Wayne Gretzky to coach Metropolitan Division All-Star team

Wayne Gretzky will replace John Tortorella as the Metropolitan Division coach for 2017 Honda NHL All-Star weekend, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman reported on Thursday.

Tortorella announced earlier this week that he would not coach the game. He also was not with the Blue Jackets for their final game before the All-Star break, a 4-3 loss at the Nashville Predators.

Over the course of four coaching seasons, all with the Arizona Coyotes, Gretzky has a record of 143-161-24.

In his NHL playing career, Gretzky has 894 goals and 1963 assists for 2857 points.