Sports The Prince George Citizen — Thursday, August 11, 1988 — 13 MARK ALLAN Sports editor DID HE FORCE GRETZKY FROM EDMONTON? Pocklington target of fan outrage EDMONTON (CP) - Public outrage grew Wednesday as three of Wayne Gretzky’s former teammates insisted the hockey super-star was forced into a trade to the Los Angeles Kings. Oiler owner Peter Pocklington vehemently denied the comments, saying he’ll swear an oath that Gretzky initiated the National Hockey League trade. But while insisting he didn’t force Gretzky to surrender his Oiler sweater, Pocklington admitted he would likely have traded the hockey legend in the next few years. “Gretzky never initiated any deal,” said Eddie Mio, a long-time friend and best man at Gretzky’s July 16 wedding in Edmonton to Hollywood actress Janet Jones. “Wayne loves Edmonton,” Mio said during an interview on CBC television. ‘It’s really important people know this wasn’t Wayne and Janet’s idea.” Former Oiler Paul Coffey, also in the Gretzky wedding party, lashed out upon hearing the news of the blockbuster trade. “I talked with Gretz after the Stanley Cup and he said, ‘I’m happy, I’ll play here forever,’” Coffey said. Along with Gretzky, Mike Kru-shelnyski, Marty McSorley and John Miner have been traded to Los Angeles for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas and Craig Redmond. The Oilers also get three first-round draft picks and more than $10 million US. Gretzky was “just a piece of meat” traded for hard cash by Oiler management, charged Coffey, the defenceman traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins from Edmonton last season after a bitter contract fight. Gretzky asked to go to the Kings only after discovering the Oilers were talking trade and he made the request so he could have a say in his future, Mio said. Those comments were echoed by another former teammate, Dave Lumley, who said he heard from several sources that Pocklington asked Gretzky to say he requested the trade. Gretzky — who has shattered dozens of records and led the Oilers to four Stanley Cup victories in five years — is widely acclaimed as the greatest living hockey player. Since coming to Edmonton a decade ago The Great One, as he is called, has become the city’s bestloved son. Shocked after the deal was announced, angry fans blistered the airwaves of Edmonton radio talk shows Wednesday. The Edmonton Sun reported more than 600 callers jammed the newspaper’s switchboard to complain. Fans also swamped telephone lines at Oiler offices, some threatening to cancel season tickets. Gretzky, 27, cried in front of a packed media audience at a news conference Tuesday when the deal was announced. But he told reporters he asked to be traded because of his new family, including a child expected next year. Pocklington said Wednesday he’d “swear on a court document, a statutory declaration, anything you wish, that Wayne wanted to be traded.” Pocklington said he gave Gretzky one last chance to change his mind before the trade was announced, but was unaware Gretzky had said in Los Angeles that he was “forced to be sold.” According to the Edmonton owner, Gretzky’s departure was inevitable. “I’d just as soon have a hot team 10 years or seven years or five from now, rather than get zero in compensation if he’d become a free agent.” An Oiler spokesman said management should decide this week what to do with season-ticket holders demanding refunds. The Kings’ box office faced quite another dilemma. While the Los Angeles team anticipated there would be some increase in business, team spokesmen admitted they never expected the rush for season’s tickets. Meanwhile, Jones has rejected accusations she influenced the trade. “I don’t feel I did,” she said in Los Angeles. “Maybe in his heart he was doing something for me. “It’s scary. I know a lot of people in Edmonton think I brought him here.” The uproar over Gretzky’s departure spread all the way to the Alberta legislature. A debenture held by government-run Alberta Treasury Branches indicate Pocklington was not free to trade him without the bank’s permission, contended Ray Martin, leader of the opposition New Democrats. The debenture shows Pocklington pledged Gretzky’s personal-ser-vices contract in return for some $42 million in loans, Martin said at a press conference Wednesday. But Pocklington told a CBC radio program the clause in the debenture was dropped three years ago and is no longer in effect. And he said the amount is for a line of credit, not a loan. Alberta Treasurer Dick Johnston was unavailable for comment. KINGS