In Turnaround Season, Blake a King Among Kings

With more points than they scored all of last season and their first playoff berth in five years virtually assured, the Kings have graduated from rebuilding to rebuilt.

It’s not a coincidence that you can say the same thing about Rob Blake.

He sat out 144 games in the three seasons before this one because of knee, hand and groin injuries. But his body now feels the way it did before it started coming apart.

He is playing even better than he did during his all-star season in 1994, inspiring the Kings to initiate a Heisman-like campaign to attract attention for him as a candidate for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s outstanding defenseman.

If you’ve seen the Kings play in the last week, you know it’s not hype.

Saturday, Blake scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over Detroit. Tuesday night, with the Kings needing a fast start at Phoenix as a cushion for later in their second game within 24 hours, he assisted on the first goal and scored the third en route to a 4-0 first-period lead and a 4-3 victory.

Apparently, he suffered no jet lag after returning from Japan, where he was named the best defenseman in the Winter Olympics.

Blake is playing the way he knew he could this season, although it took a while before he could say that. He said Wednesday he put too much pressure on himself early in the season, trying to impress the selectors of the Canadian Olympic team.

“I wanted to be involved in the Olympics,” he said. “I thought it was imperative to get off to a good start.”

Once it was announced he had made the team, he said he relaxed and started playing with the kind of reckless abandon required of an NHL defenseman.

Blake, 28, said he had doubts last season about whether he wanted to remain with the Kings, considering their follies on and off the ice. But he’s encouraged by the team as it has been assembled by Dave Taylor and coached by Larry Robinson.

“You’d be a fool if you didn’t want to stick around and see what’s going to happen here,” Blake said.

As a result, he doesn’t foresee testing the market when he becomes a restricted free agent after this season.

“I want to stay, and I think the team wants me to stay,” he said.

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Wooden v. Raveling is a case in Los Angeles Superior Court. . . .

Yes, the defendant is George Raveling. . . .

No, the plaintiff is not John Wooden. . . .

Raveling has been sued by someone else named Wooden in an action related to the 1995 automobile accident that led to the former USC coach’s retirement. . . .

Gottfried v. Lavin could be on the docket, after all. . . .

Murray State Coach Mark Gottfried and UCLA Coach Steve Lavin, former Bruin assistants and now rivals, aren’t likely to meet in the NCAA tournament. . . .

Gottfried, however, reportedly is a candidate to become Arizona State’s coach. . . .

Artesia High, which meets Glendora tonight in the Southern California boys’ basketball regional semifinals, has one of the area’s most highly touted juniors in 6-foot-8 swingman Jason Kapono. . . .

But Glendora shouldn’t overlook 6-7 Jack Martinez, a freshman from the Dominican Republic. . . .

He had 12 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots in a victory Tuesday night over San Bernardino Pacific. . . .

Reporter Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press predicts Paul Tagliabue will take author Tom Clancy’s side in the dispute over Minnesota Viking ownership. . . .

Reason: Tagliabue is concerned that Roger Headrick might try to move the Vikings to Los Angeles or Birmingham, Ala. . . .

I’m in awe of technological and financial geniuses such as Paul Allen. . . .

Then his Seattle Seahawks sign Ricky Watters, proving that Allen is just as dimwitted as the rest of us when it comes to some things. . . .

The world record Romania’s Gabriela Szabo broke last week in the indoor 2,000 meters was set by Mary Slaney 13 years ago in the Sunkist Invitational at the Sports Arena. . . .

The meet, now known as the L.A. Invitational, will return next winter with an assist from the Amateur Athletic Foundation, promoter Al Franken says. . . .

Trainer Wayne Lukas might not have a Kentucky Derby candidate yet, but one of his former assistants does. . . .

Randy Bradshaw trains Artax, the favorite at Santa Anita on Saturday in the San Felipe Lopez Stakes. . . .

I meant San Felipe Stakes. . . .

Blame it on March Madness.

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While wondering if there have been this many people trying to get to San Antonio since Santa Anna’s Mexican army, I was thinking: UNLV vs. Princeton is yin vs. yang, the second-round game I’d most like to see is TCU against Mississippi, I like UCLA over Michigan (in the women’s tournament).