EVERYONE SMILED, hugged, said all the right things to all the right people. That is, after all, what hockey players do.

But quietly, many of the biggest names on Team Canada grumbled about the non-stop attention Wayne Gretzky received during the World Cup, about Gretzky jumping on the ice and into their team picture, and how he got more notice for not playing than many do for suiting up.

Gretzky was interviewed more often during the World Cup than any of his players, held more press conferences and his appearance in the on-ice post-game photo -- has a general manager ever slid into the front row of one of those pictures before? -- rankled many on the Canadian roster.

The regular tension shots of Gretzky on television made for terrific viewing but didn't exactly endear himself to some of his players.

THIS AND THAT

Vince Carter let his mom say it, his agent say it, his friend, the car dealer, say it, and just about everyone he knows say it, before he had the stones to finally say out loud that he wanted to be traded. What a man! ... The real difficulty in dealing Carter isn't simply the timing of his public proclamation. It's the fact that with a salary cap -- see that NHL fans? -- you can't simply trade players. There are contract considerations involved and all you can muster for Carter is more bad contracts ... The lockout could force serious changes in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd. How long will Toronto Dominion Bank hang in there as an owner? Same applies for the Teachers' Pension people? And if the Maple Leafs are forced to pay injured players Ed Belfour, Owen Nolan and Alex Mogilny -- that's $19 million US and not all of it covered by insurance -- it could get very expensive ... Carlos Delgado, the greatest power hitter in Blue Jays history, is only 466 home runs behind Barry Bonds ... Another Bonds number: If you combine the Hall of Fame numbers of George Brett and the up-to-date numbers of Alex Rodriguez, arguably the two greatest hitters of their generations, they don't add up to Bonds in home runs ... Who would have thought it would turn out this way when Bonds, Andy van Slyke and Bobby Bonilla made up that terrific outfield in Pittsburgh in the early 1990s ... Not only is Jarome Iginla locked out, but he's nervous he doesn't have a contract signed. Iginla isn't thrilled about waiting for a new NHL landscape to determine his value.

HEAR AND THERE

Interesting to hear Pat Riley's reaction to Carter being available and wanting to play in Miami. "We're looking for toughness," Riley said. In other words, forget Vince ... If I criticize the stance taken by the NHL Players' Association in any way, I will deny it tomorrow and complain that my words were taken out of context ... The true beauty of watching Canadian football was proven again yesterday afternoon during the Argos-Blue Bombers game: Quality and excitement are not mutually exclusive ... It's amusing to hear that the Nashville Predators need cost certainty to be profitable in the NHL. Their payroll was $23.2 million US last season ... The best theatre going: Any time the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees play.

SCENE AND HEARD

The Carter trade request is another unfortunate slap at chairman Larry Tanenbaum's face. No one treated Antonio Davis and Carter better than Tanenbaum: And what did he get besides embarrassment? ... Memo to J.P. Ricciardi, career excuse-maker: Minnesota GM Terry Ryan, who declined to be interviewed for the Blue Jays job, has cut $18.3 million from his payroll this season and kept the Twins in contention ... Now this isn't your regular Sunday bus ride: Jerome Bettis, five carries for one yard and three touchdowns ... Say this much for Frank Francisco, the suspended pitching chair man. Suddenly, sitting in the nosebleed seats has taken on a whole new meaning ... Next up for Francisco, a WWE contract. Everybody throws chairs in that world ... When I heard Ryder was playing Detroit, I naturally assumed it was Mitch ... Best part about the lockout to date: No Eric Lindros injury updates ... If the lockout goes more than a year, expect Brett Hull to come back as a sumo wrestler.

AND ANOTHER THING

Why NHL owners need protection from each other? Of the top-10 salaried players heading into this non-season, at least seven could be termed overpaid, vastly overpaid or ridiculously overpaid: Based on performance, only Nik Lidstrom, Chris Pronger and Joe Sakic belong. The rest -- Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Yashin, John LeClair, Mike Modano, Keith Tkachuk, Bill Guerin and Bobby Holik are Exhibit A in the case of NHL mismanagement ... Is it because he's lost in Saskatchewan that nobody notices that head coach Danny Barrett is having another losing season with the Roughriders? We know he's a nice man and all, but shouldn't he have to win the occasional game to remain employed? ... That pest named Ville Nieminen is playing hockey in Finland for just one reason: "I like food too much," he said ... The only thing moving slower than NHL's labour negotiations? Drew Bledsoe's feet ... The leading candidate to manage the Jays next season is Charlie McCarthy. He comes equipped with marionette strings that reach all the way to the general manager's box ... And hey, whatever became of Kerwin Bell?