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Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremonies begin in Toronto this weekend and the question is, will he or won't he? Will Wayne Gretzky attend with his wife, Janet, when the careers of five of his closest friends in hockey are honoured? Or will he sit out as part of his lingering discontent with the NHL, which treated him shabbily during the Phoenix Coyotes' bankruptcy hearings after he helped put the league on the map in the first place? All four player inductees have close ties to the Great One. Gretzky played with Brian Leetch in New York, with Luc Robitaille in Los Angeles, with Brett Hull in St. Louis, and internationally with Steve Yzerman of the Detroit Red Wings. As executive director of Canada's 2002 men's Olympic hockey team, Gretzky relied heavily on Yzerman to provide a key on-ice leadership role with the gold medal-winning squad. Now that Yzerman has succeeded him as the manager of the 2010 team, the former Red Wings superstar has called on Gretzky repeatedly this fall for advice. St. Louis Blues president John Davidson, who will receive the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award Monday for broadcasting excellence, was behind the microphone for most of Gretzky's games with the Rangers and they remain good friends. With so many close ties to the Hall's class of 2009, Gretzky would send a strong message about his current frosty frame of mind toward the NHL if he were to skip this year's awards ceremonies. The Hall Of Fame made a direct overture to Gretzky this week, to coax him into coming, but as of yesterday morning, according to Hull, the Great One is still mulling his plans. "I know he really wants to go and I know Janet really wants to as well, but I don't think a final decision has been made on that yet," Hull said.

In addition to being a hockey columnist for The Globe and Mail and globesports.com, Eric Duhatschek is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and part of its committee that selects inductees.