Color Scheme of the Fans Is Still Not Quite White

When Duck Coach Ron Wilson looked into the stands, he still saw some people wearing colored clothing.

“Slackers,” he said.

“Even Michael Eisner wasn’t wearing white [for Game 1],” Wilson said. “I’ll have to send him a memo: ‘Come on, Michael, where’s the white?’ ”

For the record, Eisner, Walt Disney Co. Chairman, had on white for Game 2.

There definitely is room for the crowd at Phoenix to out-do the Duck fans at the “White Noise” effect Sunday in Game 3 at America West Arena--where the Coyotes are expected to hand out 15,000 white T-shirts to carry on a tradition born in Winnipeg.

As for Anaheim, the Coyotes’ Jeremy Roenick was unimpressed.

“I didn’t see any whiteout,” he said. “Just a lot of flags . . . fowl towels?”

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Center Steve Rucchin’s back still hasn’t felt good enough to allow him to skate, and he has turned his hopes to Game 3 after missing Games 1 and 2.

Rucchin said he will skate “when I feel up to it” but hopes to be able to play as soon as he is able to skate. “I’m not there, and I’m getting out of shape every day that goes by,” he said.

Rucchin, the Ducks’ third-leading scorer and the center on the Paul Kariya--Teemu Selanne line, started feeling back pain Monday, but tests have revealed no damage. He is taking anti-inflammatories and receiving treatment for back spasms.

“It was pretty good knowing the guys won without me [in Game 1],” he said. “It was tough watching it.”

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Phoenix started the season poorly--6-11-3--before coming back to finish strong, much as the Ducks did.

Coyote Coach Don Hay said that helps keep the team from panicking after falling behind at the beginning of the series.

“We’ve handled situations like this all year long,” Hay said. “We’ve responded well.”

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Cuba Gooding Jr. was in the crowd. Management should hope he doesn’t give any diction lessons to Kariya, Wilson, and Guy Hebert: They’re all up for contract renegotiations this summer.