INVITE BOSSY EDMONTON (CP) — Hockey star Mike Bossy said Wednesday night the owner of NHL’s Los Angeles Kings has asked him to join the Kings and form a super line with Luc Robitaille and newly-acquired centre Wayne Gretzky. Bossy, the New York Islanders’ all-time leading goal scorer, said Bruce McNall contacted him two weeks ago with the proposal. “He called me and asked me if I would be willing to play for the Kings,” said the Islanders’ right winger in a telephone interview from his cottage in Quebec. “Obviously, with Gretzky there and with Mr. McNall certainly looking like he wants to build a winner fast, and with me being a free agent, it does make a lot of sense.” Bossy also said McNall indicated at the time he was “95 per cent sure” he would get Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers. Bossy admitted liking the idea of playing on the same line with Gretzky and left winger Robitaille, the 1986-87 NHL rookie of the year. But he said a lower-back ailment prevents him from making any commitments. He said he has one more back specialist to see this summer. “My back still hurts, so I’m basically not making any plans. “If I were able to come back, I’d certainly think of that situation (joining the Kings) very highly.” Meanwhile, the Oilers have finally confirmed that defenceman Craig Redmond will join them as part of Tuesday’s trade. The Oilers sent defenceman John Miner to the Kings in exchange for Redmond, a club spokesman said late Wednesday afternoon. The Kings first denied Tuesday that Redmond was included in the multi-player, multi-million-dollar deal, but later said the defenceman was being traded to Edmonton. The Oilers had not confirmed Redmond was involved. The deal sends Gretzky to Los Angeles along with Mike Krushel-nyski, Marty McSorley and Miner for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas and Redmond. The Oilers also get three first-round draft picks and more than $10 million US. Redmond and Miner were both free agents with compensation. Washington gets relief by PAUL SMITH Sports Reporter When you’re about to have a nightmare, it’s nice to have someone come and wake you up. That’s exactly what Pat Roche did Wednesday night for South Washington in the A-B final of the the Pacific Northwest Regional Babe Ruth championship. Roche relieved in the third inning to stamp out a North Oregon rally and went on to pitch four more innings of scoreless ball, leading his Hazel Dell-Metro team from Vancouver, Wash., to a 10-6 victory over La Grande, Ore., at Heather Park. The victory forced an extra championship game today between the teams, with each having one loss in what began as a nine-team double-knockout tournament. The winner advances to the Babe Ruth World Series beginning Aug. 20 in Lebanon, Mo. Today’s game was originally scheduled to begin at 5 p.m., but was moved up to 2 at the request of La Grande, which had wanted to leave early. Roche relieved starter Brad Liv-sey in the third inning after Liv-sey had given up a three-run homer to Jamie Falconer of La Grande, a blast which made the score 7-6 and brought back memories of North Oregon’s dramatic come-from-behind victory Monday over Hazel Dell-Metro. In that game, Hazel Dell-Metro led 12-1 in the fifth inning but went on to lose 13-12 when La Grande scored eight runs in the bottom of the fifth and four more in the bottom of the seventh. Dell-Metro coach Jerry Anderson admitted Wednesday he had visions of another nightmare when Falconer’s homer cleared the right-field fence, but those visions disappeared when Roche came in to put out the fire. “The key was Roche coming in with that curveball of his,” said Anderson. “That really worked well for us. “He was the biggest factor as far as we were concerned. He shut them down.” Hazel Dell-Metro had beaten the Olympic All-Stars of Port Angeles, Wash., 7-2 earlier in the day in the B final to advance against La Grande, which went undefeated to win the A side. The A-B final began as a hitting spree, with both starters exiting early. Falconer, a lefthander and the eventual losing pitcher, was lifted in the second after he had allowed five walks and three hits. Reliever Dave Ullan struck out the first batter he faced but was greeted with a two-out grand slam from first baseman Ed Dyment. Dyment, who had also homered in the previous game for this third homer of the tournament, was selected Dell-Metro’s most valuable player for the game. Falconer, who was two-for-four, was MVP for La Grande. Dyment’s grand slam put South Washington ahead 7-3, but then it