Before the hockey town that Wayne Gretzky built hosted its first outdoor game at Dodger Stadium, The Great One made a rare Hollywood move by going on "Conan" to promote it. In an 11-minute interview on the late-night show with host Conan OBrien, Gretzky reflected on his trade from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings, his guest appearance on "Saturday Night Live" and several aspects of his on-ice playing career. Beyond all his records and his place in hockey history, Gretzkys Hollywood persona wouldnt have been as pronounced if it were not for that trade 25 1/2 years ago. "It was hard for especially people in Edmonton because they werent just fans, they were friends of mine. A lot of the people that go to all the games, I knew from all the years of being in Edmonton," Gretzky said of the deal. "So it was difficult for everyone. But you look back at it now and everything happens for a reason and we love it here in L.A. and the NHL is thriving here and everyone seems to be doing OK." The Oilers won their fifth Stanley Cup in 1990 without Gretzky and made it to the final in 2006 before losing to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Kings made it to the final in 1993 with Gretzky before losing to the Montreal Canadiens, then won their first title in franchise history in 2012. Edmonton hasnt made the playoffs since 2006 and is still in a rebuilding stage. Just now is a new downtown arena under construction. But Gretzky was on "Conan" for the NHLs Stadium Series debut, which is Saturday between the Kings and the league-leading Anaheim Ducks. He called the game happening at Dodger Stadium a "real big dream." Even before this promotional tour, the "Great One" said he was an advocate of outdoor hockey in Los Angeles. "Id love to see an outdoor game in L.A. because we see the Winter Classic and the Heritage Classic with the snow and thats all wonderful. But a big part of our game, too, now and the success of the National Hockey League is California and places like that," Gretzky said before the Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony in November. "Its going to be wonderful to see people sitting at Dodger Stadium when its 65 degrees (F) and theyre sitting there in shorts and T-shirts and enjoying a National Hockey League game. I think its going to be wonderful for our sport." It should be roughly 19 C (66 F) when the puck drops around 6:30 Pacific time Saturday night. When Gretzky and the Kings faced the New York Rangers in an exhibition game in Las Vegas in 1991, temperatures ranged between 29 and 35 C. Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said after a California heat wave last week he was looking forward to cooler temperatures for this game. "I think its going to be completely unique and its going to be tremendous playing in 60-degree weather outside under the stars," Boudreau said. "I think a lot of people will be real interested to see how that works." Ice technology has improved drastically in the 22-plus years since that Las Vegas game. As Gretzky acknowledged during his appearance on "Conan," so has the NHL, in general. OBrien asked Gretzky about a so-called unwritten rule that opponents wouldnt hit him, which the former Kings captain refuted. "I didnt get hit as much as people probably wanted me to get hit, especially on the opposing teams," Gretzky said. "I knew it was time to retire when I was playing my last year and people I was playing against before they would hit me, they would scream my name or say, Hey, heads up or, Wayne, get out of the way, or Here we are. I remember thinking, Wow, somethings not right about this." Gretzky then told a story about going to a game with his wife and two sons and sitting in the front row when one of them said to their mother: "Be really honest, did dad really play in this league?" When Gretzky did play in the NHL, he set career records with 894 goals, 1,963 assists and 2,857 points and single-season ones along the way, including 92 goals in 1981-82. OBrien asked if Gretzky thought "some punk kid" was going to come along and score 93 in a season. "Records are made to be broken," Gretzky said. "When I grew up my idol was Gordie Howe, and he couldnt have been any nicer, couldnt have been any better. He was just a really good man. When I broke his records, he was always the first guy there. "So if anybody ever breaks my records, Ill be the first guy to shake his hand. The players are good today, theres a lot of good players. Nevers a long time." Gretzky went on to say his record he believes will be the hardest to break is 50 goals in 39 games, "because 50 goals in 38 games is a lot of goals." "Yes," OBrien responded. "Thats pretty good. Well see." Gretzky said that being the smallest but never the fastest or toughest player at any point of his hockey-playing career made him consistent in his style. When OBrien brought up the topic of "Gretzkys Office," and his penchant to control the flow of play from behind the net, Gretzky credited Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke. "I had a coach when I was 14 years old that said: Go watch this guy Bobby Clarke play and watch how he plays. Hes not very big, hes smart, he passes the puck and he plays sort of from the corner and a little bit behind the net," Gretzky recalled. "So at the age of 14 I started watching him day in and day out. "He probably had the most influence on my career as far as learning how to play the game and the style of game that I played. I learned to play behind the net, and when I started doing that, it was so unique. Nobody had ever tried to defend that. And so I was able to really master it and become really good at it, and that was sort of my forte." Hockey sense, Gretzky said, was also a strength. Singing, not so much. OBrien mentioned that the first time he met Gretzky came in 1989 on the set of "Saturday Night Live." Although Gretzky originally turned down the appearance, his wife, Janet, accepted for him. On the show, Gretzky had to sing a song called "Waikiki Hockey," despite being, in his words, "tone deaf." "The funny part of the scene was they had this little piece of meat and I was sort of supposed to hit it," Gretzky said. "And I hit it right into a garbage can. I think everybody was shocked that I put it in the garbage can. It was just completely by accident." OBrien, who served as an extra in that scene 25 years ago, joked that "Everyone thought, He is the great one, he can fire meat at will." But that was acting, which Gretzky wasnt trying to be great at after going to Los Angeles. "Athletes come here and they want to be actors sometimes," Gretzky said. "But I never wanted to act, I wanted to be a hockey player." Follow (at)SWhyno on Twitter. Its a real big dream for me. hockeys come a long way. Air Max Baratas España . The 23-year-old Neustaedter will move at the end of the season when his contract with Moenchengladbach expires. He signed a four-year deal with Schalke. Air Max Online Baratas . 