Notes on a Scorecard - March 9, 1992

Rogie Vachon was the goaltender, not the general manager, the only time the Kings ever won eight consecutive games. . . .

The late Juha (Whitey) Widing was their leading scorer, Bob Pulford the rookie coach, Butch Goring the house favorite, and Don (Krazy Kozy) Kozak the resident flake. . . .

After getting off to a 1-6-0 start during that 1972-73 season, the Kings went on a tear. The first seven of their eight victories were at the Forum, but hardly anyone noticed. The crowds were as sparse as 4,467 and 5,791 and owner Jack Kent Cooke kept thinking all those former Canadians must have moved here because they hated hockey. . . .

Twenty years later, there is fire on ice again in Inglewood and more people are paying attention. . . .

A victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight before the Kings’ 67th consecutive sellout crowd at the Forum would equal the team record, eight-game winning streak. . . .

This streak is also a surprise. . . .

The defending Smythe Division champion Kings were 24-24-13, struggling for a playoff berth and coming off a come-from-ahead, 9-7 loss at Calgary before they defeated Winnipeg, Vancouver, Quebec, Montreal, Philadelphia, San Jose and Pittsburgh and saved Coach Tom Webster’s job. . . .

Why the turnaround? . . .

Kelly Hrudey is the hottest masked man since Ray LeBlanc. Wayne Gretzky is playing like Wayne Gretzky. Luc Robitaille has put power into the power play. Paul Coffey has been sidelined because of a bad back, but the trade for the NHL’s all-time highest scoring defenseman persuaded his new teammates that they had the talent to advance past the second round of the playoffs. . . .

The Kings, who kept blowing leads, have outscored the opposition, 9-4, in the third period during the streak. . . .

There is no reason to believe that this team will follow the trail of the 1972-73 team, which won only one of its next 10 games after the streak ended and failed to make the playoffs. . . .

Horse racing, which is in dire need of a superstar, may have found one. . . .

Best Pal has become his sport’s best pal. . . .

The 4-year-old gelding’s 5 1/2-length victory in the Santa Anita Handicap Saturday was a thing of beauty. . . .

“He is beginning to remind me of Spectacular Bid,” said Del Mar executive Dan Smith. “He has good early speed, but he lurks behind horses and then makes one big run.” . . .

The fact that Best Pal underwent the ultimate equipment change means that he will be spending the next few years at the race track, instead of the stud farm, and could become the next John Henry. . . .

“Even his name is great,” said Alan Balch, the Santa Anita marketing expert. “We would have considered a crowd of 32,000 a success for Big ‘Cap Day, now that there is inter-track wagering. We had 42,000. I think Best Pal brought out a lot of them. Our fans are jaded, but they were roaring.” . . .

A fan in the grandstand held up a California license plate saying, “BES PAL.” Good thing it wasn’t on the back of his car. He would have been stopped for speeding. . . .

The New Jersey Devils are expected to trade Canadian Olympic goaltender Sean Burke. . . .

Both of last season’s Stanley Cup finalists, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota North Stars, are in fourth place in their divisions. . . .

To beat USC, do you have to stop Harold Miner? Not necessarily. Miner, who came into the game averaging 27 points, scored only 19 and didn’t make a field goal during the second half against Washington State on Sunday. During the Trojans’ other losses, he scored 43 against Nebraska, 24 against Notre Dame, 16 against Arizona, and 30 against Oregon State. . . .

UCLA, which will bring a one-game Pac-10 lead into its home game Thursday against Arizona, has beaten the Wildcats once in the last four seasons at Pauley. . . .

I would rather have players decide games rather than the official who slapped Notre Dame Coach John MacLeod with a technical foul with 2.2 seconds left in what was a tie game with DePaul. . . .

Before you know it, the America’s Cup trials will be over.