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Gretzky praises Laine: 'When you score goals, people love you'

Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

Wayne Gretzky has his eye on a particular Winnipeg Jets forward ahead of Sunday's Heritage Classic.

You guessed it: Patrik Laine.

Just four games into his career, the Finnish phenom has taken the league by storm, showing the offensive prowess that earned him the No. 2 overall selection in June's draft.

"I haven't seen him play live yet. I'm looking forward to that Sunday," Gretzky told The Canadian Press on Friday, after taking the ice with Edmonton's alumni squad.

Related: Gretzky: I thought my scoring records were in trouble during Matthews' debut

Gretzky, the top goal-scorer in NHL history, knows Laine's ability to put pucks in the net will enamor him to fans across the league.

"When you can score goals, people love you," Gretzky said. "And let me tell you, I played with (Luc) Robitaille, I played with Jari (Kurri), I played with Brett Hull. They loved to score.

"And you've got to love to score. I loved to score. And you can tell that kid (Laine) loves to score."

With The Great One watching, Laine could have a tough time topping his most recent performance - his first-career hat-trick, Wednesday versus the Maple Leafs.

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