Gretzky Steals Off-Ice Show The Great One’s Demands Hot Topic At All-Star Weekend

Hockey’s top players support Wayne Gretzky’s decision to tell the Los Angeles Kings he’d leave if they don’t obtain better players. His timing, however, could be better.

At a time when the NHL, coming back from last season’s lockout, wants to show its best side, the focus of this year’s All-Star game is on Gretzky’s demand.

“That’s out of my power,” he said Friday, the day before he’ll skate for the Western Conference all-stars. “This has been going on for 10 days.”

Said Detroit defenseman Paul Coffey, who played with Gretzky on three championship teams in Edmonton: “I think he would probably admit that maybe his timing was a little wrong.”

The lockout forced cancellation of last season’s All-Star game and cost fans in San Jose a chance to see the league’s top performers.

The NHL has worked hard to come back from that and is staging this year’s game in the new FleetCenter.

Pittsburgh teammates Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr, the NHL’s top two scorers and the leading votegetters in the all-star balloting, lead the Eastern Conference.

Other East starters are wing Brendan Shanahan of Hartford, defensemen Scott Stevens of New Jersey and Ray Bourque of Boston and goalie Martin Brodeur of New Jersey.

West starters are Gretzky, St. Louis’ Brent Hull and Anaheim’s Paul Kariya at forward, Coffey and Chicago’s Chris Chelios on defense and Chicago’s Ed Belfour in goal. Kariya replaces Vancouver’s Pavel Bure, who is injured.

Jets’ sale approved

The NHL Board of Governors approved the sale of the Dallas Stars and the Winnipeg Jets, also clearing the Jets to move to Phoenix. The governors also got an update on the Florida Panthers’ quest for a new arena and the league’s quest for franchise stability.

“I think we’ve gone a long way towards stabilizing franchises that were causes of concern,” commissioner Gary Bettman said. “I think we’ve done a lot to make this league stronger.”

Oldtimers steal show

Toronto’s Mike Gartner, the oldest all-star at this year’s All-Star skills event at 36, won the fastest-skating competition for the third time Friday in the six years it has been staged. Gartner skated around the perimeter of the ice in 13.386 seconds.

Winnipeg’s Dave Manson proved to be the hardest shooter when he was clocked at 98 mph.