THE NHL / HELENE ELLIOTT : Gretzky Trade Was Mishandled by All

In summing up the Kings’ trade of Wayne Gretzky, it’s clear everyone could have handled the whole affair with more dignity.

It was absurd for Gretzky to claim he was surprised at the fuss when he said the Kings needed to improve their talent. His every word is news in Canada and much of the United States, and he knows it.

He could have been more discreet in making his suggestion and in expressing his impatience. Gretzky was accustomed to deferential treatment from Bruce McNall, and the subsequent owners, Joe Cohen and Jeffrey Sudikoff, kowtowed to him until they got too busy going bankrupt to pay attention. Current owners Philip Anschutz and Edward Roski are not hands-on operators, and Gretzky miscalculated by thinking they would jump to keep him happy.

Anschutz and Roski aren’t blameless, either. It’s odd that Anschutz didn’t meet Gretzky until January, three months after his purchase of the club had closed. A walk through the locker room to shake hands with the troops wouldn’t have hurt. Unlike a stretch of railroad track, a sports franchise can’t be left untended. It needs constant monitoring to thrive.

Since Anschutz and Roski aren’t supervising day-to-day operations, they need capable people to act for them. What they have now is a general manager, Sam McMaster, whose feelings are hurt when his actions are criticized, and a president, Rogie Vachon, whose resentment of Gretzky borders on jealousy. When the New York Rangers had a contract dispute with their captain, Mark Messier, they resolved it cleanly, without furor, and kept him. The Kings’ brain trust couldn’t do the same.

Their strategy now is to belittle Gretzky by saying he didn’t win the Cup with the Kings, so he didn’t accomplish anything here. That’s disgraceful. Gretzky led the Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup finals and made hockey a major league sport in Los Angeles. In trashing him, they’re more selfish than he ever was.

Gretzky, who had two points in his first two games with the Blues, suffered a concussion Sunday and missed an optional practice Monday. He was to be examined again after this morning’s practice and hoped to make his home debut as a Blue tonight against Florida.

As for the trade, NHL scouts and general managers say the Kings did well, under the circumstances. The report on Craig Johnson is that he’s speedy and smart, a good forechecker but not much of a finisher. Patrice Tardif has good hands and tries to play a power game without the muscle to back it up. The pivotal player is Roman Vopat, who has been tenacious and tough but must improve his skating. At 19, he has time to develop. The 1997 first-round pick is valuable to keep or to trade for an impact player.

The suspicion lingers, however, that the Kings could have gotten more had they been tougher negotiators. They had St. Louis General Manager- Coach Mike Keenan at their mercy. He had leaked news of the trade so widely that had the Kings balked, he would have been humiliated. Also, he and other general managers had been cautioned against tampering. With one suspension on his record--for his 1994 exit from the New York Rangers-- another blot could have threatened his career. Why not hint at filing tampering charges unless he threw in a recognizable player? Why not call the Rangers to see if they would drive the price up? The Kings did neither.

The Blues will benefit because they have a rejuvenated Gretzky. The Kings will benefit because they no longer have Gretzky rumors to distract them. But the biggest beneficiary might be the Mighty Ducks. Since the trade, they have gotten two dozen calls from people who identified themselves as King season ticket holders and requested information on Duck season tickets.

BAD NEWS BRUINS

Boston Bruin winger Cam Neely fears his hip injury, which resulted from years of compensating for leg and knee problems, might curtail his career.

“When it gets better--if it gets better--how long will it stay better? Because I’m told now it’s not something that will ever totally be healed. It’ll just calm down,” the three-time 50-goal scorer told the Boston Herald. “We’re working to strengthen the hip. But I don’t think it’s something where you can really take that stress off the hip.

“Because I’m not skating the way I want to, I can’t get in there the way I used to. My left leg feels as good as it ever has since I hurt it. But it’s not what it was before I got hurt. Now, with the right hip affecting my skating too, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

NEW HOME FOR HOUSLEY

Hours after Calgary Coach Pierre Page asked General Manager Al Coates to try again to sign Phil Housley, Coates traded Housley to the New Jersey Devils with Dan Keczmer for Tommy Albelin, Jocelyn Lemieux and prospect Cale Hulse.

“You can’t win a Stanley Cup without a great offensive defenseman,” Page said.

But he will have to try. Housley, who will be a free agent without compensation after the season, wanted a three-year deal worth more than $2.5 million a year. The Flames offered $2 million a year, a cut of $200,000.

Instead of losing him, they got what they could: a decent defenseman in Albelin, an inconsistent winger in Lemieux and a promising, 6-foot-3, 210-pound defenseman in Hulse. The Devils get a boost for their power play and their anemic offense, at least for a few months.

LEAFING THROUGH THE LOSSES

Before the Toronto Maple Leafs’ last trip, Coach Pat Burns had them listen to a lecture from sports psychologist Peter Jensen.

The results: They squandered a 3-1 lead and lost at Winnipeg on Wednesday, 4-3; were routed at Dallas Saturday, 5-1, and lost at Colorado on Sunday, 4-0. They have lost eight in a row and are 3-16-3 since Jan. 11.

Let’s hope the lecture fee is refundable.

CRISPY CRITTERS

Tampa Bay Lightning Coach Terry Crisp is tied with Burns for seniority among NHL coaches, with nearly four seasons. The way Burns is going, Crisp may soon be alone atop the tenure list.

“It’s nice for a change to have a general manager in Phil [Esposito] show some confidence in you,” said Crisp, whose team leaped back into the Eastern Conference playoff race with a 7-1-1 run. “I was [rumored to be] fired 14 times. I had a meeting with Phil and our Japanese owners, and I love Phil’s line. He said, ‘If I’m going to stay here and suffer, you’re going to stay here and suffer with me.’ ”

SLAP SHOTS

On Feb. 15, in his first game after sitting out three games because of a concussion, Washington Capital defenseman Mark Tinordi fought Detroit’s Darren McCarty. The blows to his head made Tinordi dizzy, and he hasn’t played since. “That wasn’t the brightest move I’ve ever made,” he said. No kidding. . . . The Winnipeg Jets were so eager to dump goalie Tim Cheveldae that they picked up half of his $1.2-million salary next season when they traded him to Philadelphia for Dominic Roussel. The Flyers put Cheveldae on waivers and sent him to the minors.

Vancouver right wing Pavel Bure, who had knee surgery in November, skated twice last week but isn’t expected back this season. . . . Ranger right wing Pat Verbeek is out for at least four weeks because of a separated shoulder. Defenseman Kevin Lowe will also be idled several weeks because of a pulled groin muscle. . . . Calgary forward Gary Roberts has 17 goals and 31 points in 22 games since returning after neck surgery. . . . Detroit goalie Chris Osgood has a 13-0-1 streak.

Boston rookie defenseman Kyle McLaren has a badly bruised right forearm and is out indefinitely. Second-line center Jozef Stumpel will sit out a month after breaking his cheekbone. . . . The Flyers are still without right wing Mikael Renberg, who has inflammation in the muscle attached to his pelvic bone. He initially left the lineup because of an abdominal muscle pull Jan. 22.

Vancouver Canuck forward Roman Oksiuta, sent home from a practice last week, can be had in a trade. . . . Fans in Winnipeg haven’t closed their hearts to the soon-to-depart Jets. A charity carnival staged by players’ wives last week drew more than 12,000 people and raised $170,000. . . . New York Islander Coach Mike Milbury, who a few weeks ago spat at Ranger defenseman Ulf Samuelsson, threw a stick and a water bottle to protest a penalty called by referee Mark Faucette last Friday. Nice example.