ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Wednesday, February 28, 1996           TAG: 9602280105
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: B-3  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: ST. LOUIS
SOURCE: Associated Press

ST. LOUIS BECOMES WAYNE'S WORLD KINGS DEAL `GREAT ONE' TO BLUES

Wayne Gretzky, the ambassador of hockey, has a new address: St. Louis.

Gretzky, who failed to win a Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings, was traded to the St.Louis Blues on Tuesday night, ending weeks of speculation.

``I'm emotionally drained,'' Gretzky said at a news conference in Los Angeles. ``I'm disappointed to be leaving Los Angeles but I'm excited to play in St.Louis. ... It's always tough when you move. Nobody likes to make changes. Sometimes it's just timing.''

To get the most prolific scorer in NHL history and a hockey icon whose name is synonymous with the sport, the Blues gave the Kings three young players - Craig Johnson, Patrice Tardif and Roman Vopat - and their first-round pick in the 1997 entry draft.

The 35-year-old superstar said he expects to sign a new contract with the Blues in two to three weeks.

``It wasn't a financial issue,'' he said. ``Finances never really were a factor.''

Gretzky can become a free agent after this season, and the Kings risked losing him without compensation if they failed to sign him or trade him. He said it ``could conceivably happen'' that he plays out the season with the Blues, then signs elsewhere.

``I think it's been tough on everyone,'' Gretzky said. ``It's been very unfair for all of us. I think everyone is relieved.''

Word of the trade from St.Louis came while Kings general manager Sam McMaster and governor Bob Sanderman were meeting at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

In the afternoon, Sanderman announced there was ``no conclusion'' to the negotiations with Gretzky and his agent, but the talks were to resume.

``We want to do what's right for Wayne,'' Sanderman said at the time. ``At the same time, we owe it to our fans to do what's right for the Los Angeles Kings.''

Now, like the NFL's Rams before him, Gretzky is off to St.Louis and is expected to be in the lineup for the Blues on Thursday night in Vancouver.

``I just follow the Rams,'' he said. ``Wherever they go, I go.''

LENGTH: Short :   50 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  AP. Wayne Gretzky says he's ``excited to play in 
          St.Louis.''