Before the hockey town that Wayne Gretzky built hosted its first outdoor game at Dodger Stadium, The Great One made a rare Holly

Before the hockey town that Wayne Gretzky built hosted its first outdoor game at Dodger Stadium, The Great One made a rare Hollywood move by going on "Conan" to promote it. Wholesale Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys . In an 11-minute interview on the late-night show with host Conan OBrien, Gretzky reflected on his trade from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings, his guest appearance on "Saturday Night Live" and several aspects of his on-ice playing career. Beyond all his records and his place in hockey history, Gretzkys Hollywood persona wouldnt have been as pronounced if it were not for that trade 25 1/2 years ago. "It was hard for especially people in Edmonton because they werent just fans, they were friends of mine. A lot of the people that go to all the games, I knew from all the years of being in Edmonton," Gretzky said of the deal. "So it was difficult for everyone. But you look back at it now and everything happens for a reason and we love it here in L.A. and the NHL is thriving here and everyone seems to be doing OK." The Oilers won their fifth Stanley Cup in 1990 without Gretzky and made it to the final in 2006 before losing to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Kings made it to the final in 1993 with Gretzky before losing to the Montreal Canadiens, then won their first title in franchise history in 2012. Edmonton hasnt made the playoffs since 2006 and is still in a rebuilding stage. Just now is a new downtown arena under construction. But Gretzky was on "Conan" for the NHLs Stadium Series debut, which is Saturday between the Kings and the league-leading Anaheim Ducks. He called the game happening at Dodger Stadium a "real big dream." Even before this promotional tour, the "Great One" said he was an advocate of outdoor hockey in Los Angeles. "Id love to see an outdoor game in L.A. because we see the Winter Classic and the Heritage Classic with the snow and thats all wonderful. But a big part of our game, too, now and the success of the National Hockey League is California and places like that," Gretzky said before the Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony in November. "Its going to be wonderful to see people sitting at Dodger Stadium when its 65 degrees (F) and theyre sitting there in shorts and T-shirts and enjoying a National Hockey League game. I think its going to be wonderful for our sport." It should be roughly 19 C (66 F) when the puck drops around 6:30 Pacific time Saturday night. When Gretzky and the Kings faced the New York Rangers in an exhibition game in Las Vegas in 1991, temperatures ranged between 29 and 35 C. Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said after a California heat wave last week he was looking forward to cooler temperatures for this game. "I think its going to be completely unique and its going to be tremendous playing in 60-degree weather outside under the stars," Boudreau said. "I think a lot of people will be real interested to see how that works." Ice technology has improved drastically in the 22-plus years since that Las Vegas game. As Gretzky acknowledged during his appearance on "Conan," so has the NHL, in general. OBrien asked Gretzky about a so-called unwritten rule that opponents wouldnt hit him, which the former Kings captain refuted. "I didnt get hit as much as people probably wanted me to get hit, especially on the opposing teams," Gretzky said. "I knew it was time to retire when I was playing my last year and people I was playing against before they would hit me, they would scream my name or say, Hey, heads up or, Wayne, get out of the way, or Here we are. I remember thinking, Wow, somethings not right about this." Gretzky then told a story about going to a game with his wife and two sons and sitting in the front row when one of them said to their mother: "Be really honest, did dad really play in this league?" When Gretzky did play in the NHL, he set career records with 894 goals, 1,963 assists and 2,857 points and single-season ones along the way, including 92 goals in 1981-82. OBrien asked if Gretzky thought "some punk kid" was going to come along and score 93 in a season. "Records are made to be broken," Gretzky said. "When I grew up my idol was Gordie Howe, and he couldnt have been any nicer, couldnt have been any better. He was just a really good man. When I broke his records, he was always the first guy there. "So if anybody ever breaks my records, Ill be the first guy to shake his hand. The players are good today, theres a lot of good players. Nevers a long time." Gretzky went on to say his record he believes will be the hardest to break is 50 goals in 39 games, "because 50 goals in 38 games is a lot of goals." "Yes," OBrien responded. "Thats pretty good. Well see." Gretzky said that being the smallest but never the fastest or toughest player at any point of his hockey-playing career made him consistent in his style. When OBrien brought up the topic of "Gretzkys Office," and his penchant to control the flow of play from behind the net, Gretzky credited Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke. "I had a coach when I was 14 years old that said: Go watch this guy Bobby Clarke play and watch how he plays. Hes not very big, hes smart, he passes the puck and he plays sort of from the corner and a little bit behind the net," Gretzky recalled. "So at the age of 14 I started watching him day in and day out. "He probably had the most influence on my career as far as learning how to play the game and the style of game that I played. I learned to play behind the net, and when I started doing that, it was so unique. Nobody had ever tried to defend that. And so I was able to really master it and become really good at