DALLAS (AP) 鈥� Wayne Gretzky was congratulating them after they advanced to their third consecutive Western Conference final, where they will face the franchise with which 鈥淭he Great One鈥� was a four-time Stanley Cup champion.
鈥淗e said we鈥檙e going up against a pretty good team now,鈥� Stars captain Jamie Benn said Tuesday, the day before hosting Game 1 against Edmonton. 鈥淎nd I had to ask him who he was cheering for. It felt right, and he didn鈥檛 answer, obviously.鈥�
Benn said it was 鈥減retty cool鈥� that Gretzky visited the Stars after their Saturday night over Winnipeg that set up a West final rematch against the Oilers.
Edmonton won the West final over the Stars in six games last year, then lost to Florida in a seven-game Stanley Cup Finals.
鈥淲hat a great honour to have the greatest player of all time come down after the game and say hello,鈥� Stars coach Pete DeBoer said.
he had so much fun watching them play, and that they were now going to play "one of the greatest teams ever.鈥�
DeBoer was on the coaching staff for Canada for the team鈥檚 4 Nations Face-Off title earlier this year, and during that period got to spend some time with Gretzky.
鈥淓xtra special. That鈥檚 my era. That鈥檚 the guy we all grew up watching,鈥� DeBoer said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a special guy when you get him 1-on-1 or in a coach鈥檚 room or behind the scenes. You can see his passion for the game. He can sit and talk hockey and tell stories all night.鈥�
Gretzky was part of four Stanley Cup titles in a five-season span in the 1980s with Edmonton. He was the NHL career-leading goal scorer with 894 goals until on April 6, but still has the most points (2,857) and assists (1,963).
So, when meeting the Stars and DeBoer, did Gretzky say anything that would create headlines in Edmonton, like saying he was hoping Dallas would win?
鈥淗e didn鈥檛. He would never say that, and I would never put him in that spot,鈥� DeBoer said. 鈥淗e was very respectful of our group and the job we鈥檇 done to that point. I think we all understand his allegiance to Edmonton and appreciate that, so he never went beyond that.鈥�
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AP NHL playoffs: and
Stephen Hawkins, The Associated Press
