GRETZKY IN HALL; IT'S A GREAT DAY; CHILDHOOD DREAM IS FULFILLED.

Byline: Guy Curtright Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Wayne Gretzky hasn't worn a pair of skates since his tearful farewell, No. 99 waving goodbye as he circled the rink one last time.

But to hockey fans, he will always glide on ice, remembered as the greatest.

Just seven months and a few days after his final game at New York's Madison Square Garden on April 18, Gretzky was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday amid an outpouring of love rarely showered on anyone.

No. 99 in 1999. Perfect.

A player is supposed to have to wait three years after retirement to be eligible for the Hall of Fame. But not the Great One, who first visited the Hall at its old location in Toronto when he was 11. As a teen-ager, he used to stand for hours looking at the memorabilia and dreaming about someday playing in the NHL.

``Now I have a plaque up there with all the ones I used to stare at,'' said Gretzky, the former King who was born about 70 miles away in Brantford, Ontario. ``What a thrill. I never even dreamed about this. It's the icing on the cake.''

Gretzky, 38, was inducted with retired referee Andy Van Hellemond and Scotty Morrison, a former NHL referee-in-chief and Hall of Fame chairman.

Morrison wore a kilt to the ceremonies. But he couldn't steal the spotlight from Gretzky, a Thousand Oaks resident who holds or shares 61 NHL records and is Canada's most celebrated athlete.

Van Hellemond said, ``I'll be part of a great hockey trivia question, `Who were the other two stiffs that went in with No. 99?' I wore No. 25, by the way.''

The Hall of Fame considered moving the induction ceremonies to the nearby Air Canada Center, the new home of the Toronto Maple Leafs. But Gretzky nixed the idea. ``He wanted to go in like everyone else,'' said Bill Hay, chairman of the Hall of Fame.

Tickets sold out quickly, with 2,000 people each paying $300 (Canadian) to sit in the BCE Place atrium and watch the ceremonies on a large screen. About 500 invited guests were allowed into the Hall of Fame for the ceremonies - televised live in Canada and the United States.

It was all Gretzky, all the time in Toronto, his every move chronicled. The Toronto Star and Toronto Sun both put out special sections, although they already had published Wayne Gretzky tributes when he retired.

Monday was an emotional day for Gretzky. But not as emotional as his last game, he said. ``I had peace of mind and knew I had made the right decision,'' he said. ``But so many people were pulling at me to keep playing.''

Gretzky says he has no regrets about his decision, although he ``misses hockey greatly.''

``I miss game day. I miss every day,'' he said. ``It's a special bond athletes have. When you are no longer part of it, you are an outsider looking in. All players go through it. We all become ex-players. That's what I am now.

``After Gordie Howe retired, they said there would never be another Gordie Howe. But then along came Bobby Orr. . . . Hockey will always have its stars.

``I probably miss hockey more than hockey misses Wayne Gretzky.''

Asked what his next dream was, Gretzky said, ``To come back and play again.'' Just joking. ``I said I would retire only one time,'' Gretzky said. ``And I'm officially retired.''

Far from idle, however. He has appeared in commercials as an endorser for everything from tires to hamburgers to pain remedies.

``The best way to keep from missing hockey too much is to keep busy,'' Gretzky said.

Gretzky lives in Thousand Oaks with his wife, former actress Janet Jones, their two sons and a daughter. The boys enjoy hockey, but Gretzky says he won't push them into the sport, as his father did him.

Walter Gretzky saved almost everything from his son's career, and now it's part of a Hall of Fame exhibit that covers 2,300 square feet. ``We have everything but his pacifier,'' Hall official Hay said.

``This is a proud time for Wayne and me,'' Walter Gretzky said. ``I miss seeing him play, but it was his decision. He thought it was time to retire.''

Someday, Wayne Gretzky says, he might be a part of the NHL again, not just one of its biggest fans. Certainly, he will return to the ice, if only for fun.

But first he must get a pair of skates. ``I don't have any now,'' he said. ``I gave my skates to the Hall of Fame.''

Wayne Gretzky by the numbers

894 goals scored in his career

1,963 career assists

2,857 career points

92 goals in 1981-82 season

4 NHL titles won

A look back at Wayne Gretzky's career

1961

Born on Jan. 26 in Brantford, Ontario. The oldest of five children. Father Walter builds a hockey rink in the family's backyard when Wayne is a youngster. Meets hero Gordie Howe and visits the Hockey Hall of Fame at age 11.

1979-1988

Scores first NHL goal Oct. 14, 1979, against the Vancouver Canucks. Leads NHL in scoring as a rookie, beginning an eight-year run as the league's top point scorer. Needs just 39 games to score 50 goals in the 1981-82 season, becoming the fastest to 50 in NHL history. Wins four Stanley Cups with Edmonton, leading the NHL in goals five times with three consecutive 200-point seasons and four overall.

1988-1996

Is traded to the Kings along with Kike Krushelnyski and Marty McSorley for Jimmy Carson, rights to Martin Gelinas and three first-round draft picks. Leads Kings to only Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 1993. Ties Gordie Howe's record of 801 career goals March 21, 1994, against the San Jose Sharks. Scores No. 802 two days later against the Canucks.

1996-1999

Leaves the Kings for the St. Louis Blues and then the New York Rangers via free agency. Retires at end of 1998-99 season. Holds or shares 62 NHL records. Becomes 10th player to have customary three-year wait waived before being inducted into Hall of Fame.

- Mark Simkins

CAREER STATISTICS

Regular Season

Season, Team GP G A Pts

1979-80, Edm-ac 79 51 86 137

1980-81, Edm-ab 80 55 109 164

1981-82, Edm-abd 8092 120 212

1982-83, Edm-abd 80 71 125 196

1983-84, Edm-abd 74 87 118 205

1984-85, Edm-abd 80 73135 208

1985-86, Edm-ab 80 52 163 215

1986-87, Edm-abd 79 62 121 183

1987-88, Edm 64 40 109149

1988-89, LA-a 78 54 114 168

1989-90, LA-b73 40 102 142

1990-91, LA-bc 78 41 122 163

1991-92, LA-c 74 31 90 121

1992-93, LA 45 16 49 65

1993-94, LA-bc 81 38 92 130

1994-95, LA 48 11 37 48

1995-96, LA-StL 80 23 79 102

1996-97, NYR  82 25 72 97

1997-98, NYR 82 23 67 90

1998-99, NYR 70 9 53 62

Totals 1487 894 1963 2857

a-won Hart Trophy as league's Most Valuable Player.

b-won Art Ross Trophy as league's highest scorer.

c-won Lady Byng as most gentlemanly player.

d-won Lester Pearson award as NHL's outstanding player.

CAPTION(S):

9 photos, 2 boxes, chart

PHOTO (1 -- color) Wayne Gretzky, who as a teen-ager spent many hours at the Hockey Hall of Fame, smiles during his induction ceremony in Toronto.

Frank Gunn/Associated Press

(2 -- 9) no captions (Wayne Gretzky at various points of his career)

BOX: (1) Wayne Gretzky by the numbers (see text)

(2) A look back at Wayne Gretzky's career (see text)

CHART: Career statistics (see text)