New Look, New Image for Kings

There’s more to the Kings’ new image than eye-catching colors and a spiffy crest. The difference goes beyond the cosmetic, reflecting the transformation that began when they traded Wayne Gretzky to St. Louis 2 1/2 years ago.

The Kings have gone through so many incarnations in their 32 NHL seasons, so many coaches and general managers, that it’s impossible to sort them all out. During the Gretzky era, they were a cluster of proven stars that revolved around Gretzky’s sun, playing a run-and-gun game and giving little thought to defense. Few teams could match the individual skills of Gretzky, Jari Kurri and Luc Robitaille, yet the Kings came close to the Stanley Cup only once, when they lost the 1993 finals to Montreal in five games.

Those days are long gone and the worst of a painful rebirth is in their rear-view mirror. The Kings, who opened the season Saturday with an 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers at the Skyreach Centre, have changed their roster and their character. In the process, they found themselves after it seemed all was lost.

“They’re a big, rugged team that will wear you down and keep coming at you,” said former Colorado Avalanche Coach Marc Crawford, now a commentator on Hockey Night in Canada telecasts.

“They really have a strong identity. If you don’t have an identity in this league, you’re in trouble.

“You’re not going to be that way every night, but your identity comes from what you do consistently. The Kings work hard and keep coming at you.”

And to think that a few years ago, they didn’t know if they were coming or going. Now, there’s stability in the front office, depth at the NHL and minor-league levels and a familiar presence behind the bench. In only his fourth season, Larry Robinson is second in longevity among the 19 men who have coached the Kings.

“If I was to say I wanted us known as one way, hard-working would be great,” Robinson said. “You can’t ask guys to learn how to score goals, but they’re all capable of playing defense. That’s something to be proud of, if someone wants to label us as a hard-working team.”

Crawford isn’t the only person to apply that label. “This team went through a difficult couple of years, when they were trying to rebuild. It was a shattered team,” right wing Russ Courtnall said. “But the organization has done a super job with the players they’ve developed and players they’ve been able to trade for. We’ve developed some depth. Our identity is becoming one of a team that’s big and works hard, a team that plays well defensively but has some offense.

“This summer, we added. We didn’t subtract much. We’re one of the few teams that didn’t make big changes in the off-season. One of the other teams was Detroit.”

That’s not to say they’re on Detroit’s level. Far from it. But not as far as many teams in this expansion-diluted league and a lot closer than they were a year or two ago.

Certainly they would have been better had they signed defenseman Aki Berg, who is playing in Finland after refusing a $625,000 salary. The resulting surplus on defense might have allowed General Manager Dave Taylor to trade for the premier scorer the Kings need. Now, they can’t. ‘There will be [scorers] available, but I think it’s important for us to hold onto our assets,” Taylor said. “At some point, it might make sense to make a deal like that.”

Without Berg, Taylor is counting on a largely veteran defense to carry the load. “Some people might criticize that,” defenseman Garry Galley said, “but at the same time, look at Detroit. They had a lot of veterans and a few young guys. We have Rob Blake, the Norris Trophy winner, and young guys like Mattias Norstrom. Our defense corps and goaltending are very strong and that’s how you build championships.”

Barring a trade for Pavel Bure, which is unlikely because the Kings dislike his price tag and his attitude, Taylor is counting on right wing Glen Murray duplicating the career-best 29 goals he scored last season, left wing Vladimir Tsyplakov again scoring 18 goals and Robitaille avoiding the injuries that limited him to 16 goals last season. Taylor also hopes rookie winger Josh Green, who made his NHL debut Saturday, and center Olli Jokinen--sent on a brief detour to the minor leagues--mature quickly. They are the Kings’ future: eager, young, and above all, diligent.

The Kings won’t win the Stanley Cup this year. Or next. But their quick exit from the playoffs last spring whetted their appetite instead of discouraging them. Developing discipline and avoiding bad penalties are their next priorities, but the hardest work is already done.

“If you have a good work ethic, you can beat teams that are more talented or don’t respect you,” Galley said. “We made the playoffs last season, but nobody here feels satisfied. We know we’re going in the right direction, and that’s half the battle. When you look at teams that struggle over the course of time, it’s often because they don’t know what’s going on. Here, there’s a game plan. Now, we’re at the point where we have to improve.”