KINGS FINALLY SAY THEY'LL RETIRE `99'.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

In a move that was admittedly long overdue, the Kings announced Thursday that they will retire the No. 99 jersey of Wayne Gretzky in a ceremony before the first home game of next season.

Gretzky, the most prolific scorer in NHL history, retired following the 1998-99 season, and his number will finally hang on the west wall of Staples Center, alongside the jerseys of Marcel Dionne, Dave Taylor and Rogie Vachon. The NHL retired No. 99 in 2000, for all teams.

``This is something we wanted to do at the last game of the 1999 season, but because of Wayne's other commitments, we weren't able to finalize a date until now,'' said Taylor, the Kings' general manager. ``Nobody has had the impact on hockey, both in Canada and the United States, that Wayne had.''

A sticking point in the ceremony was the attendance of former Kings owner Bruce McNall, a close friend of Gretzky who served a four-year prison term for fraudulent business dealings. McNall was released from prison last spring.

``There really was no problem,'' Gretzky said. ``The first year (after retirement), Edmonton asked me to come back for a ceremony, and because they were my first team, I felt obligated to that. In the second year, I wanted to wait for my friend Bruce to be around, and then I took on the responsibility of the Canadian Olympic team, so I felt the timing was better to do it next year.''

Rumors of a rift between Gretzky and the team developed because of the delay, but all sides seem happy to have the situation finalized. The exact date of the ceremony will not be known until the NHL releases its 2002-03 schedule.

``I was just talking to somebody the other day about the fact that it hadn't happened yet,'' former teammate Jari Kurri said. ``I think we all expected it to happen, it was just a matter of finding the right time to do it.''

Gretzky is credited with creating a hockey boom in the United States. His success in Los Angeles, from the time he arrived in a blockbuster trade from the Edmonton Oilers in 1988 to the end of his Kings career in 1996, helped generate the momentum that led to franchises in Anaheim, San Jose and throughout the Sun Belt states.

Gretzky, now 41 and a Thousand Oaks resident, had some of his greatest moments in a Kings uniform. In 1989 he scored career point No. 1,851 to pass Gordie Howe on the all-time list, and in 1994 Gretzky recorded goal No. 802 to pass Howe again. In 20 seasons, Gretzky totaled 894 goals, 1,963 assists and 2,857 points and holds 61 NHL records.

Elected to the NHL Hall of Fame in 1999, Gretzky will now be honored in an arena in which he never played a game.

``There was something special about playing in the Forum,'' Gretzky said. ``I know there were no sky boxes or anything, but there was something intimate about playing there, like the old Chicago Stadium or Maple Leaf Gardens.''

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