St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 29

ST. LOUS POST-DISPATCH FORT, WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY 28, 1996 ULLnJJ LrW 4-' UJLUU 'The Great One' Brings His 'C And No. 99 To Blues For 'A New Start In St. Louis' I I By Jeff Gordon Of the Post-Dispatch staff ayne Gretzky is, simply, The Great One.

And now he is a Blue. After weeks of negotiations, the Rlnes nn Tnpsrlav nicrlit arnnirpH I the National Hockey League's career scoring leader lj irom ine los Angeies mngs. When Gretzky, 35, continues his storied career-Thursday night in Vancouver, he will be wearing the Bluenote. His No. 99 jersey also will be adorned with a tor captain.

"I look forward to a new start in St. Louis." Gretzkv said. "I am ecstatic about playing for Mike (Keenan), and obviously it will be nice to have Brett Hull on my right side." COMMENTARY 4Vr He stepped on his record-setting trail in 1978 as a wisov 17-vear-old. brineinp; oifts nro 9 i Blues hnrlrpv npvpr haH coon Kofnro T-To -if n1iT could make plays, he anticipated them. He could orchestrate a 10-skater game all by himself.

"Gretzky sees a picture out there that anoot And Score By Luring Gretzlcy Here nobody else sees, said Boston Bruins general manager Harry Sinden, a man not prone to hyperbole. "It's difficult top describe, because I've never seen the game he is looking at." The flashy kid grew into a The Blues have traded for Babe Ruth. They have acquired Michael Jordan. They are giving a uniform to Joe Montana. Wayne Gretzky will be wearing the Bluenote.

The greatest hockey player to pirouette on ice Ana ne is ours. The Blues should begin wearing skates made of superstar and endured. There are two sets of NHL records, his and everybody else's. "He scored 85 more points one vear than the solid gold, a fitting tribute to this god of hockey. The Great One is 35 now, a lesser version of his prime form, but 75 percent of Wayne Gretzky is more special than virtually next guy," marveled hockey legend troraie riowe, Gretzky's idol.

"I scored 85 in a year and set a record." everything else on ice. But this is not about how manv assists he will create with his magic wand, or how he will make Brett Hull's radiant smile even brighter. This is not Gretzky earned four Stanley Cup rings the moment to debate if his class can elevate a rugged but pedestrian team in the postseason. We have many days and nights to engage in rational, clear- See GRETZKY, Page 4 neaaea discussions. Page3 Already, we can cite the obvious reasons why Gretzky is so immediately valuable to the Blues: He is the playmaker, the creator, that the Blues so desperately need.

And Gretzky stuck in an emotional rut will be recharged by this move. New life for the power plav. Photo by Mark Buckner Blues Fans Excited About Getting The Great One Page 3 Vrs He will make Hull the lethal weapon of old. He will be a positive influence on Hull and calm the stormy relationship between The Golden Brett and Blues general manager-coach Mike Keenan. He will enhance the credibility of the Kiel Center Partners; by approving this bit of interstate commerce, these corporate leaders show that they are serious in their commitment to the Blues.

He will remind those nagging Blues fans of Keenan's prominent status in this league Gretzky wouldn't be coming here unless he had complete faith in Iron Mike. He will save the Blues at the box office in the coming playoffs, then again in the summer season-ticket campaign. Just wait until those Hull-Gretzky billboards start eoine up all over town. Rest Of NHL Reacts To Gretzky Trade To Blues Page 4 Really, we could go on counting the virtues of this transaction. But much of the benefit of Gretzky's presence can be defined in intangible terms.

f1" See MIKLASZ, Page 4 Mood Swings O'Neal Has 'Great Vibes1 After Talking With Rams li's Henson Was Only As Good As Latest Streak, At Least To Some and so forth. So this could get to be a very familiar situation a good group of people, and some guys that want to win. I think that's the bottom line. If you're trying to win, I think you've got half the battle won." O'Neal, 31, figures he has three or four more productive years as a play er. He remains a productive pass rusher, as evidenced by his 12,2" sacks last season.

But San Diego, his home for his 10 previous NFL seasons, did not offer him a contract for See RAMS, Page 4 By Jim Thomas Of the Post-Dispatch Staff Defensive end Leslie O'Neal, he of the 105Vi career sacks and six Pro Bowls, paid a visit Tuesday to the Mathews-Dickey Boys Club. Growing up in Little Rock, O'Neal frequently came to St. Louis to play little league football. Now, he's considering ending his National Football League career here with the Rams. "I have great vibes here," O'Neal said.

"It's definitely close to home, I'm used to the weather and climate AP By Mike Eisenbath Of tlM Pot-Dispatch Staff CHAMPAIGN, 111. The Fighting Illini won their first nine basketball games including a 10-pointer at Duke and 11 of their first 12. Pollsters ranked them the 12th-best team in the country when Big Ten Conference play began. "People started thinking we were that good," coach Lou Henson said. "I heard people talking about us going to the Final Four." Henson has coached a couple of Final Four teams.

He knew better than to dub a 12th-ranked Illinois squad, untested by a Big Ten brute, destined for such madness when the calendar still showed December. "A coach usually has an idea about his ballclub, what to expect," Henson said. "He can't share that with the public sometimes." In January, the Illini lost their first five league games. February began with a loss to dreadful Wisconsin at Assembly Hall. That's when things really got ugly.

Fans throughout the state bellowed that Henson, 64, needed to step aside as soon as possible despite a contract "that goes through next season. Henson didn't want to talk retirement, but no one else seemed to mind. They talked about the merits of assistant Jimmy Collins as a successor, relished rumors about Mike Krzy-zewski coming from Duke, wallowed in the muck and mire of ripping various players. So where did that leave the Illini on Friday night? Ninth place in the 11-team Big Ten. Clinging to any shred of hope to play in the NCAA Tournament.

And with a head coach who spent that night going against his gut desire by drafting his retirement speech. Answer Is In Between Funny thing is, just as Illinois' ter- i Lou Henson knew he had a decent team this season at Illinois, but the fans' expectations turned out to be too high. SPRING TRAINING: New Cardinals pitcher Todd Stottlemyre is eager for his first start 2D HIGH SCHOOL HOOPS: Missouri boys and girls sectional playoff previews 5D SLU PREVIEW: The Billikens play at Southern Mississippi tonight in Conference USA basketball 6D ing Thomas Hamilton, perhaps? Would Henson's friends be planning his retirement party? "I would guess probably not," longtime assistant Dick Nagy said. Before Henson told them of his plans, the Illini upset 18th-ranked Iowa on Saturday. That was their See ILLINI, Page 6 rific start fooled people into great expectations, the pile of league losses probably sent psyches too far the other way.

For instance: What if Kiwane Gar-ris hadn't missed three games and part of another in January all losses because of a shoulder injury? And what if the Illini had just one big man with a penchant for rebound.