Notes on a Scorecard - March 28, 1991

Welcome to Hockeyville, U.S.A.. . . .

“Kings’ tickets have been much hotter than Lakers’ lately,” said Kenny Solky, general manager of Murray’s Tickets. “For each of the last two games, we got $300 for front-row rinkside seats and $200 for senate seats. Orders for the playoffs already are going through the roof.”. . . .

The Kings have sold out their last 24 home games. No tickets remain for the Minnesota game tonight or the first and second rounds of the playoffs. . . .

Sylvester Stallone, Tom Hanks, John Candy, James Woods, Mary Hart and Chuck Norris are among the regulars. . . .

High ratings for the game at Edmonton on Channel 5 Sunday dispelled the notion that the 16,005 at the Forum are the only people in Southern California interested in hockey. . . .

Prime Ticket announcer Bob Miller is getting nearly as many “I’d like to say hello to my grandmother in Miami” messages as Harry Caray. . . .

The Kings, who used to sell the least merchandise in the NHL, now sell the most. . . .

A U.S. serviceman called the Forum from Saudi Arabia last month to see if he could reserve a pair of tickets. . . .

The puck finally landed in Inglewood in 1988 when Wayne Gretzky arrived from Edmonton, but the Kings’ quest for the first division championship in their 24-year history has won them new followers this season. . . .

“Actually, this kind of a race is a new experience for me,” Gretzky said. “In Edmonton, we were either in first place by 18 points or firmly in second place. . . .

“Every game now is like a playoff game,” said Dave Taylor, who has spent his entire 14-year NHL career with the Kings. . . .

“I’m on the edge of my seat every night,” owner Bruce McNall said. . . .

In their last three games, the Kings have shown that they can win with offense, over Calgary, 8-4; with defense, over Edmonton, 2-0, and in overtime, over Edmonton, 4-3. . . .

More from Gretzky: “We feel we can win in any building, at any time, on any day.”. . . .

Best sound effect in hockey west of the Chicago Stadium horn is that of a creaky door slamming when a visiting player is sent to the Forum penalty box. . . .

Perhaps the strangest statistic is that the Kings are 24-6-7 in games when the opponents have taken more shots on goal, and only 18-16-3 when they’ve taken more. . . .

The flow of one of the best regular-season games you will ever see Tuesday night was slowed several times by goal posts becoming unhinged. I’m still waiting for the NHL to come up with a compromise between these and the old posts, which didn’t move and were safety hazards. . . .

There’s no way any National Football League team is going to match the $6-million, two-year contract the Toronto Argonauts’ owners, McNall and Gretzky, are waving in the face of Rocket Ismail. It’s a question of which is more important to the former Notre Dame star, dollars or prestige. . . .

New Hollywood Park Chairman R.D. Hubbard reports that turf club sales are up 25% and will exceed last year’s total by the end of the week. . . .

The rain has forced workmen into seven-day weeks as they rush to get nearly $3 million in improvements ready for the track’s opening on April 24. Among many new features will be computers that will handicap an entire nine-race card in 25 seconds for $5. . . .

Lonnie Smith’s knee injury means Deion Sanders, having a good spring, has a shot at making the Atlanta Braves’ roster and even starting in left field against the Dodgers on opening day, April 9. . . .

USC (11-1) is off to its fastest Pacific 10 Southern Division baseball start since the pre-Arizona State and Arizona days of 1978. The Trojans play the Sun Devils today through Saturday at Tempe, where they have won two of the last 12 games. . . .

UCLA is ranked No. 1 in men’s tennis although the Bruins don’t have a singles player or a doubles team ranked in the top 10. . . .

Two of the top five money earners on the PGA Tour this year, Corey Pavin and Steve Pate, are former Bruins. . . .

My Wooden Award vote is going to Nevada Las Vegas forward Larry Johnson. . . .

Duke, North Carolina and Kansas are happy to be in the Final Four. UNLV will be happy only if it repeats. . . .

Dwight Qawi, who has fought both, says George Foreman punches much harder than Evander Holyfield. . . .

Winner of the week: Renaldo Snipes, who is being paid big money not to fight Mike Tyson.