Ducks Fall Short in Stands as Well

The Arrowhead Pond was empty enough Wednesday during the Mighty Ducks’ 4-2 loss to Tampa Bay that each member of the Kings’ six-man advance scouting expedition could have had an entire section of the stands to himself. There was room for all of them to spread out and snooze, and the Ducks did little worth staying awake for, besides brief spurts of creativity.

The Pond will probably be full tonight when the Kings face the Ducks for the first time this season, but a sellout isn’t guaranteed. That alone shows how much the hockey landscape has changed for these teams, who always seem to be moving in opposite directions.

For their first six seasons, the Ducks had only to open the doors to have a sellout. While the Kings rebuilt an elderly team and restocked a barren farm system, the Ducks were successful on every front. They had the offensive genius of Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne to dazzle opponents, and they got customers to open their wallets with clever souvenirs and a glitzy game presentation.

They had elements of skill and speed and a game that, if not always scintillating during the Ron Wilson trap-and-scrap years, allowed them to compete with superior opponents. The atmosphere was electric, the possibilities unlimited.

And although their 1997-98 season was a washout because of Kariya’s concussion and the team’s non-playoff finish, the Ducks placed sixth in the Western Conference last season. They had the NHL’s top power play, converting 22% of their opportunities, and Selanne scored a league-leading 47 goals. They developed depth on their second and third lines, solving a problem that had long been their downfall. They appeared to be on an upswing, especially after reacquiring Oleg Tverdovsky to enhance their transition game and add another jolt of energy to their offense.

Instead, after nearly one-third of the season, the Ducks are a huge disappointment. Inconsistent offensively, prone to defensive lapses and unable to make adjustments to a power play that opponents have learned to defuse, they have lost the spark that animated them.

They also have lost a good chunk of their fan base, and no wonder. Why pay exorbitant NHL prices to watch a team that plays only 20 or 40 minutes in most games and always seems to be holding back?

In this small but fervent hockey market, the Kings have surpassed the Ducks. The teams seem to engage in a do-si-do every season: When one moves forward to become competitive and playoff-bound, the other retreats. They have yet to play each other in the playoffs or even to make the playoffs in the same season, which would add spice to their rivalry and lift hockey’s profile in a city that seems to care little except when the Kings are winning attractively.

The Kings have taken the forward step in this little dance. The novelty of their new arena/office-supply palace helps them draw bigger crowds than they did at the Great Western Forum, but the team itself is giving fans reason to venture downtown.

If the Kings’ rise to the upper reaches of the Pacific Division--and the NHL standings--is surprising, it’s to their credit that management saw needs and responded, as evidenced by the acquisition of Ziggy Palffy and Bryan Smolinski, the signing of Frantisek Kaberle and the hiring of a coaching staff that has imposed discipline and order players find comforting--at least while they’re winning.

The King players also deserve credit for not folding under duress. When center Jozef Stumpel and left wing Luc Robitaille were forced out of the lineup by injuries, they could have looked to the next guy to step up. Showing a new and welcome decisiveness, they have stepped up together. Smolinski, Glen Murray and Donald Audette are the first line in everything but name; Rob Blake has been forceful, Sean O’Donnell has learned to avoid petty, frustration-driven penalties, and everyone has lifted his game one notch. Because of that, the Kings have leapfrogged the Ducks, who may have more talent but so far haven’t shown the character to be champions.

Duck Coach Craig Hartsburg got to the heart of the matter Wednesday, after his team had given a largely desultory effort in front of a franchise-low 12,047 fans.

“You have to be tired of being mediocre at some point in your lives,” he said. “You have to get tired of it. I know I’m tired of it. I know the assistant coaches are tired of it.”

The empty seats attest to fans being tired of it too.

“We’ve got players that have to take charge of this thing as well,” Hartsburg said. “We’re going to push like crazy as coaches. The players have to take responsibility. Mediocrity is unacceptable. Mediocrity is not going to get you into the playoffs. . . . It’s time to wake up.”

The Kings have awakened after a long, nightmare-marred slumber. They grew tired of losing, of missing the playoffs in five of the last six seasons and seeing crowds dwindle. Their turnaround hasn’t been smooth--Steve Duchesne was an $11-million fiasco and Larry Robinson should have been let go before his coaching contract expired last summer, but the Kings have learned from their mistakes. A serious injury to Blake could still sink them, but they are seizing the moment and resolutely moving forward. The Ducks give away games, but they can’t give away tickets.

“Everybody has said this is the best talent we’ve had here since Day 1, the best depth,” Hartsburg said. “Now, we’ve got to become the best team.”

Even if they do, they still may not be the best team in Southern California. The Kings are leading this dance.