Ducks Are Rising, so Kings Must Fall

The Kings and Mighty Ducks always seem to be going in opposite directions.

A year ago, the Kings were in the midst of an impressive turnaround that vaulted them into the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. Rob Blake was on his way to the Norris Trophy, goaltenders Stephane Fiset and Jamie Storr had career seasons and Glen Murray and Jozef Stumpel emerged as stars. The Ducks were stumbling through a tumultuous season that erased the gains of the previous spring’s fine playoff performance. Depleted by injuries and left rudderless by a coaching change that saddled them with panicky Pierre Page, they imploded and missed the playoffs.

The Ducks’ 3-1 victory over the Kings on Monday at the Forum emphasized how dramatically the teams have reversed roles again. The Ducks, calmed by Coach Craig Hartsburg’s decisiveness and buoyed by an injury-free Paul Kariya, rank fifth in the Western Conference. They have acquired or developed depth up front and cohesion on defense. The Kings, undermined by injuries to both goalies and a feeble offense, rank 10th and are six points out of a playoff spot. Free agent Steve Duchesne continues to be an $11-million mistake and only Luc Robitaille has been a consistent offensive threat.

“We’ve had injuries, but right now it’s not the injuries,” Robitaille said. “They missed Kariya last season and we missed our guys. But that’s still no excuse. We shouldn’t be where we are.”

The Kings are on the outside looking in, with little apparent inclination to change that. Their mental and strategical lapses are unforgivable, especially for a veteran team. “I’m a firm believer in you make your breaks, that you can’t say it’s all been bad luck. We shoot ourselves in the foot a lot,” King defenseman Garry Galley said. “It seems we score a big goal and then have a letdown. . . . We’re not playing really bad, but we’re not playing good enough.”

With their season on the line, the Kings are faltering. By contrast, the Ducks have won six of their last seven games to solidify their hold on a playoff berth. They’re getting goals from their second line, their most glaring need before this season, and their defense is playing steadily and providing offensive sparks.

“Obviously, the first three or four playoff spots are set in stone and there’s nothing we can do. We’re just trying to finish as high as we can, so we don’t have to face the top one or two seeds,” Duck goalie Guy Hebert said. “We’re trying to jell at the right time, and we’ve taken some big steps toward that.”

In the meantime, the Kings are sliding backward. “Certain things happen in seasons, like injuries, that set things awry and you can’t turn them around,” Galley said. “In this kind of situation, you find out what kind of team you have. You have to have guys step up. Losing guys hurt us, but you have to find ways to win. You still have to go out and not accept losing.”

Someday, the two teams will synchronize their upswings and both will make the playoffs. This won’t be the season.

ENDANGERED PENGUINS

As a player, Mario Lemieux carried the Penguins for years. As a potential owner, he may be their last and best hope of surviving.

“We don’t see any other way this team can be viable economically in Pittsburgh,” said Lemieux’s agent, Tom Reich. “He has come to the conclusion the only way this team can be run is if he puts a group together and runs it in Pittsburgh. If the team leaves the city, Mario is simply a creditor. He will have no involvement.”

Lemieux, the biggest creditor at more than $26 million, confirmed his interest last week when majority owner Roger Marino chose not to extend his exclusive rights to submit a financial reorganization plan to a federal bankruptcy court.

Lemieux has been lining up investors to rescue the Penguins, who filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October. However, he will not play again.

“He’s had many offers to come back and play, but this is strictly about him being the principal owner of a team that would remain in Pittsburgh,” Reich said.

There’s no timetable, but Lemieux is moving fast.

“The performance of the club has been uplifting,” Reich said of the Penguins’ 10-game winning streak. “But in terms of business, a framework has to be put into position to sell tickets for next year. Implicit in all this is, something has to be in place by the end of March. We all feel the urgency.”

The main obstacle is the Civic Arena lease, which gives the team little income from concessions or advertising. The landlord, SMG, has given the Penguins loans and other favors but has refused to bend further.

