Murray Learns Rivalry Is a Different Animal

Shattuck-St. Mary’s vs. Culver Academy and Cushing Academy was never like this.

A year ago, those rivalries were the main concerns of Andy Murray as he plied his trade behind the bench of an elite prep school in Minnesota. So Murray, in his first season as the Kings’ coach, can’t be blamed for shrugging when asked whether he expected the Pacific Division to be as tight as it is this season--or whether his team would be emotionally prepared to face the Mighty Ducks Friday at the Arrowhead Pond.

“The bottom line with the situation in our conference, whether we play the Ducks, Coyotes, Ravens or any other animals, is it’s important to get the two points,” Murray said.

The Ravens? Uh, the Ravens play football.

“Well, I was sitting upstairs watching the Ducks skate [Friday morning] and I was asking Harpo [assistant coach Mark Hardy], ‘Did you ever think there would be a team called the Ducks?’ ” he said.

There’s no telling whether he intended that to ruffle some feathers or if he was merely reverting to the Andy of Mayberry persona he seems to cultivate, the one where his worst epithet is “goldarn it,” and he sounds like a small-town guy who came to the big city carrying a straw hat and battered suitcase. Is he a rube? Or is he the fanatic planner and shrewd technician who, as he pointed out, has worked with players on every NHL roster with the Canadian National Team, Olympic team or national team program?

His golly-gee whiz mode aside, he’s no babe in the coaching woods. His methods may seem unorthodox, but they work. With their 1-1 tie against the Ducks Friday, the Kings held third place in the Pacific and sixth in the conference, building on a record that was their best after 25 games (14-7-4-1) since 1992-93.

The game wasn’t scintillating, but it didn’t have to be. Left wing Luc Robitaille returned after missing 10 games because of a broken foot and played regular shifts, although his labored breathing suggested he thought the Pond was at the same mile-high altitude as Denver. Goaltender Jamie Storr played aggressively and well in making 34 saves and emerged with no evidence of his past groin muscle problems, earning cheers from the many King fans among the capacity crowd of 17,174.

If the anticipation about the Kings’ first regular-season encounter with the Ducks was greater than the game itself, it’s no surprise. Few games match the hype that precedes them. The Kings have been playing well, but the Ducks, coming off a stinging loss to Tampa Bay, were well-prepared tactically and emotionally, too. They neutralized the previously hot Glen Murray-Bryan Smolinski-Donald Audette line and allowed Ziggy Palffy little room to create much offensively, showing some of the consistency and desperation they’ve lacked lately.

“You look at the standings and it’s pretty scary,” Murray said. “I think you’re going to need 90 points to make the playoffs.”

With 34 points, the Kings are well on their way to meeting Murray’s quota. “We’re about one-third of the way there in terms of points,” he said, “but every time we can beat a team in our division and our conference it’s a plus.”

The biggest plus for the Kings Friday was the return of Robitaille to their lineup and their highlight films.

When Robitaille broke a bone in his foot in late October and center Jozef Stumpel was forced out of the lineup a few days later because of a hernia, Murray transformed them into exiles, men without a team.

In a curious bit of strategy, Murray banned both injured players from the locker room and removed their names from his vocabulary. He also edited Robitaille and Stumpel out of motivational videos and preparatory films he showed to their teammates--no easy cut-and-paste job, considering Robitaille had 10 goals and 16 points in 15 games and Stumpel had two goals and 15 points in 15 games.

“It was tough sometimes finding some highlights they weren’t in during the first few games,” Murray said. “We didn’t need osmosis. If players start feeling sorry for each other and one guy starts feeling sorry for a guy who’s not in the lineup, all of a sudden, everybody is . . . . It may sound a little bit harsh, but that was the only way to go about it, because if we waited for them to come back on a white horse and rescue us, we would have been in trouble.”

And although he could have taken Murray’s exclusionary tactics as an insult, Robitaille understood why he got the silent treatment.

“I think that was smart. The guys that are playing are the guys on the team. It should be that way,” Robitaille said. “I think that’s why we keep playing well, because we can lose a guy and move someone else in there and it’s not a problem. Players don’t need to be reminded who’s not playing. It’s important that guys who are playing can focus on the game.”

The Kings are more focused than they were a year ago, more committed in every aspect of the game. Every player, from Robitaille to first-year players Brad Chartrand and Jason Blake, has a clearly defined role.

“What you do and how much you put into it, that’s what makes you a champion,” Robitaille said. “I’m happy the team won while I was hurt. It’s going to help us down the line. We need wins to make the playoffs.

“I want to win in the playoffs. I believe every team that gets into the playoffs in our conference will have a chance to win the Stanley Cup. After all that is considered, I hope it’s us.”

Maybe then, Robitaille will be in the highlight film.