COMMENTARY : Kings Losing Last Jewel From the Triple Crown : Hockey: Dave Taylor, sidelined since Jan. 4, will make final appearance Thursday night.

Dave Taylor sat in the Kings’ dressing room one day at practice and watched the trainers distribute equipment. He kept watching and waiting.

Finally, everyone had skates except Taylor. Somehow, his were missing.

Something like that would normally cause a full-scale gripe session. Some hockey players consider it a crisis if the edges of their blades aren’t sharp enough.

“Anybody else on the team would have made a big deal of it and then acted up,” left wing Luc Robitaille said of Taylor’s missing skates. “They would have made it a big thing.”

Taylor said nothing. The only players aware of the situation were Robitaille and Tony Granato, who were sitting near him. Taylor quietly got an extra pair of skates from a teammate and reported for work as usual.

That’s the way he was grew up in Levack, Ontario, the son of a miner and a post-office worker. Do your job and never complain. And he always maintained that ethic and sense of dignity through his 17 seasons with the Kings, an oasis of reason in an often chaotic organization.

The Kings lost some class on the ice and in the dressing room when Taylor, 38, officially retired Tuesday, announcing his decision at a Forum news conference. He surprised no one because he had been sidelined since Jan. 4, when he suffered a mild concussion in a collision with teammate Warren Rychel.

Head injuries have plagued Taylor the last few seasons and he retired because he could not risk another one. He played his customary right wing position in January’s All-Star game--played quite well, in fact--but was plagued by headaches and dizziness whenever he tried to increase his exercise.

“It’s a tough day,” said Taylor, who acknowledged being nervous before the news conference. “I’ve wrestled with this ever since I was injured this year.”

Thursday, Taylor will make one last appearance on the Forum’s ice, taking the opening faceoff in the Kings’ season finale against the Edmonton Oilers. After the faceoff, the game will be stopped and the puck will be given to Taylor. He won’t return to the game, but will be credited with the 1,111th appearance of his NHL career. The Kings will retire his jersey, No. 18, on opening night next season.

Said Coach Barry Melrose: “I think our troubles began when Dave left the lineup. Looking back, if this guy’s in the lineup, I think it is a different story.

“I think you’re seeing one of the greatest players in league history leaving the game.”

There’s not much doubt about that. Taylor retires as the No. 2 King scorer with 1,069 points, including 431 goals. He has spent his entire career with the same team, a rarity in professional sports. Only Bill Russell, who played for the Dodgers for 18 years, and Jackie Slater, who completed his 19th season with the Rams, have played more seasons for a major professional sports franchise in Los Angeles.

Taylor was one of the few bright lights when the outlook for the King franchise was dim. He played on the Triple Crown line with Marcel Dionne and Charlie Simmer, which scored 146 goals in the 1979-80 season.

Simmer, now a broadcaster with the Mighty Ducks, was at the news conference and recalled the formation of the line and his friendship with Taylor.

“He was able to adjust each season,” Simmer said. “He went from being one of the premier scorers in the league to a different style than was expected from him. He became one of the best checkers. That takes talent. He was able to master both offense and defense.”

Taylor went from a kid who was the Kings’ 15th-round selection--210th overall--in the 1975 NHL entry draft to a future Hall of Famer.

“He was drafted in the 15th round,” Robitaille said. “It was so long ago, those rounds don’t even exist now.”

Taylor overcame a severe stuttering problem the same way he faced everything else, refusing to take any shortcuts.

“It was very difficult for me,” Taylor said. “I used to stutter from when I was 4 years old. I used to hide from my problem. I learned to be more open and I faced my fear.”

The nerves returned for a few minutes when he announced his retirement. But the tension was eased when King owner Bruce McNall told a few jokes. Taylor said he would like to remain with the team in some capacity and it appears to be mutual on the part of the Kings.

“For 17 years, I’ve been a player, and I know that side of it pretty well,” said Taylor, who played for 11 coaches. “I’m open for discussion with the Kings. We’re going to have some talks.”

Dave Taylor With the Kings

REGULAR SEASON

Season GP G A Pts 1977-78 64 22 21 43 1978-79 78 43 48 91 1979-80 61 37 53 90 1980-81 72 47 65 112 1981-82 78 39 67 106 1982-83 46 21 37 58 1983-84 63 20 49 69 1984-85 79 41 51 92 1985-86 76 33 38 71 1986-87 67 18 44 62 1987-88 68 26 41 67 1988-89 70 26 37 63 1989-90 58 15 26 41 1990-91 73 23 30 53 1991-92 77 10 19 29 1992-93 48 6 9 15 1993-94 32 4 3 7 Totals 1110 431 638 1069

*PLAYOFFS

Season GP G A Pts 1977-78 2 0 0 0 1978-79 2 0 0 0 1979-80 4 2 1 3 1980-81 4 2 2 4 1981-82 10 4 6 10 1984-85 3 2 2 4 1986-87 5 2 3 5 1987-88 5 3 3 6 1988-89 11 1 5 6 1989-90 6 4 4 8 1990-91 12 2 1 3 1991-92 6 1 1 2 1992-93 22 3 5 8 Totals 92 26 33 59