No Great Reaction to Great One’s Return

He got a standing ovation Monday night upon his return to the Forum. . . .

The capacity crowd of 16,005 showed its appreciation of his many years of dedicated service to the Kings. . . .

He is Tony Granato, who recently underwent brain surgery and whose smiling face was shown on the video board as he stood behind the glass watching the Kings and St. Louis Blues skate in the third period. . . .

Wayne Gretzky? . . .

No standing ovations. No raucous cheering. No anvil choruses of boos. . . .

Considering the circumstances, the crowd reaction to the Great One on the night he wore a Blues uniform for the first time in Inglewood was subdued. . . .

A one-minute highlight video of his King career shown before the pregame warmups drew some applause. . . .

So did the public address announcements that followed his goal in the first period and assist in the second during the Blues’ 3-1 victory. . . .

He got booed mildly every time he touched the puck, but nothing like the night before at the Pond of Anaheim. . . .

Once again, laid-back L.A. lived up to its reputation. . . .

Perhaps the greatest show of sentiment toward Gretzky came from the three-star selector who made him No. 1 star. . . .

That honor should have gone to another former King, Grant Fuhr, who was magnificent in goal. . . .

Gretzky said it had been an emotional day. . . .

“They have tremendous people in their locker room,” he said about the Kings. “We had some great times together.” . . .

Not that Gretzky recognized everyone in silver and black. . . .

Only half of the players who suited up for the Kings were on their opening-night roster. . . .

“I’m sure it will work out well for them,” Gretzky said about the rebuilding program. “They just have to be patient.” . . .

You can’t blame long-time King fans, who are about to suffer through an 18th losing season in 29 years, if they don’t want to hear about patience. . . .

A couple of them told me Monday night that they are not going to renew their season tickets. . . .

Others found the wording on the license plate holders that they were giving away meaningful: “Buy Recycled” on the top and “Los Angeles Kings” on the bottom. . . .

The Kings never have committed to a youth movement. . . .

This time, they should. . . .

The 1996 draft is supposed to be so-so, but 1997’s is being touted as the deepest in 15 years. . . .

The Kings have two picks in the first round in 1997, one in the second, one in the third and two in the fourth. . . .

They would be wise to stick with the new plan and not give away any of their first choices, even for a restricted free agent. . . .

By 1999, they might have a new arena and a new contender.

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USC today opens spring football practice that will conclude with the annual intrasquad game April 20. . . .

Better yet, why doesn’t the NCAA allow natural rivals to play an exhibition game every spring? . . .

UCLA doesn’t begin its first spring practice under Coach Bob Toledo until April 2. . . .

Monica Seles’ long layoff apparently has made her injury prone. . . .

Tiger Woods of Stanford will compete in the Southwestern Intercollegiate golf championship Monday and Tuesday at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village. Nationally ranked teams entered in the event hosted by USC are No. 1 Arizona State, No. 4 Arizona, No. 13 USC, No. 15 New Mexico, No. 17 Stanford and No. 19 Oregon State. . . .

Some NBA scouts believe Georgia Tech freshman guard Stephon Marbury will be an even better pro than Georgetown sophomore guard Allen Iverson because Marbury is a better outside shooter. . . .

San Francisco, which has reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament, is coached by the husband-and-wife team of Bill and Mary Nepfel. . . .

Frank Bruno says he might not retire, but isn’t that what he did in the ring Saturday night? . . .

A 2-year-old who will make his debut in a quarter-mile race soon at Santa Anita is White Bronco. This time, expect a high-speed chase.