Strained Back Puts Gretzky in Hospital

BLUE JAY, Calif. — Wayne Gretzky, who was scheduled to return to Kings’ training camp on Wednesday night, instead spent the night at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood with a strained upper back.

Gretzky underwent a series of tests at the hospital and remained there for observation. Apparently, he did not suffer the injury during the first two days of camp on Saturday and Sunday. He left here on Sunday night to be with his Janet Jones, who gave birth to their third child on Monday morning.

“It’s in the middle of the upper back,” said Kings’ team physician Dr. Ronald Kvitne, who is with the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic. “It just developed (Tuesday). We have no idea how it happened. It’s totally different . . . unrelated to the back problems he’s had before.

“(But) because of that, we want to take all of the tests and precautions. We can’t even tell (how long he will be out) until we get all the tests and see how he’s doing.”

A year ago, Gretzky injured his lower back in the Canada Cup tournament when he was checked from behind by Calgary’s Gary Suter. He first had back problems just before playoffs in the 1989-90 season when he missed the final five games of the regular season and part of the first-round playoff series against Calgary.