Dec. 10--What's up with The Great One? The Tribune caught up with Wayne Gretzky and the Hockey Hall of Famer gave his take on a variety of subjects:
How can the NHL increase scoring?
"One of the best scenarios that I heard from a friend of mine is to sort of shave the post on the net side so that they're angled more toward the middle of the net. So if pucks come in and hit the post, more pucks will go in than off the post. I think that's something we should really look at. The NHL has done a tremendous job of trying to make the game more exciting. Every couple of years we're trying to figure out different ways to make the game better and more exciting."
What do you think of the three-on-three overtime format?
"It has been a lot of excitement for everybody. I wish we had three-on-three when I played. You would have had myself, (Mark) Messier and (Paul) Coffey against probably the Hawks' (Denis) Savard, (Steve) Larmer and Doug Wilson and it would have been a lot of fun for fans. The goalies (Grant) Fuhr and (Tony) Esposito would have hated it but we would have had fun."
With three Stanley Cups in six seasons, are the Blackhawks a dynasty?
"They're absolutely, in my mind, a dynasty. What the organization has done to win three championships in the salary-cap era has been tremendous. This is a different time and a different era than when (I) played and you could keep a team together for 10, 11 or 14 years like the Canadiens, Islanders and Oilers. That's very difficult to do now with the salary cap. It has created more parity in the league but it's harder for the great teams to stay together.
"The Hawks should be extremely proud of what they've accomplished. For that matter, if the L.A. Kings can win a third one here, all of a sudden you have to look at them and say, 'Wow, they're right up there too with the Hawks.'"
What do you think of the Blackhawks' Patrick Kane as a player?
He's fun to watch. He's a three-time champion. He's an unselfish player and he's a really energetic guy who makes and creates so much for his teammates.
Will you ever come back to hockey in a full-time capacity?
"I'm not even thinking about it. I just enjoy watching the game as a fan. Life is great. I'm a huge fan and I love the excitement of the game right now. It's just all positives. I've watched a lot of hockey and played a lot of hockey and it's exciting to watch right now."
