervous. I’m sure Michael Jordan was nervous in his first game back.”

Gretzky was also tired, having played nearly 29 minutes. Of course, he used to receive some quality playing time with the Kings, but that seemed long ago. And Gretzky had scored only one goal in his final 12 games with the Kings.

Some of that was corrected--at least for one night--as the Blues tied the Canucks before a sellout crowd of 18,422 in a game filled with playoff-type atmosphere, a rare big occasion in February. It seemed as though Gretzky merely had to shed the silver and black of the Kings to attain hockey liberation with the Blues.

“I don’t think he was used to it,” Keenan said of the increased playing time. “Quite often, we’ll come back with a shift after one rest, as opposed to two, and I don’t think he was used to that. It certainly wasn’t new to him in Edmonton. But I don’t what they were doing in L.A.”

Clearly, Gretzky responds well to rebirths. In his debut with the Kings, Gretzky scored on his very first shot in an 8-2 victory against the Detroit Red Wings at the Forum on Oct. 6, 1988. It took him two whole shots to score in his first game with the Blues.

Gretzky had two shots in the first period--the first was a long-range backhander. Then he scored a goal in a very un-Gretzkylike manner--on a breakaway at 16:24 of the first against Canuck goaltender Kirk McLean for his 16th goal of the season and 82nd point. Hitting him with a breakout pass was forward Stephane Matteau. And Gretzky’s close friend and new linemate Brett Hull had the second assist.

On the breakaway, chasing Gretzky was Vancouver left wing Martin Gelinas. Trivia buffs may remember that Gelinas was involved in the first Gretzky trade from Edmonton to Los Angeles in 1988.

Gretzky, showing good speed, kept the puck on his forehand and beat McLean with a quick release to give the Blues a 2-0 lead. For years, Gretzky’s friends and teammates have teased him about his lack of brilliance on breakaways.

“I’m like a fine wine, getting better with age on the breakaway,” Gretzky said, smiling. “I’m glad I scored in the first period, now nobody will ask me: When are you going to get your first goal?”

After scoring, Gretzky looked up at the scoreboard and pumped his fists, and Hull, appropriately, was the first to congratulate him.

“I don’t know where I was looking,” Gretzky said.

The crowd actually cheered for Gretzky when he scored. But their most fervent applause was saved for star right wing Alexander Mogilny, who scored twice, his 50th and 51st goals.

Keenan used Gretzky as often as possible, on the power play and even killing a penalty in the first period. Gretzky played eight minutes and 54 seconds in the first, and it surprised him.

“I’m exhausted,” he said. “I haven’t killed penalties in ages.”

Gretzky’s other new linemate, Shayne Corson, noticed a big difference in him, especially since they played against Gretzky and the Kings on Saturday.

“The biggest difference was he got the opportunity for a lot of ice time,” Corson said of Gretzky, who hadn’t been playing much more than 19 minutes a game with the Kings. “Superstars should get a lot of ice time, and he hasn’t been playing as much as Wayne Gretzky should be playing.”

For Gretzky, the tension and uncertainty lifted as soon as he left Los Angeles, and he spent part of Thursday talking to his former King teammates. After the game he was asked about contract negotiations with the Blues.

“Contrary to what some people say, I’m a pretty loyal person,” he said. “[The Blues] stuck out their necks to get me. . . . I feel good in blue.”