No Suspense for Kings This Time, Trip Ends With Loss to North Stars

It’s over.

That’s about the only thing positive the Kings can say after losing to the Minnesota North Stars, 6-3, Thursday night, ending a weeklong trip that turned into a death march.

The numbers aren’t pretty:

Four games. Four losses. Three opposing hat tricks.

And enough turnovers, wasted power plays and shoddy defense to keep Coach Tom Webster, home with an inner-ear injury, away from his television for months.

After all, co-interim coaches Cap Raeder and Rick Wilson had to watch these games only once. Webster was subjected to replays.

“We’ve got to be hitting the bottom of the well pretty quick,” Wilson said. “I think I can see it.”

After blowing third-period leads in the first three games of this trip, the Kings took the suspense out of this one early.

Minnesota scored just 13 seconds into the game when Aaron Broten put in his own rebound off goalie Mario Gosselin.

It was Broten’s 14th goal and the first of many before a sellout crowd of 15,196 at Met Center.

Mike Gartner joined Rob Brown (Pittsburgh Penguins) and Steve Yzerman (Detroit Red Wings) in the three-goal club on this trip.

But Gartner had a little inadvertent help.

After scoring his 31st and 32nd goals to push his club into a 3-0 lead, Gartner got his 33rd in the third period with a little help from Steve Duchesne.

Gartner, on the right side, was trying to pass the puck through the crease when Duchesne got a stick on it.

Duchesne’s aim was to break up the pass. His aim was off. Instead, he tipped the puck into the net.

“It happens,” said Gartner with a smile.

Everything seems to have happened to the Kings on this trip.

Overall, they have lost five in a row, surrendering 29 goals over that span to drop to 24-29-6.

The Kings made progress in at least one category. They held the North Stars even, 2-2, in the final period after being outscored, 12-2, in the third period of their previous four games.

It was a big victory for the North Stars, 26-32-3, who had held a meeting Wednesday to discuss the unstable situation surrounding their team, which is talking about moving to Oakland.

“We finally came to the realization after two weeks that the whole thing is out of our hands,” Gartner said. “It (the possible move) can’t be used as an excuse. People were saying, we are not going to be here. Why are we doing this?”

The Kings held a pregame meeting to try to turn things around, at least emotionally.

The player who seems to be taking the losses the hardest is Wayne Gretzky, who has been in a slump--at least by his standards.

After scoring one goal in six games, he had a pair Wednesday in Detroit. Thursday, he had an assist and seemed more active on the ice.

“Hopefully, I’ve put that bad stretch behind me,” he said. “I go through it every year. I think every player goes through it. It’s impossible to be 100% for 80 games.”

Gartner said he had seen Gretzky “play better, but as far as I’m concerned, he’s still Wayne Gretzky. I’ve never seen him pack his bags and he won’t do it now.”

Gretzky agreed that he will never let down emotionally.

“You have to stay pumped up,” he said. “We’ve got to set an example for the younger guys.”

So he never dreads going to the rink?

“Never,” he said. “I have more fun every day. I love to go to the rink. I love to play. It’s my life.

“The day I consider this a job is the day I walk into the rink for the last time.”

King Notes

The King goals were scored by Luc Robitaille (40th), Petr Prajsler (second) and Bob Kudelski (18th). The other North Star goals went to Dave Gagner (28th) and Brian Bellows (38th). . . . The Kings are hoping to have their jet ready for their next road trip, which begins March 2 in Winnipeg, but may have to wait until mid-March. The plane, purchased by team owner Bruce McNall for $5 million, is a 727 jet formerly used by the President of Mexico. It will be based in Van Nuys. . . . Steve Purwin, pilot of McNall’s private plane, will be one of the pilots of the new craft. It was Purwin who helped Wayne Gretzky with his fear of flying. Whenever he is airborne with Purwin and gets nervous, Gretzky comes up and sits in the cockpit. Purwin eases Gretzky’s mind by explaining the mechanics of flying.

The North Stars have given the Minnesota Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, their landlords at Met Center, until Wednesday to give a positive response to their demands for $15 million in improvements in their home. The club is threatening to move to Oakland. The North Stars feel they need a season-ticket base of at least 10,000 to stay. They are currently at around 3,500. . . . The Kings have called up two players from their minor league club in New Haven, right wing Scott Bjugstad and defenseman Bob Halkidis. Both will be available for Saturday’s game at the Forum. Bjugstad appeared in 47 games for New Haven and had 45 goals and 21 assists for a total of 66 points. Halkidis, in 30 games, had three goals and 17 assists. Both played on the big club earlier this season. The Kings have no immediate plans to ship anyone down. . . . The team sent defenseman Larry Robinson straight home from Detroit to rest. . . . The Kings open a five-game home stand Saturday night against Quebec. That will be followed by a rare day game Monday, President’s Day, against Washington, to be followed by Minnesota (Wednesday), Vancouver (Feb. 24) and Edmonton (Feb. 28).