THE NHL / LISA DILLMAN : King Fans Vent Their Anger Over Ticket Prices, Season

The letters eventually reach their intended destination even if it takes an underground network of ushers and reporters. Voice mail at newspapers may not always be the cure--perhaps a quick fix?--for a fan who can’t wait for the next postgame show or is unable to crack the heavy rotation of Alan from Torrance or Frank from Otay Mesa.

From a whisper to a scream. Some know it as an Elvis Costello song from the 1980s. We know differently. It’s the growing cry of King fans, perhaps the most passionate and disappointed disciples of any Los Angeles sports team.

What does a King fan look like these days?

A lot like the guy in the famous Norwegian painting, “The Scream,” recently stolen from the National Art Museum in Oslo.

For King fans, the indignities are everywhere. Life in the standings behind the San Jose Sharks and the expansion Mighty Ducks. Increased playoff ticket prices. Too many mistakes by the front office, coaching staff and players.

They are growing desperate and need someone to listen. So, while the fans wait for a round-the-clock King crisis hotline, here’s a recent sampling of their comments:

From Thousand Oaks:

(To the Kings:) By raising season seat prices in 1993-94 moderately, you sent the signal (that) to remain a competitive successful team, increased revenues were necessary. I understand this fact of life.

Now I have received my “Dear Season Seat Subscriber” letter regarding playoff tickets from the Kings. Let me first say I appreciate your contribution to the L.A. Kings. Obviously, without you, the recent success of the Kings would not have been possible.

The letter that came with the playoff price sheet explains that I have only to come up with 75% of the total by the end of February. You do not mention that the pricing has gone up 60% over last year!

What signal are you sending to the people who support the team when you raise the per-ticket price for a playoff game by 40% for Round 1, 50% for Round 2, 60% for Round 3 and 91% for Round 4? This is compared to last year’s pricing.

From Los Angeles:

Since you cover the Kings, I have decided to write to you to present a problem that many fans see but is dismissed by the King radio broadcasters and others in the local media. The problem is the sad state of the Kings’ goaltending situation. Particularly, it’s the repeated assertion that Kelly Hrudey is not to blame for his poor goaltending.

To support my argument that Kelly Hrudey is overrated at best, I have compiled some statistics that weaken the argument that says the reason Hrudey allows so many goals is because of the high number of shots he must face game after game.

As you can see, John Vanbiesbrouck and Curtis Joseph both face more shots per game, yet both have a better goals-against average than does Hrudey. It is my opinion that Kelly Hrudey has been overrated for some time now.

From Manhattan Beach:

As a Kings season seat-holder, I have just been informed payment is due by Feb. 25, 1994, for all four rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs. This request seems a little optimistic, but Bruce McNall has always been more than fair when it comes to spending money on top-quality players. So I’ll gladly mail my check because I would hate to miss the final game in which the NHL record is broken for most shots on goal in one season taken by the visiting team.

From Torrance:

As season seat-holders for the past 22 years, my spouse and I have missed only five games. During this time, I have written the Kings many letters offering suggestions and articulating complaints. While this letter offers some praise, it also points out some issues.

Yesterday, I received my bill for the forthcoming playoffs. I was pleasantly surprised to find that we only have to pay 75% at this time. Except for last year, most of the playoff ticket purchases have been refunded.

I have attached some data I have collected over the years (I have it as far back as 1974). The charts show a rather dramatic increase in prices over the past few years. Certainly, we understand rising salary costs, but a 45% increase seems a little high.

LOSE-I-PEG

Heading into the season’s final quarter, the Winnipeg Jets have dropped into oblivion and are easily one of the biggest disappointments this season.

The Jets, who played the San Jose Sharks on Monday night, have tied a team record with 10 consecutive losses. They also lost 10 consecutive games in 1980-81, their second season in the NHL, when they won a total of nine games.

The Jets are winless in their last 18 games, their most recent victory coming on Jan. 12 against the Buffalo Sabres.

“We have too many guys who give up too easily, that’s why we need to make big changes,” said John Paddock, Winnipeg’s coach and acting general manager.

There has been minimal trade talk in Winnipeg recently, although the Sabres have been scouting the Jets and might end up trading goaltender Grant Fuhr.

Most symbolic of the Jets’ problems is center Alexei Zhamnov. By Christmas, Zhamnov had played 34 games and had scored 17 goals and assisted on 34 more. At that point, he was tied for third place on the NHL scoring list.

Since Christmas, he has been sidelined for eight games because of a back injury and clearly has been less effective in the absence of his injured linemate, Teemu Selanne. Zhamnov has scored only 11 points in his last 19 games, which include Friday’s five-point performance against the Boston Bruins.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

What are the odds of the same team having a player carried off on a stretcher in consecutive games?

Three days after the Dallas Stars lost defenseman Mark Tinordi because of a season-ending broken left leg in Los Angeles, center Mike Modano suffered a concussion and was taken off on a stretcher in Dallas on Saturday.

Modano was knocked unconscious in a collision with center Mark Messier of the New York Rangers. Modano is expected to sit out about 10 days.