Gretzky raised hockey's profile in Los Angeles.

 
Hockey had been in L.A. long before Wayne Gretzky. But as ESPN.com's Terry Frei writes, the Great One made hockey fashionable. The Kings retired Gretzky's No. 99 before facing the Coyotes on opening night.

• Morganti: 2002-03 projections | ESPN: Predictions
• Page 2: Hot 'n' Not | Chat wrap: Gary Bettman

ESPN.com's NHL Preview

Monday, Sept. 30: Power forwards • Adelson: Bertuzzi: A force of nature • Clement: Top 5 power forwards •  Bertuzzi music video • Adelson: Setting Bertuzzi to music Tuesday, Oct. 1: Defensemen • Frei: Finding the next great one • Engblom: Top 5 "next" great defensemen Wednesday, Oct. 2: Two-goalie towns • Pang: Too many to tango Thursday, Oct. 3: Freshmen and sophomores • Berra: Rookies to watch • Parent: Super sophs or super slumps? Friday, Oct. 4: The coaches • Heika: Lewis knows the ropes • Heika: The other new guys • Melrose: Top five coaches in the NHL Saturday, Oct. 5: General managers • Johnson: Ones who should be on the hot seat • Melrose: Top 5 general managers Monday, Oct. 7: Captainless ships • Frei: The importance of the position • Ferraro: Top 5 leaders in the NHL • What will teams do? • Buccigross: Western Conference preview Tuesday, Oct. 8: Pressure • Cox: The expectation superhighway • Cox: Show -- not tell -- time