Ex-Oilers Getting in Stride : Game 3: Gretzky, Kurri, McSorley, Coffey, Huddy and rest of Kings head to Edmonton after tying series.

Defenseman Charlie Huddy was amused as he headed to the first tee.

That hockey fan, he told himself, obviously didn’t have a clue as to who I am.

It was the day of the NHL entry draft last June. Huddy and a couple of buddies had gone to British Columbia to play golf. Stopping by a TV set in the pro shop to catch a few minutes of the draft coverage, Huddy noticed a guy point his way and mutter, “L.A. Kings.”

Huddy figured the fan must have mistaken him for somebody else. True, after 11 seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, Huddy was switching uniforms. But not to silver and black.

He would be wearing the green and black of the Minnesota North Stars, who had picked him up in the expansion draft nearly a month earlier.

But after playing his round of golf that day, Huddy discovered it was he who didn’t have a clue.

He got a call from his wife, Karen, informing him that he had indeed become a King. He had been traded earlier that day, along with Randy Gilhen and Jim Thomson, for center Todd Elik.

Huddy was going to be part of the growing Oiler colony relocating at the Forum, a colony that included Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Marty McSorley and, before the season was over, Paul Coffey.

“I was excited,” Huddy said.

But never more so than Monday night when the five finally hit their collective stride, scoring five goals and a total of 14 points during the Kings’ 8-5 victory over the Oilers, tying the best-of-seven Smythe Division semifinal series at 1-1.

Game 3 will be played tonight in Edmonton’s Northlands Coliseum (6:30 PDT, Prime Ticket and XTRA Radio 690).

With McSorley joining Gretzky and Kurri on the first line and Huddy teamed with Coffey at the blue line, all five have been together on the ice in this series.

Huddy said it really hit him while listening to the national anthems Monday night at the Forum.

“We were looking at (the Oilers),” he said. “One time, we were all standing there. Now, we are all standing here. It’s pretty amazing. It’s probably never happened before like this.”

Although he had a goal and an assist Monday, Huddy’s primary role is the same as it was when he teamed with Coffey for four years in Edmonton--to provide support for the offensive-minded Coffey.

“Paul loves to skate and get in the play,” Huddy said. “I just key off him and try to get the puck to him. I watch where he’s going and try to stay out of his way.”

There’s a little more to it than that. A veteran defenseman such as Huddy can be a key in this series, especially since two of the Oilers’ veterans at the blue line, Kevin Lowe and Craig Muni, are sidelined because of injuries.

Still, the difference isn’t as noticeable as one might imagine when reinforcements such as Greg Hawgood come up from the minors.

“It’s still the same system,” Huddy said. “It’s the same system I played under. The Oilers teach it from the NHL level down into the farm system. So when a guy is called up, the coach doesn’t have to sit down and say, ‘This is what we do.’ ”

The Kings, of course, have their own system. When they need help, they don’t go to the minors. They go to the Oilers.

King Notes

King defenseman Larry Robinson did not make the trip because of a bruised ankle, an injury suffered Monday night. In his place, the team called up Rene Chapdelaine. . . . Edmonton General Manager Glen Sather plans to send a tape to the league office of Tony Granato hitting wing Dave Maley during Game 2. Maley lost two front teeth, but Granato was not penalized.