Lappy and Schneider remember Gretzky's jersey retirement, 20 Years Later

It's every goalie's worst nightmare. A team of Wayne Gretzkys skating towards you as you stand helpless in your crease.
Twenty years ago, that's exactly how the Kings looked in warmup as they prepared to send the Great One's number to the rafters in a pre-game ceremony before hosting the Coyotes.

Fortunately for Sean Burke, who was tending the twine for Phoenix that day, the Kings discarded the jerseys after warmup but each team commemorated the special occasion by sporting No. 99 patches on their uniforms.
While it was a thrill for the players, who had the chance to wear No. 99 for the first time in their careers, it meant so much more than just donning Gretzky's iconic digits.
For LA's Ian Laperriere, who had the chance to play against Gretzky for seven seasons, it was a surreal experience.
"It was something special," Laperriere said by telephone while, coincidentally, starring up at a Gretzky jersey that adorns his basement wall. "Wayne's the best player who ever played our game, so to be a part of that night was something special for every individual."
While Gretzky was arguably one of the greatest players to ever lace them up, his impact was felt far beyond the incredible skill he brought to the ice. After arriving in Los Angeles in 1988, Gretzky grew hockey's popularity in the United States and helped the league expand into uncharted markets.

Even for the players who didn't have the chance to cross paths with him in their careers, what Gretzky did for the game made that evening all the more special.
Although Kings defenceman Mathieu Schneider did have the chance to play both against and with Gretzky, he was part of the Great One's final season with the Rangers, it was his influence on the sport that really stuck with him.
"He was just an iconic figure, especially when he came here and what he did not only for the Kings but for the game of hockey when you look at the growth and how hockey has developed out here," Schneider said when reached by telephone.
Given Gretzky's place in the pantheon of hockey, the game took on greater significance for Schneider.
"Anytime you have a special occasion like that it gives you a boost of energy and shot in the arm," he said. "in the back of your mind, you're doing it for the fans and you're doing it for Wayne."
Schneider certainly backed it up on the ice. Just before the halfway mark of the third period, he scored on the power play to make it 3-1 for the Kings.
And just over thirty seconds later, Laperriere scored his 62nd career goal to extend the team's lead. Despite lighting the lamp on a milestone evening, the hard-nosed winger doesn't recall scoring.
"I should remember. I didn't score that many," he laughed. "I actually don't remember scoring that night. It wasn't Lappy night, it was Gretzky's night. It was just a privilege to be a part of that night was something special in my career."

Finding the back of the net on the Great One's special night certainly gives Laperriere and Schneider bragging rights, but it's not a story that either of them would bring up when thinking about Gretzky.
Instead, they are both reminded about how he carried himself off the ice and how that meant more to them than his growth of the game ever could.
"You know what's special about Wayne," Laperriere said. "He remembers everybody. He always finds a little story to connect you."
Laperriere, who is now the bench boss for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the AHL affiliate for the Flyers, recalls a time when he bumped into Gretzky when he was still working as an assistant coach for Philadelphia.
"Wayne is really good friends with Rick Tocchet and the last time I saw him I was coaching against Tocc's power play and I was in charge of the Flyers' penalty kill and he made a little comment about that," Laperriere said. "A guy like that is special because of how great he was on the ice but mostly how great he is off the ice."
For Schneider, who got to witness Gretzky's farewell tour in New York, it gave him a better appreciation for his teammate's character.
"Every day he came to the rink it was like an autograph session for him," he explained. "There were tables laid out with his jerseys, hockey cards, and hockey sticks. I never saw him turn down an autograph."
Schneider said it got to the point where the team bus would have to pick him up at the back of the hotel because if he was spotted out front, he would spend the next twenty minutes signing autographs while everyone else waited.
"But that was just how he was," Schneider continued. "He was certainly a man of the fans and a man of the people. It was just really something special to see."
Following the retirement ceremony and game, the Kings auctioned off all the jerseys they wore in warmup. Even for players like Schneider and Laperriere, who were former teammates and colleagues of Gretzky, there was no way they were passing up an opportunity to buy back their own jerseys to always have something to cherish from that night.
Two decades later, both Schneider and Laperriere still have theirs, and they are still just as special as that night they got to look like the Great One. "It's something I'm going to keep for the rest of my life," Laperriere said.