It’s the Bronze Age in L.A. as Gretzky Is Immortalized

Someone finally caught Wayne Gretzky.

Not until he had been retired for three years, of course, and after he had passed his 41st birthday.

And it was no ordinary defenseman or checking forward who snared him. It took Eric Blome, an artist of supreme talent, to capture him--or at least his essence--in lovingly sculpted bronze with a granite base, creating a commanding, 1,300-pound statue that was unveiled Wednesday in the Star Plaza in front of Staples Center.

To the man who has everything and has given hockey so much, the Kings gave the ultimate gift on the night they also retired his jersey: a little slice of immortality.

Standing on a slab of steel, motionless as he never was on the ice, the inanimate Gretzky is larger than life--125% of his actual 6-foot frame, in fact. He’s tousle-haired, wearing a King jersey and raising his right arm to acknowledge an ovation from the crowd. His left hand is lowered and gripping his stick; his right glove is tucked under his left arm, a pose based on a photo taken after he scored his 802nd goal

It was a familiar stance, one he assumed after so many of the ovations he received for his hundreds of remarkable feats. Gretzky was involved in so many memories, so many records, that the highlight film shown on the scoreboard before the Kings’ 4-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes Wednesday could touch on a scant few.

There was his 100th playoff goal. His 801st goal. His 1,851st point, which broke Gordie Howe’s seemingly unbreakable career scoring record. Snippets of a brilliant career, one unlike any before or since or maybe ever again.

“On behalf of your league and your fans,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said, “Wayne, we thank you for being the greatest.”

Watching his hockey life unfold on the scoreboard, serenaded with rhythmic chants of “Gretz-ky!” in a cavernous arena built by billionaires and priced for millionaires, Gretzky wiped away a tear.

He was surrounded by his parents, Walter and Phyllis, his wife, Janet, and their children, Paulina, Ty, Trevor and 2-year-old Tristan, saucer-eyed in his father’s arms.

He was surrounded by a veritable Kings Hall of Fame: former coach Barry Melrose, former teammates Jari Kurri, Kelly Hrudey, Paul Coffey, Pat Conacher and Dave Taylor, former General Manager Rogie Vachon. Former teammate Luc Robitaille, given permission to attend on the eve of the Detroit Red Wings’ opener at San Jose. Former owner Bruce McNall, whose financial follies nearly brought the Kings to ruin and cost Gretzky more than $1 million--but not at the cost of Gretzky’s friendship.

And he was surrounded by the love of a family of fans who made him feel at home though he stood at center ice in a place he had never truly lived in.

Gretzky’s King days were spent at the Forum, which in its later years was far less than fabulous. By the time Staples Center opened its doors, he had hung up his skates and left his name in the NHL record books more than 60 times.

Yet, he can claim ownership of Staples, too, because if not for him and the glamour he brought to the game, hockey might not be as strongly entrenched as it is and Staples Center might not exist.

Besides, isn’t home where you hang your jersey?

His hangs in the rafters, near the “people up top” he was careful to thank in his brief but beautifully articulated speech. As during his career, his verbal aim was true.

To Bettman, who had been booed when he walked onto the ice, Gretzky said, “This is the greatest game in the world. I thank you for letting me play it.”

To the assembled Kings, torn between paying him the proper tribute and eagerness to begin their season, and their coach, Andy Murray, he wished luck. And probably meant it, too. After all, even though he owns 20% of the Coyotes, he still lives in Southern California and has a suite at Staples, and he can appreciate good hockey.

To the sellout crowd of 18,260 he gave a heartfelt thanks. “When I came here in 1988, I never thought we’d have a day like this, believe me,” he said. “I want to say to all of the fans who treated me and my family so nicely, I want to thank them all.”

More than a few, no doubt, saw their first game while Gretzky played here, and came back after he left.

“Hockey wasn’t expected to survive here,” he said during a pregame news conference. “The fans deserve a lot of credit for their support. They showed Los Angeles is not only a good sports city, it’s a good hockey city.”

On Wednesday, like on so many nights between 1988 and 1996, it was the Great One’s city.