it, and that was sort of my forte." Hockey sense, Gretzky said, was also a strength. Singing, not so much. OBrien mentioned that the first time he met Gretzky came in 1989 on the set of "Saturday Night Live." Although Gretzky originally turned down the appearance, his wife, Janet, accepted for him. On the show, Gretzky had to sing a song called "Waikiki Hockey," despite being, in his words, "tone deaf." "The funny part of the scene was they had this little piece of meat and I was sort of supposed to hit it," Gretzky said. "And I hit it right into a garbage can. I think everybody was shocked that I put it in the garbage can. It was just completely by accident." OBrien, who served as an extra in that scene 25 years ago, joked that "Everyone thought, He is the great one, he can fire meat at will." But that was acting, which Gretzky wasnt trying to be great at after going to Los Angeles. "Athletes come here and they want to be actors sometimes," Gretzky said. "But I never wanted to act, I wanted to be a hockey player." Follow (at)SWhyno on Twitter. Its a real big dream for me. hockeys come a long way. Authentic Ron Francis Jersey . Pekovic had an MRI test Tuesday on his right ankle that revealed bursitis, which is inflammation of the fluid-filled pad that cushions the joint. Authentic Jordan Staal Jersey . That assertion is getting harder and harder to make, especially given the way 23-year-old Danilo Gallinari has been playing this season. http://www.cheaphurricanesjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-brock-mcginn-jersey . Bouchard went down to a 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 defeat at the hands of Svitolina in her opening match at the Sony Open on Friday. Bouchard got the rivalry going two years ago when she won the junior Wimbledon title over Svitolina.JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - When the Jacksonville Jaguars introduced starter Toby Gerhart before last weeks game, Gerhart and his fellow running backs ran onto the field together.They called it a sign of unity.It also served as a strong visual depicting what the Jaguars backfield has become.Its running back by committee in Jacksonville, with Gerhart, Denard Robinson, Jordan Todman and rookie Storm Johnson all sharing carries.The Jaguars (0-5) rank 31st in the league in rushing, averaging 67 yards a game, so the decision to get more guys involved was an obvious one.Johnson could be the wild card in the rotation. A seventh-round draft pick from UCF, Johnson was inactive the first three weeks because of ankle injury, and although he was active Week 4 at San Diego, he didnt play. He made his NFL debut Sunday against Pittsburgh, running four times for a team-high 27 yards.It wasnt a dazzling performance, but Johnsons 20-yard run in the third quarter matched the teams longest of the season (quarterback Blake Bortles) and was the longest for any Jaguars running back.Its not surprising to me, coach Gus Bradley said. I mentioned two weeks ago he had a good practice. Last week he had a good week, and its that trust and hes building trust. For him to go in there and perform and really capture his opportunity was pretty cool to see. ... The runs he had were very impressive.Johnson re-injured his ankle late in the game, but should be fine for Sundays game at Tennessee (1-4).Still in rebuilding mode, the Jaguars might start Johnson at some point. Bradley and general manager Dave Caldwell have gone with several youngsters this season, especially on offence.Bortles, centre Luke Bowanko, right guard Brandon Linder, tight end Nic Jacobs and receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns all started in the 17-9 loss to the Steelers. Rookie linebacker Telvin Smith also got the nod, giving the team seven rookies in the starting lineup.By comparison, fellow AFC South teams Houston, Indianapolis and Tennessee started one each.Jacksonville also has fiive second-year players in its starting lineup, making the Jaguars one of the leagues youngest and least experienced teams. Authentic Petr Mrazek Jersey. Caldwell and Bradley believe that if the competition is close between two players, its usually best to go with the younger guy, especially if they think hes got more upside.Well, its a challenge that weve said before that we accept, Bradley said. Somewhere down the line these guys cant be rookies anymore, I believe. I think somewhere theyve played enough games where they say, All right, lets go. I dont want to talk about that anymore. We understand that.Gerhart and the other running backs understand the situation.Although Jacksonville gave Gerhart a three-year, $10 million contract in free agency to be the No. 1 back, the former Minnesota Vikings backup knew he would be sharing the load this season.Injuries have made it even more necessary.Gerhart sprained his right ankle in the season opener against Philadelphia when he was horse-collar tackled from behind. He has been hobbled since. And it seemingly got worse Sunday when he sprained his right foot. He returned to the game, but finished with a season-low four carries for 9 yards, and played just 10 snaps.I know that he felt really good going into the game and then early he had an issue, Bradley said.Regardless of what happens to the starting spot, the running backs insist it wont matter because theyre so close. That was evident when they took the field together Sunday.Were just a tight group and we just said, Why not? Gerhart said.Todman said it carried over from last year, when former Jaguars standout Maurice Jones-Drew led the group and got everyone hanging out together. They even nicknamed themselves the wolf pack.They didnt get introduced as a group in 2013, but decided to do it Sunday a€” fitting given the state of the position.It was a group decision, Todman said. Why not? Lets do it. 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