The 'Great One' nishes grand career

Wayne Gretzky ended his NHL career yesterday to rousing cheers and endless chants from an overflow crowd at Madison Square Garden.

Smiling through his tears, the greatest player ever made it easy for everyone to say goodbye - skating around the arena slowly enough for plenty of souvenir photos to be taken.

He touched youngsters' hands every time he noticed them extended from the crowd. He even played to the adoring fans, donning a blue Yankees hat, then a red Rangers beret.

The 38-year-old Great One skated one lap around the rink with teammates in tow, then came an encore, as a lone spotlight followed him around the ice and Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better" blared throughout.

AP PHOTO Wayne Gretzky played in his last NHL game yesterday in New York. During his 20-year NHL career, "The Great One" netted 894 goals, 2,856 points and 15 100-point seasons.

Perhaps the most excruciating moment for him came as he fought the tears, occasionally looking down at the ice, while posing for one last photo with teammates, who all wore No. 99 caps.

"I'm devastated I will no longer be a hockey player," Gretzky said. "I will miss every part of the game, because I loved every part of the game."

But he never second-guessed his decision to retire, announced this past Friday.

" ... I've made the right decision. You know, this is not a passing on, this is a moving on," he said.

Gretzky ended his career with an assist, setting up a second-period goal as his New York Rangers lost to Pittsburgh 2-1 in overtime.

On the final shift of his 21-year pro career, with all the fans at Madison Square Garden on their feet cheering as if a Stanley Cup title was imminent, Gretzky did nothing special. That was rare, particularly on this day - when he set up a dozen good scoring chances - and for his unparalleled career.

During a Rangers timeout with 40.4 seconds to go in the third period, his wife, Janet, started to cry as the fans began the long, final salute to her husband. Gretzky acknowledged it with a nod, then a wave, then by raising his stick in the air.

"When (New York coach) John (Muckler) called timeout, it hit me that I was done," he said, his eyes watering once more. "Then is when it hit me that I had only 30 seconds left."

Moments after the timeout, he nearly had a breakaway, but Pittsburgh goalie Tom Barrasso, who had a sensational game, beat Gretzky to the puck.

As if his career just wasn't supposed to end now, the game went into overtime. It ended abruptly when Jaromir Jagr, hockey's dominant player these days, scored.

The crowd and the Rangers seemed stunned, but only momentarily. Then everyone remembered why they'd come to an otherwise pedestrian matchup.

As the "Gretz-ky" chants began again, he skated over to the Penguins, who were lined up at the blue line, and shook hands with several. Then he hugged Jagr - an unofficial passing of the torch? - before returning to his teammates.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced that no one will ever again wear No. 99 in the league.

"When a gentleman told me in 1977 to wear this sweater, I didn't imagine one day nobody else would be allowed to wear it," Gretzky said.

One 'Great' legacy

By the age of 14, Gretzky had already scored more than 1,000 goals and became a national celebrity. He went on to score 2,856 points in 20 NHL seasons.

How dominant was he? Gretzky has more assists (1,962) than any player has goals and assists combined.

The "Great One" retired at the age of 38, despite Canada's prime minister begging him to continue playing.

04-19-99