OUTFOXED

Unable to dump the final season of its NHL deal after Disney-ESPN spent $600 million for the next five-year package, lame-duck Fox has cut back on its coverage. Instead of airing several regional games each Sunday, Fox will show two or three games to large areas of the country.

Gone are the glowing puck with its comet tail, studio host Jim Brown and analyst Dave Maloney. Suzy Kolber does a highlights recap between periods.

Fox tried too many gimmicks and put style before substance, but it deserves credit for seeking new angles on the old problem of how to televise a sport that translates badly to TV.

“Before we took over hockey in 1994, it rarely had a network presence,” Fox publicist Dan Bell said. “We understand people may not have liked some of the things we did, but we saw it as a chance to bring in casual viewers. We tried everything we could possibly try to increase viewership and bring attention to the game of hockey and make this a product for TV.”

Fox’s best rating was a 4.1 for the 1996 All-Star game at Boston. That was the best over-the-air NHL rating since a 4.4 for CBS’ telecast of the last game of the 1980 finals between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders.

GARDENS GALA

The closing ceremony for Maple Leaf Gardens weren’t as poignant as the festivities at the Montreal Forum in 1996. Then again, the Canadiens’ organization is known for its class, whereas the Leafs’ reputation has been tarnished by decades of losing and the antics of Harold Ballard, their bigoted and cantankerous former owner.

Having players pass a contrived flag to one another wasn’t as touching as the Canadiens’ torch passing, and the absence of Howie Meeker, Dave Keon and Paul Henderson was sad. The Leafs’ failure to invite Cliff Fletcher, general manager of the 1993 and 1994 playoff semifinalists, was spiteful.

In the end, the building was revered more as a symbol of the old NHL than for its few virtues.

“We’ve slowly lost our shrines,” Maple Leaf Coach Pat Quinn said. “As we’ve moved to these monstrous buildings that are beautiful and great places to showcase our game, we’ve lost the old element where it was just a place for the everyday guy to go.”

Weep not for the Gardens, which will host junior hockey and other events. The Montreal Forum, alas, was gutted to become a multimedia complex.

SLAP SHOTS

The Florida Panthers aren’t saying much about Pavel Bure’s strained leg muscle. He has been out 10 days, but they insist it’s not serious and not related to the knee surgery he underwent in 1995. . . . At the request of general managers, referees were told to crack down on obstruction fouls, especially after faceoffs and on forecheckers. That explains the recent parade to the penalty box. . . . Jocelyn Thibault has the unique distinction of having played in the last games at the Montreal Forum and Maple Leaf Gardens. He was with Montreal for the Forum finale on March 11, 1996, and was in goal for Chicago on Saturday.

Ranger scouts tailing the Blackhawks sparked talk that Alexei Zhamnov will go to New York. Other rumors, denied by General Manager Bob Murray, had the Blackhawks sending Chris Chelios to the Flyers and Doug Gilmour to the Buffalo Sabres. . . . Sergei Fedorov, who asked for and got more ice time from Coach Scotty Bowman, responded with seven points in four games. . . . Top prospects will be on display tonight in Calgary in the annual prospects’ game

Tampa Bay owner Art Williams, projecting a $20-million loss, wants to sell all or part of his club. He says former general manager Phil Esposito misled him about how close the Lightning was to being a contender. What a surprise. . . . Use of the two-referee system in the playoffs is all but assured. General managers endorsed it and Commissioner Gary Bettman is expected to announce soon that it will be in effect for all playoff games.

Felix Potvin, hailed by the Islanders as a game-stealing goalie, instead is stealing money. He’s 1-6-1 with a 3.86 goals-against average and a .874 save percentage. . . . Without Mark Messier, idled four to six weeks by a sprained knee, and Ed Jovanovski, out three weeks because of a broken foot, Vancouver’s playoff hopes are fading.