Frozen Ponderings

The Hurricanes took advantage of Gretzky's presence in North Carolina to promote the team, and they are about to do the same with Mario Lemieux. The Penguins visit Carolina twice down the stretch -- March 23 and April 8, which is the season finale. The Canes are offering seven-game ticket packages, and sought-after seats to both Penguins games are included in the package. Basically, the Hurricanes hope to piggyback five other games on top of the two Lemieux contests in an effort to try and get a few sellouts. Both Phoenix and Carolina started their backups Friday night. That's not alarming for Phoenix because Sean Burke's knee is healthy enough for him to start Sunday, and Robert Esche made 33 saves in the shutout win. No slight to Tyler Moss, who allowed one goal on 17 shots, but Irbe's absence could mean trouble. Irbe entered Friday tied with Tommy Salo for the league lead in games played with 50. He doesn't take many nights off, so his injured groin might be something to monitor in the next week. According to Craig Morgan of the Arizona Tribune, Dave Draper, Warren Rychel, Shane Churla and Rick Minch are about to be named to positions under Gretzky. Draper's most notable scouting work came with Colorado where he helped with the drafting of Alex Tanguay, Milan Hejduk and Martin Skoula. Churla also will be involved with scouting, and it's not known what role Rychel, a former teammate of Gretzky's in L.A., will serve. And Minch, a former director of public relations with the Kings during the Gretzky era, will be Gretzky's personal assistant and do a lot of things Gretzky's agent Mike Barnett used to do.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- If Wayne Gretzky's first few days of ownership are any indication, the new position won't change him at all.

He'll remain humble, gracious and even a bit reserved. Most important, he'll probably be successful.

As Gretzky greeted his new employees here Friday, he didn't get up on a soapbox preaching fire and brimstone. No one lost his or her job. No publicity stunts.

It was just the greatest player ever stopping by to let everyone know they'd be seeing him around the office for the foreseeable future.

"I just told them how impressed I was with the players in the Phoenix organization," said Gretzky of his afternoon chat with the Coyotes.

Gretzky said he plans to sit down with each player individually over the weekend.

"It was brief, not much was said," Coyotes captain Keith Tkachuk said of Gretzky's meeting with the team a few hours before the Coyotes beat the Hurricanes 2-0. "It was a great feeling. All the guys were pumped, and I don't even think it's hit everyone yet."

Jeremy Roenick, Tkachuk's counterpart as the franchise's bankable on-ice stars, has known Gretzky since Roenick was a young teen-ager. Hockey life in Phoenix, according to Roenick, is about to change in a big way.

"It's definitely going to be interesting," Roenick said after the game. "When he's in the room, it definitely sends an aura that's special."

From his reputation as a person to the subtle, understated way with which he introduced himself to the team, Gretzky comes across as a player's guy. It makes sense because Gretzky was always considered a great teammate.

But what about being a coach's guy?

Coyotes coach Bob Francis admitted after Friday's game that he did not meet one-on-one with Gretzky on Friday as had been expected. Francis didn't act alarmed nor did he read into it. In fact, he maintained a sense of humor about the whole situation.

"He's undefeated," said Francis of the Coyotes winning the first game of the Gretzky era. "The guys definitely wanted to make a good impression.

"He's in the thick of things now."

Yes, he is, but observers might not even notice -- Gretzky's demeanor seems to be as consistent as his scoring during his 20-year career.

Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com. He can be reached at brian.shactman@espn.com.