was Livsey’s turn to run into trouble. One batter reached first after an error, another walked and Falconer, atoning for his pitching woes, belted his three-run shot with two out to bring La Grande within one. Roche finally ended the free-for-all. He scattered five hits in four innings, worked himself out of a jam in the fourth and kept La Grande off the board to earn the save. Livsey was credited with the win, allowing five hits. La Grande manager Larry Nice said errors and walks proved costly- “I really think tonight we beat ourselves,” said Nice, whose team had gone 11 games without a loss in state and regional championships. “They beat us by getting the key hit, but after we had made some mistakes. “You can’t put guys on for free — you’ve got to make them earn their way on, and we didn’t do that.” S. Wash. 7 N. Wash. 2 Scott Anderson was Mr. Everything for Hazel Dell-Metro as he tossed a four-hitter for the win, went four-for-four and stroked a solo homer while being named his team’s MVP. Dyment hit a two-run homer in the fourth, when Hazel Dell-Metro scored four runs to break the game open. Greg Massey had an RBI double and scored a run for Port Angeles while being named his team’s MVP. “We had too many mistakes to win,” said Port Angeles manager Tom Gray. “But it’s great to come to this level and finish third. “We just didn’t hit the ball like we’re capable of. The bottom line is, when you get two runs, you’re not going to win at this level.” NO COMEBACK THIS TIME Umpire Adolf Jede of Quesnel calls Jamie Falconer of North Oregon safe as Falconer slides past South Washington catcher John Downing in the second inning. Citizen photos by Dave Milne Carl Lewis also clocked a best performance for the year, running the 200 metres in 19.82 seconds. Johnson clocked the second fastest time this season. However, the Toronto sprinter looked disappointed after predicting a world record of 9.80 seconds on the high-altitude fast track of Sestriere. He edged Americans Joe De Loach and Dennis Mitchell, saying he needs “more races to be sharper and faster. It was my second race of the season, and after all I can be satisfied.” Lewis, who will be trying to duplicate his Los Angeles Games feat of four gold medals at the Seoul Olympics next month, lost his balance slightly as he came out from the last bend but produced a tremendous push on the final straight. He finished ahead of Frenchman Gilles Queneherve (20.23) and fel-low-American Albert Robinson (20.24) amidst the cheers of 3,000 fans. American veteran star Evelyn Ashford took the women’s 100 in 10.94 seconds, 0.45 slower than the world record set by Florence Griffith during the recent U.S. Olympic trials in Indianapolis. Another American, Gwenn Torrence, was second in 11.02 seconds. Wind blew barely within the I lamond A Division of Diamond Autoglass • THE SAND EXPERTS • - SANDBLASTING SANDS - Specialty Sands - Filter Sands 563-1124 3646 Massey Drive, Prince George, B.C., V2N 2S6 (Across from J.J.’s Pub) Monday to Saturday - 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Emergency Calls 562-7506 - 562-1040 Big Ben winner with quick time SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) - Canadian Ben Johnson won the 100-metre dash in 9.98 seconds today and American Roger Kingdom became only the second man to run the 110-metre hurdles in less than 13 seconds, clocking 12.97 at a track and field meet in this Italian Alpine resort. Kingdom’s performance was the best of the year for the event. Briton Colin Jackson, who finished second, set a European record of 13.11 seconds. Kingdom, the 25-year-old 1984 Olympic champion, was just off the world record of 12.93 set by Re-naldo Nehemiah in 1981. allowed two-metre-per-second limit during the sprints. In other Canadian results, Desai Williams of Toronto was fourth behind Johnson in the 100 metres, clocking 10.16 seconds. Mark McKoy of Toronto finished third behind Kingdom in the 110 hurdles in 13.21, faster than the 13.25 he recorded in winning the event at the recent Canadian championships in Ottawa. Jillian Richardson of Calgary placed second to Petra Mueller of East Germany in the women’s 400 metres. Mueller clocked 50.47 and Richardson 50.59. • McBride * ! SloPitch • • Tournament • • • • 8 Teams - C Level Ball • J August 20th & 21st J • Entry Fee - $100 • • • ora - 3> i uu q • 5 men/5 women & • • Double Knockout • • • 0 To register contact # m Graham Mervin at 569-3360 (w) ^ or 569-3239 (h), or Brian Taphorn • 569-3221 (w) or 569-2406 (h). • • • Prizes - 1st - $300 # 2nd - $200 # 3rd - $100