Gretzky Returns, Plays Conquering Hero at Forum

This time, there wasn’t a Mark Messier running him over like a truck crushing a bug when he returned home to Edmonton for the first time after he was traded to the Kings in 1988.

No, the Blues’ Wayne Gretzky--who is having more comebacks than an aging rock band--found his biggest problems weren’t on the ice against his former teammates on Monday. There, it was a virtual delight as he scored once and added an assist as St. Louis beat the Kings, 3-1, in Gretzky’s first appearance at the Forum since being traded to the Blues on Feb. 27.

Any minor annoyances came from the booing fans in the sellout crowd of 16,005, the fifth of the season. There was loud booing--mixed with some chasing cheers--every time he touched the puck early on, though the reaction was slightly more dignified than that from the Mighty Ducks’ spectators on Sunday. By the end, the boos were almost half-hearted, not delivered with the same kind of cocky gusto heard at the Pond.

He joked that the fans were saying, “Bruce . . . Bruce,” of former King owner and admitted felon Bruce McNall, who was sitting rinkside in the front row.

“Last night, I don’t know why everybody made a big deal about it,” Gretzky said. “I’ve been booed my whole life, since I was 12 years old in towns of 400.

“They’re hockey fans. But the way I played last night, I would have booed too.”

Said Blues’ General Manager and Coach Mike Keenan: “They [the fans] couldn’t make up their minds.”

All night, there seemed to be a certain duality. King co-owner Edward P. Roski, Jr., nodded when asked if he had mixed emotions. And many of the spectators seemed to feel the same way. One negative sign was held up, balanced by a couple of positive ones.

King goaltender Kelly Hrudey was bothered by the booing and praised Mighty Duck players Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya for criticizing the reaction.

“I can understand and appreciate fans cheering for their team, that’s why they’re paying,” he said. “But just being Wayne and what he’s done for all of us players, people should save their booing for other players.”

Said King Coach Larry Robinson: “Fans forget very easily, like we all do. But it’s onward and upward. Hopefully, upward.”

Yet the loss means the Kings (21-36-15) are 3-5 in the post-Gretzky era and remain six points behind Winnipeg in the race for the final playoff spot. They have lost four consecutive games and have 10 games remaining.

Since being traded to the Blues for three players and two draft picks, it has been a whirlwind for Gretzky. In addition to the post-trade fallout, he had other, more serious concerns on his mind in making his return home to Los Angeles. His 7-year-old daughter Paulina is scheduled to have laser surgery today to help correct an eye problem she has had since birth. And a close friend from his Junior B days in Toronto, Bill Cornish, died last week after a long battle with cancer.

But with everything on his mind, Gretzky has always responded best under extreme pressure. The Blues, who were roundly beaten by the Ducks on Sunday, are 5-3-1 since he joined them. In those nine games, Gretzky has five goals and 13 points.

Gretzky described his emotions with three words, saying: “Emotional. Intense and jittery.”

Monday, he broke through those emotions and cut through the tension after a scoreless first period, scoring his 20th goal with a quick wrist shot from the base of the left circle, at 7:00 of the second period. Hrudey, who faced 26 shots, was distracted by sliding Blue forward Brett Hull.

A beaming Gretzky celebrated and was still smiling minutes later on the bench.

The Kings tied it, 1-1, just 1:33 later on defenseman Doug Zmolek’s second goal of the season, off a slap shot from the right circle past St. Louis goaltender Grant Fuhr, who was otherwise brilliant.

“I said to Brett [Hull], that I can’t wait to get to Dallas and get in a normal hockey game with not so much attention on myself,” Gretzky said.

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King Notes

Defenseman Mattias Norstrom, who sat out Saturday’s game because of a sprained right knee, made his King debut. He had two shots on goal and was a minus-three.