GRETZKY OFF TO CHINA
Trip includes ice rink talks
Wayne Gretzky was the Pied Piper who everybody followed to hockey rinks in California when Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington sold his prized possession to the Los Angeles Kings exactly 30 years ago.
Now No. 99 wants to spread the gospel to the Chinese people. He’s been named an ambassador the Kunlun Red Star hockey team in Beijing, which plays in the KHL.
“We’ve been working on this for close to two years with hockey academies … Mike Keenan (former Kunlun coach) and the owner brought this to me,” Gretzky said.
“The Chinese people and business community have rallied around ice hockey because they ’re hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics and they want to have a good showing. The owner has built these academies — one in Boston, one in Toronto — for Chinese kids.
“And my son (Ty) and I are going over to China and it’s around an NHL game.
“We’re going to see about building ice rinks there.”
The Chinese market is untapped, but there’s certainly interest.
“Somebody told me that 36 million people watched Game 6 of the finals (in 2017) between Pittsburgh and Nashville. That’s amazing. Good on the NHL for recognizing that,” said Gretzky.
Here’s what Gretzky had to say on a few other topics as he leaves for the PGA Championship to see his daughter Paulina’s significant other, Dustin Johnson, for a few days:
On Hall of Famer Stan Mikita, who died Tuesday at age 78:
“He was one of my dad’s favourite players, and the very first NHL game I ever played, I had to go against Stan Mikita. That was pretty cool. Did I win it (the faceoff )? I dunno. I didn’t win too many.
“He was a special guy, not too many people in our game have had the most penalty minutes, then won the Lady Byng, then won the scoring race and Hart trophies.”
On the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and how fans haven’t caught on yet:
“I played in the 1977 world junior and we had 1,200 at the Montreal Forum. Now when there’s a world junior game with Canada there’s 17,000 people there. This won’t happen overnight.”
On NHLers playing at the 2022 Winter Olympics:
“I’ve made no secret they should be there. I’m a huge backer, it rallies the country,” he said.
“The players love to play in it, and hopefully, the league and the union come to an agreement.”
CANADA EDGES SWEDEN
The captain steered his crew into a welcome port.
Alexis Lafreniere, who wears the “C” for Canada, set up defenceman Bowen Byram for the winner late in the third period and also scored earlier in a stirring 4-3 win over Sweden Wednesday night as the Hlinka Gretzky Cup round robin portion ended.
Canadian defenceman Matthew Robertson, who plays for the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings and lives in Sherwood Park, whipped a shot past 15-year-old Swedish goalie Jesper Wallstedt, atoning for an error earlier in the final frame when Lucas Raymond stole the puck and fed Alexander Holtz for his second of the night.
Josh Williams had the other Canadian goal and six-foot-six winger Elmer Soderblom had the other Swedish score in the wideopen game before about 4,000 at Rogers Place.
Canada won their pool at 3-0. In Friday night’s semifinal, they’ll play the U.S., which finished second in Group B play in Red Deer.
Russia downed the Americans 8-3 Wednesday, so they will meet the Swedes in the other semifinal Friday afternoon.
Both semifinal games are at Rogers Place.