Gretzky and Gordie Howe. He has scored at least 24 goals in 17

Regular Season Matchup
	W-L-OT	HOME	ROAD	DIV	CONF
PHO	38-39-5	19-18-4	19-21-1	15-15-2	32-35-5
VAN	42-32-8	25-10-6	17-22-2	15-12-5	33-31-8
· Complete Standings

Team Stat Comparison
242	Goals	252
268	Goals Against	251
96	Power Play Goals	96
98	Power Play Goals Allowed	93
9	Shorthanded Goals	6
11	Shorthanded Goals Allowed	10
1511	Penalty Minutes	1475
18	Average Penalty Minutes	18

Goalie Breakdown
	GOALIE	GP	W	TGA	GAA	SO	SV	SV%
	Curtis Joseph	60	32	166	2.91	4	1524	.902
	David LeNeveu	15	3	44	3.24	0	342	.886
	Brian Boucher	11	3	33	3.87	0	235	.877
	Philippe Sauve	5	0	17	5.46	0	111	.867
	Alex Auld	67	33	189	2.94	0	1749	.902
	Dan Cloutier	13	8	36	3.17	0	298	.892
	Mika Noronen	4	1	10	3.52	0	67	.870
	Maxime Ouellet	4	0	12	3.25	0	101	.894
	Rob McVicar	1	0	0	0.00	0	0	.000

Team Stat Leaders
G	Shane Doan 30	Anson Carter 33
A	Ladislav Nagy 41	Henrik Sedin 57
PTS	Shane Doan 66	Markus Naslund 79
PIM	Shane Doan 123	Jarkko Ruutu 142
SOG	Shane Doan 254	Markus Naslund 264

Phoenix at Vancouver, 10:30 pm EDT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Ticker) -- Just about everything Wayne Gretzky has touched in his hockey career has turned to gold. He hopes he has that same magic as a coach.

The "Great One" makes his debut behind the bench Wednesday, when the Phoenix Coyotes face the Vancouver Canucks in the season opener for both teams.

Gretzky, who also is the team's managing partner, won 10 Art Ross trophies, nine Hart trophies and four Stanley Cups in Edmonton and set 61 records before retiring a player in 1999.

Seeking a new challenge, Gretzky is taking over a team that went 22-36-18-6, finished fifth in the Pacific Division and has missed the postseason two straight years. The franchise has not reached the second round of the playoffs since 1987 as the Winnipeg Jets.

Among the new faces on the Coyotes is 41-year-old Brett Hull, who is third on the all-time list with 741 goals, trailing Gretzky and Gordie Howe. He has scored at least 24 goals in 17 straight seasons.

Phoenix also added free agent centers Petr Nedved and Mike Ricci along with goaltender Curtis Joseph, who was bothered by ankle problems in 2003-2004. Incumbent goalie Brian Boucher suffered a preseason groin injury.

The Canucks won the Northwest Division with a record of 43-24-10-5 in 2003-04 before losing to Calgary in overtime of Game Seven in the Western Conference quarterfinals.

Todd Bertuzzi returns to Vancouver after a season-ending suspension for his hit on Colorado's Steve Moore on March 8, 2004, leaving Moore with a broken neck. Whether Bertuzzi can play with his usual intensity in the opening games remains to be seen.

Coach Marc Crawford is looking for another big season from captain Markus Naslund, who won the Lester B. Pearson Award after setting career highs with 48 goals and 56 assists in 2002-2003.

Center Brendan Morrison rounds out Vancouver's top line with Bertuzzi and Naslund. He scored 60 points, tying him for second on the team, before helping Canada win gold at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.