McNall Says Hockey Reality Much More Than an Illusion : Kings: Despite charges, new owners standing behind embattled president, who continues to represent team. “You wish you hadn’t done certain things,” he says.

His reputation sullied by accusations of bank fraud and other misdeeds, Bruce McNall vowed Wednesday “to make restitution,” as well as to continue his commitment to hockey as president of the Kings.

He received a strong endorsement from new team co-owner Joseph Cohen, who said: “We want to make it clear to everyone that not only has Bruce McNall been a very, very important figure to the Kings and to this game, but that he still is.”

The Times reported on Wednesday that McNall has agreed with federal prosecutors to plead guilty to four criminal counts--one of bank fraud, two of mail fraud and one of conspiracy--and most likely enter that plea no earlier than mid-September. McNall and his attorney, Tom Pollack, would not confirm the report on Wednesday. But in an interview, they said McNall’s legal troubles had not affected his working relationship with the team.

For the time being, McNall made it clear that he had not abandoned the Kings, nor they him.

“I’m OK, you know me,” McNall said. “I don’t know what will happen, but there’s nothing to do but take things as they come.

“I don’t feel bad about all the things I’ve done in the past. Maybe it’s the historian in me that feels, you know, you can’t change what’s already been. You wish you hadn’t done certain things. I know that I need to make restitution from a greed standpoint and from the city’s standpoint, and I will. That’s all I can do. Whatever my personal future is, it is.”

McNall, Cohen and Pollack spoke by telephone from New York, where the Kings’ executives attended a conference of the NHL board of governors. Although McNall resigned as chairman of the board once the investigation into his financial dealings became public, he continues to represent the Kings.

Asked whether NHL officials had asked him to resign his remaining posts, McNall said: “If at any point in time I felt that it was in hockey’s best interests, I’m sure that I would. But there’s been absolutely no request.”

Cohen interjected a strong vote of support.

“The Anaheim and San Jose and Miami franchises are realities. The sold-out houses game after game in Los Angeles are realities. These are all testaments to Bruce McNall’s doing,” said Cohen, who along with Jeffrey Sudikoff purchased 72% of McNall’s interest in the Kings three months ago. “Bruce has done wonders for hockey and has helped a lot of people in the process.”

Pollack added: “Just because Bruce has some bank-loan problems, (it) shouldn’t diminish everything he has done with the Kings. They’re separate things.”

Both men were responding to recent critical assessments of McNall’s past involvement with the Kings and to supposition that the club and the league might be better off disassociating themselves from him.

“Both Tom and Joe are probably more upset about this than I am,” McNall said. “But it’s true that it does hurt to hear yourself referred to as being in ‘the emperor’s new clothes’ and all.

“You spend your life doing so many things, then to have someone come out and say that it was all an illusion, that it was all smoke and mirrors, that just isn’t fair. The things we accomplished were real. The Ducks are real. The Panthers are real.”

Helping to launch new hockey franchises in Anaheim and Florida was one of the many business successes of McNall, who in 1988 bought the Kings outright from Jerry Buss. When circumstances obligated him to sell his majority interest, he said, Cohen and Sudikoff did not come along looking to capitalize on his plight.

“My ongoing situation with the Kings has a lot to do with the fact that Joe and Jeffrey have been incredibly supportive,” McNall said. “They have never tried to take advantage. They always stood up for me. They have always been real menschen in that regard. And I have kept them informed every step of the way during this time period, very informed.

“In the meantime, I’ve still been right there with the Kings, every step of the way, which is exactly where I want to be. It’s true, the 100% ownership is over and probably won’t ever come back. But I chose the best partners possible. These are guys who can bring the Kings to new heights, something I couldn’t do on my own.”

Cohen said he valued McNall’s participation.

“The Kings have been very, very busy this off-season,” Cohen said. “New management arrived. We hired Sam McMaster as general manager. We traded for Rick Tocchet. We had our first high first-round draft choice in a long while and got an exciting young goaltender. We’re in the process of re-signing Rob Blake. We just completed an agreement with our new affiliation in Phoenix. We’ve had a lot on our plate.

“The point is, Bruce McNall is still very much a part of everything this organization is doing. The way I see it, Bruce is the fan’s ombudsman. He’s got that very special gift of being able to relate to the fans, and they to him.”

The cheerful demeanor for which McNall is known hasn’t deserted him, even when his name and face have been splashed all over the front of the newspaper.

“That’s the bad news,” McNall said. “I guess the good news is, if it was on the back page, nobody would read it.”