UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE (12/15/96)

UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE

by Ihor Stelmach

Rejuvenated Gretzky a Broadway smash

To put the spotlight on Wayne Gretzky's point production so far this season is to miss the point. The Great One isn't merely scoring well, which he has pretty much done all of his hockey-playing days. He is truly playing well, too. Very well, as a matter of fact.

Should anyone really be surprised? Gretzky has made a career of confounding the critics, who multiplied in vast numbers last season when No. 99 was accused of overt self-interest in the messy orchestration of his trade from the Los Angeles Kings to the St. Louis Blues while his play tailed off badly. Yet only his staunchest allies could have imagined the 35 year old breaking out of the gate this season with the enthusiasm and results of a young buck half his age.

"I knew I would be under the watchfull eye," Gretzky readily admitted. "I wanted to show everyone I can still play."

How utterly and totally Gretzky. And, so far, so good for the New York Rangers' Renaissance Man. His 10 goals and 21 assists were good for fifth place among NHL scoring leaders almost one-third of the way through this 1996-1997 campaign. Plus there's little similarity between his play and, more importantly, his outlook on life from the tumult of last season to this one. And, remember, he did manage to rack up 102 points last year, which only shows how easy it is to miss the point because of points.

"I don't think anyone can even imagine what it was like for me (last season)," Gretzky said. "It was a horrible experience for everyone, especially me. I was extremely stressed. It couldn't help but affect the way I played. I was just saying to my wife (Janet) the other morning over breakfast how much I am enjoying living and playing in New York. Totally. It has been wonderful."

And does it ever show!

Don't get the wrong idea about points. Thirty-one in 27 games isn't shabby by anyone's standards, and if Gretzky wasn't scoring them, he'd be hearing about it. Only guys like Sakic, Forsberg and Yzerman were ahead of Gretzky in the early-season NHL scoring race. He was on a pace to score 30 goals, 70+ assists and some 100+ points over a full season.

"To be honest and without any exaggeration, Wayne could have had another 12 or 15 points if some of the other Rangers had finished their (scoring) chances," said former NHL goalie John Davidson, color commentator on the Madison Square Garden network. "That's how good he has been."

"He has really looked strong," said Florida Panthers' coach Doug MacLean, who saw Gretzky up close and personal in four early season meetings with the Rangers. "Gretzky's line (with Niklas Sundstrom and Luc Robitaille) has been the Rangers' best line against us. He's making great plays, and he's a threat every time he's on the ice."

Many times last season, Gretzky was as much a threat to his own team as the opposition. He got into the bad habit of giving away the puck under pressure, showed disdain for playing in traffic, and on too many nights simply looked old and slow. Not so this season. There's a jump back in his step. Quickness seems to have magically reappeared in both his hands and feet. Only when he's deep in his own end is he a potential liability, but then that's often true of 6-foot, 175-pound offense minded centermen.

It's not just a better game he's playing, it's a whole different game.

Gretzky was actually leading the league in shots on goal through the first 20-some games, with a healthy average of over 4.5 shots per game. This is a mark he hasn't hit since the 1981-1982 season, when he scored an NHL-record 92 goals.

"I would think (the record) is safe," Gretzky joked with a laugh.

Opposing goalies, however, have no reason to feel very secure when the Great One now gets the puck. He is equipped with a new attitude and a new gun.

"I've always used a stick that's mostly straight because I found that helped me with my slapshot," Gretzky said. "The trouble is there's no time anymore to get off the big Bobby Hull wind-up like I used to. What I did is to curve the toe of the stick more and now I can really snap off the puck quite quickly."

It wasn't enough, though, just to change his stick. He also had to alter his mindset.

"In the past, it was 50-50 whether I would shoot or pass, but when it got so I was almost always making the pass instead of taking the shot," he admitted. "I was becoming too predictable. (Defensemen and goalies) were overplaying it because they knew what I was going to do. Now that I feel I can get off the quick snapshot, I'm going to do it every time I'm around the net. That has been a conscious decision on my part to keep (goalies and defensemen) honest."

It was speculated that Gretzky's production this season would be limited because he would be playing more often against bigger, stronger Eastern Conference teams that place a heavy premium on tough team defense. Increasing aversion to traffic was to be his downfall, but a funny thing happened on the way to the front of the net.

"There was so much talk of how I couldn't play anymore and how I couldn't get to the net or through heavy traffic," Gretzky said. "I just decided that I am going to go to the net and I am going to succeed at it. I was just determined to do it."

And he has. His tying goal in a 1-1 game with Florida on October 29 was on a rebound in heavy traffic at the edge of the crease. "It's all a matter of determination and remembering to keep your feet moving," Gretzky explained.

The first part of that is up to him. So, too, is the second, although it doesn't hurt to have some helpful reminders.

"If I have a shift where I've stopped moving my feet," Gretzky further explained, "I'll come to the bench and Mark (Messier) will remind me to keep them going on the next shift. He's on me about that. That's important. The Eastern Conference teams are not tougher or more physical than the Western teams - that's really a big misconception - but, they do trap more and play better defense. The key for me is to keep moving."