1 Caroline Wozniacki and three-time champion Serena Williams cruised into the semifinals, while last years runner-up Vera Zvonareva succumbed to Aussie Samantha Stosur in Thursdays womens quarterfinal action at the U. http://www.airmaxespana.es/ . The fourth-year guard from Carleton University kicked off his varsity career with rookie of the year honours in 2011, before racking up three straight Mike Moser Memorial Trophies for outstanding player. Air Max España Baratas . Third-place Madrid fell behind and settled for a 2-2 draw earlier at Osasuna in a match both sides finished with 10 men, and Barcelona didnt let the chance escape. Barcelona, still without the injured Lionel Messi, again turned to Neymar after his hat trick against Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday to convert a penalty on the half-hour mark and restore the lead in the 68th after Villarreal levelled. Air Max Comprar Online España . The 21-year-old Wickham headed Sunderland into a 26th-minute lead --to add to the double he scored at Manchester City and his strike in last weekends win at Chelsea -- and then sealed the win with a late header.ATLANTA - Landing another of baseballs top power hitters, the San Diego Padres acquired Atlanta outfielder Justin Upton on Friday in a trade that sent four prospects to the Braves. The Padres already made two huge trades in recent days to get outfielders, acquiring slugger Matt Kemp from the Los Angeles Dodgers and former AL Rookie of the Year Wil Myers from Tampa Bay. Now, San Diego has picked up one of baseballs top right-handed power threats in Upton, who will earn $14.5 million in the final year of his contract. He had 29 homers and 102 RBIs last season The Braves acquired left-hander Max Fried, infielder Jace Peterson, third baseman Dustin Peterson and outfielder Mallex Smith, as well as San Diegos fourth international bonus pool slot. Jace Peterson is the only player whos spent any time in the majors. The Padres also get right-hander Aaron Northcraft. In contrast to San Diegos win-now approach, the Braves are in rebuilding mode after failing to make the playoffs last season and are aiming toward the opening of their new suburban stadium in 2017. New general manager John Hart has dealt two of the top hitters from a lineup that already had trouble scoring runs, trading Jason Heyward to the Cardinals. Upton and Heyward are heading into the final year of their contracts, and the Braves were not willing to risk losing them while getting nothing in return. With a solid pitching staff in place, the Padres have taken huge steps to pump up the major leagues worst offence under their new general manager, A.J. Preller. The trade for Upton came less than 24 hours after the Padres finalized a five-player trade with the Dodgers. The biggest name in that deal was Kemp, a two-time All-Star whose 182 homers rank fourth in Los Angeles Dodgers history. San Diego also completed an 11-player, three-team trade that brought Myers from the Rays. He will likely play centre field, flanked by Upton and Kemp, to suddenly give the Padres one of the most dynamic outfields in the major leagues. In addition, they still have their three outfielders who got the bulk of the playing time in 2014: Seth Smith, Cameron Maybin and Will Venable. The best option for a deal would appear to be Smith, who hit .266 with 12 homers and 48 RBIs. The Padres had a hisstorically awful offence in the first half of 2014 before improving enough to finish third in the NL West.dddddddddddd Still, they were at the bottom of the majors with a .226 average, .292 on-base percentage and 535 runs. Their 109 homers were the second-fewest in the baseball. That shouldnt be a problem in 2015. The trade of Upton had been expected since the Braves signed outfielder Nick Markakis to a $44 million, four-year deal. The newcomer will take over for Heyward in right field, while Evan Gattis is expected to move from catcher to replace left fielder Upton. Gattis, though, has also been mentioned in trade talks. The deal breaks up the Upton brothers, whose two years together in Atlanta did not live up to expectations. With much fanfare, the Braves signed B.J. Upton to a $75.25 million, five-year deal before the 2013 season and landed his younger brother in a blockbuster deal with Arizona. While Justin had two solid seasons, hitting 27 homers with 70 RBIs in his Braves debut, B.J. has been one of the biggest free-agent busts in baseball history. This past season, the older Upton hit just .208 with 12 homers and 35 RBIs, though that was actually an improvement on his 2013 performance — .184, nine homers and 26 RBIs. Atlanta would undoubtedly love to cut ties with B.J. Upton, as well, but its unlikely that anyone would be willing to take on the final three years of his contract, even with the Braves assuming a substantial portion of the estimated $45 million he is still owed. The 20-year-old Fried looks to be the biggest catch in the deal for the Braves, though any payoff is years down the road. The seventh overall pick in the 2012 amateur draft, Fried pitched only five games last season between Rookie ball and Class A before lingering pain in his elbow forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery. He will miss a good portion of 2015 coming back from the reconstructive surgery, slowing his progress toward the majors. Jace Peterson could get a chance to start at second base for the Braves. The 24-year-old hit just .113 in 27 games for the Padres last season. ___ AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report. ___ Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963Authentic Nike Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Tennessee Titans Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Washington Redskins Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Arizona Cardinals Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Denver Broncos Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Green Bay Packers Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike New England Patriots Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Oakland Raiders Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Seattle Seahawks Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Carolina Panthers Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Cleveland Browns Jerseys CheapCheap Throwback Baseball Arizona Diamondbacks JerseysCheap Throwback Baseball Atlanta Braves JerseysCheap Throwback Baseball Baltimore Orioles JerseysCheap Throwback Baseball Boston Red Sox JerseysCheap Throwback Baseball Chicago Cubs JerseysCheap Throwback Baseball Chicago White Sox JerseysCheap Throwback Baseball Cincinnati Reds JerseysCheap Throwback Baseball Cleveland Indians Jerseys ' ' '