Kings Fall Again Amid Bickering : Pro hockey: Their 10th road loss in a row comes at Toronto as rift between Melrose and Beverley escalates.

The philosophical differences between King Coach Barry Melrose and the team’s front office of General Manager Nick Beverley and President Roy Mlakar surfaced for the second consecutive day.

After Melrose had all but demanded Friday the front office do something to change the makeup of his team, Beverley indicated on Saturday night that nothing was imminent and criticized Melrose’s behavior. And, on the ice, nothing changed as the Maple Leafs defeated the Kings, 4-1, at Maple Leaf Gardens. It was their 10th consecutive road loss and 14th in the last 17 games overall.

But word of tension between Melrose and the front office has spread throughout the league. And the way it has escalated this week has many believing King owner Bruce McNall may have to choose between his coach or his front office.

After Saturday’s loss, Melrose and Beverley did not speak, Melrose said. Earlier, Beverley had plenty to say about Melrose.

“We’ve talked about saying things in the heat of the moment,” Beverley said. “I don’t think we need that now. I thought we learned our lesson last year, collectively. Obviously, that’s not the case.

“I’m not going to make an issue of this. At this point, we have enough problems to think about without bickering. How are we going to win games? That’s what we need to worry about instead of casting aspersions toward players who are working hard, just because their stature is not considered up to his (Melrose’s) standards.”

Still, Melrose refused to back off his statements in Buffalo on Friday night. He says his team cannot physically match up with the likes of Toronto, Buffalo and Calgary. Several other NHL coaches have said the Kings are suspect in a hard-hitting, physical game. The Kings’ defense has two regulars taller than six feet--Rob Blake (6-3) and Doug Houda (6-2).

“I said the truth; you guys saw the game tonight,” Melrose said. “I told the guys before the game that what I said about them, it was with no aspersion to them. Guys like Pat Conacher, (Tony) Granato, (Mike) Donnelly, those guys are the bravest guys in the NHL.

“What I said is for the next step, we’ve got to get some guys who are 6-3. That’s my opinion. Nick and Roy are the bosses. What they say will go.”

Wayne Gretzky shares Melrose’s feelings.

What seems to rankle Beverley is the constant emphasis on Marty McSorley’s departure. He said the loss of one player shouldn’t be used as an excuse. “My approach is that he should do the job he’s been hired to do,” Beverley said. “I don’t rush down there and try to tell the coach what to do. He has been a part of every transaction made by this team and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

As for a future trade? “Obviously, we’re not dealing from a position of strength and everyone knows that,” Beverley said.

King Notes

So, does Wayne Gretzky regret his decision to return? “When things are going badly, you can’t be a rat and jump off the ship,” he said. He still has not signed his new contract but thinks it could happen in a week or two. “It hasn’t been signed for two reasons,” he said. “Bruce has been busy the last two months getting the team sold.” The other issue is the wording regarding the deferred money and the new ownership.