Gretzky believes preparing for the World Cup and the playing in it worked to his advantage. He said he was energized by playing at that level and it dovetailed nicely with his motivation to prove he's not sliding down the slippery slope at breakneck speed. He has shown that to be true not only in words, but also in actions.

While his even-strength play in the World Cup tailed off as the tournament progressed, he maintained a solid work ethic without the puck, especially in his role as a backchecker. That continued with the Rangers. ln fact, he was hustling back so hard he was able to execute his old trademark lift-the-stick-and-steal-the-puck maneuver to create a turnover and make for a quick transition to offense.

"The Rangers, especially (coach) Collie (Campbell) have shown real faith in me," Gretzky said. "I'm never going to win the Selke (top defensive forward award), but I owe it to them to be responsible. If I don't come back, other guys aren't going to come back, and we can't have that."

In his first 20-plus games Gretzky averaged a very healthy 23 minutes per game. He topped out at 28:25 in the third game of the season against Florida and bottomed out at 17:42 in the 14th game against the New Jersey Devils.

Gretzky plays the power play (on a separate unit from Messier), kills penalties with Sundstrom and takes his regular turn. It's a situation that will have to be monitored.

"I'd like to play Wayne and Mark all the time," Campbell said, "and I'm sure they would like to play all the time. But we can't lose sight of what's important and that is these two guys have to be ready to play at the top of their game in the playoffs. I owe it to this team and to them to make sure they're ready and to make sure our kids and other players get the ice time to develop. I have to look at the big picture. I've got to make sure the well doesn't run dry with those two guys."

Gretzky started the season with Alexei Kovalev as his winger, but lately skates between Luc Robitaille and Niklas Sundstrom. Robitaille was struggling to score goals, but not from lack of opportunities. Sundstrom was beginning to develop chemistry with Gretzky. The young Swede is the designated checker on this line, but is both intelligent and quick with the puck. He's beginning to find the holes that his centerman helps open up. Slowly but surely, Gretzky and star defenseman Brian Leetch were also developing a rapport, especially on the power play.

Yet in truth, the Rangers lack the pure finishing winger Gretzky really needs. Kovalev and Adam Graves will get their fair share playing on Messier's line, and rookies Daniel Goneau and Christian Dube were solid. The latter two rooks saw action on Gretzky's power play unit.

Trouble is, with what the Rangers are paying Gretzky ($5 million this season) and their total payroll (about $36 million), the Rangers can't or won't spend even more to get a scorer such as Vancouver's Alexander Mogilny or, when he was available, Brendan Shanahan, now with the Red Wings.

The lack of that type of player and, perhaps, the missing elements of grit and toughness up front, help explain why the Rangers were several games under .500 after their first 27 encounters. That, and the fact that Messier, Leetch and goalie Mike Richter have all been a tad inconsistent as performers.

Gretzky's strong start is as much a state of mind as anything else. He's enthused again about playing the game. Gretzky said he'll play as long as it continues to be fun - which is why he's virtually certain to outlast Mario Lemieux - and he can contribute in the traditional Gretzky-esque highest level of standards he demands of himself. His current contract runs through 1997-1998. It's not lost on him that there are still some statistical milestones within his grasp.

"I'm looking forward to getting my 1,800th assist," Gretzky said on a day he was at 1,785. "Shooting for No. 1,851 is going to be fun, too."

No. 1,851 is a milestone Gretzky set for himself when he eclipsed Gordie Howe's total points record a couple of years ago. Gretzky wants to have as many career NHL assists as Howe did career NHL points. If he continues to produce at his current rate, he'll get it this season. On the long-term horizon, the 847-goal scorer has one eye on scoring 900, though at his age that falls under the category of long-range objectives.

"I like to set those little milestones for myself," Gretzky said. "It's fun and it motivates me, gives me something to shoot for." Literally!

Mostly, though, he's aiming for contentment. Gretzky is secure with his place in the history of the game. It is more an immediate gratification he's after. So far, he's definitely found it in New York.

He and his family are settled in a condo apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side. He walks his children to school in the morning. He is within a five-minute walk of seven or eight Ranger teammates, including Messier, Leetch and Richter. While he's older and more settled, it's the closest he has come to duplicating the camaraderie of his old Edmonton Oilers days. And there is nothing better in the world, Gretzky said, than being reunited with his hockey soulmate Messier.

"The biggest difference for me is having Mark here, on and off the ice," Gretzky said. "On the ice, he opens up so much room for me. I'm not seeing the top checking line from the other team because Mark's line is. That's one big difference. Off the ice, he takes away so much of the pressure. If we lose, it's not everyone crowding around asking me why. It was Mark's team before I got here, and it's still Mark's team. I'm feeding off that energy. I'm excited. I'm happy.

And after all, that is the point!

(Gretzky quotes courtesy of Bob McKenzie pieces in Hockey News.)