Someone Needs to Remind Them: Kings Shouldn’t Cry

Rob Blake has been down this road, the one that seemed to lead toward success but veered off to oblivion after injuries depleted the Kings’ talent and spirit.

“I’ve been through it almost every year,” he said. “You’ve got to battle through it.”

The Kings were clearly unnerved last week when they lost Luc Robitaille to a broken ankle and Jozef Stumpel to hernia surgery on consecutive days. They were dazed during most of their 5-3 loss to the Flyers on Saturday, allowing Philadelphia to control the neutral zone and just about everything else. If they couldn’t match the Flyers’ size and confidence, they could at least have equaled the Flyers’ effort, but the Kings didn’t come close.

And that puts them at a crossroads.

Starting tonight against Edmonton at Staples Center, the Kings can decide to wallow in self-pity and give up until Robitaille and Stumpel return. It wouldn’t be the first time they have accepted failure, as evidenced by their non-playoff finishes five of the last six seasons.

Or they can break with their forgettable past. Their leaders can take responsibility, their scorers can show some grit, and their role players can show character. Maybe that will carry them through the first real challenge they’ve faced under Coach Andy Murray.

“I do think [Saturday’s loss] was an aberration. I certainly hope so,” Murray said.

Hoping alone won’t make it so. Murray doesn’t want to change his system or forecheck less aggressively, but he will have to make adjustments. Without Stumpel’s creativity and puck skills, and Robitaille’s scoring instincts, the Kings must forgo dazzling passing plays and go to the net for rebounds and deflections. Their defense, which has been solid, must be even tighter.

“We may dump and chase more,” Murray said. “I think you’ll see different things more when we have the puck than when we don’t.”

How they adjust emotionally also will be crucial. Blake’s response may determine how well the Kings come through this.

He’s the captain, a pacesetter by deed more than word. His assertiveness on defense and opportunism on offense have done much to launch the Kings’ strong start, but he wasn’t himself Saturday against an opponent that was too good and too strong to permit any frailty. If Blake falters, his teammates will follow suit.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on one player, but he is our best player and our leader,” Murray said.

Blake and the Kings have come a long way and he believes they won’t let that progress slip away.

“This start will help us because it gives us confidence,” he said. “And Andy plays a system that you can just kind of plug players in. You don’t replace a Luc Robitaille or a Jozef Stumpel, but if you look at the great teams, you see they do that. Detroit, if it loses Steve Yzerman, someone else fills that void.

“Who’s going to step up for us? It has to be everyone collectively. If you get out-worked, it has nothing to do with who’s in your lineup.”

FLYING HIGHER

After an 0-5-1-1 start sparked rumors that Coach Roger Neilson would lose his job, the Flyers have rebounded to 8-6-2-1. It hasn’t been easy.

“We didn’t build on any confidence at the beginning. We had nothing going,” goalie John Vanbiesbrouck said. “Getting shut out the first couple of games took the wind out of the balloon. We struggled in training camp and that led into the season.

“We got a big win against Buffalo [Oct. 17] and things started to get better. We’ve really dug in. We’ve gotten goals when we needed to and we have the capability of doing that.”

Eric Lindros missed two games because of a viral infection but has regained his strength and is skating well. Mark Recchi has been effective at right wing with Lindros and John LeClair, a welcome lift after Rod Brind’Amour broke his foot. LeClair, another slow starter, has five goals in his last three games and nine overall.

“The [Daymond] Langkow line has really been the key, with Sandy McCarthy and [Valeri] Zelepukin,” Lindros said. “Everybody’s been chipping in offensively.”

SO, CANADA?

Canadian TV commentator Don Cherry’s declaration that the Ottawa Senators will leave Canada within two years and will be followed by the Flames, Oilers and Canucks is speculation, according to Glen Sather, Oiler president and general manager.

But Sather acknowledged an exodus “is always a possibility” unless Canadian teams get some help while the Canadian dollar is much weaker than the U.S. dollar.

“We’ve got to move into the millennium and do something about the inequities we have,” he said. “We can’t have one team [the Rangers] operating with a budget of $60 million and other teams in the 20s. We need equalization of some sort. The biggest problem now is the currency difference.”

The Oilers are owned by a group of 37 investors who prevented the club from being sold and moved. The Oilers’ payroll is $22.5 million--in the lowest quarter of the league, according to the Hockey News--and won’t lose money this season, Sather said. However, the Oilers and Flames don’t pay the same heavy arena taxes as other Canadian teams do and the Oilers must make the playoffs to ensure their financial well-being.

“Those 37 are very dedicated to keeping the franchise in Edmonton, but I suppose the reality is, we have to find a way to keep competing,” Sather said.

But even competitive teams aren’t drawing. Sather shook his head at the crowd of 13,555 at the Arrowhead Pond on Sunday for the Oilers’ 3-1 loss to the Mighty Ducks, the second-smallest crowd in the Ducks’ seven seasons.

“I’m shocked,” he said. “I’ve been coming to these games for years and haven’t seen this. . . . I think ticket prices are what’s really driving people out of the buildings. We’ve got to get the business side of our game under control and find some way to get the crowds back.”

SLAP SHOTS

Monday was the deadline set by the Senators for AWOL center Alexei Yashin to report or be suspended the rest of the season. They have the NHL’s backing in issuing the ultimatum, but the NHL Players Assn. may fight it. Yashin has been working out in Switzerland. . . . Officials in Denver reached a preliminary agreement Friday with Donald Sturm on a guarantee the Avalanche and Nuggets will stay in the city for 25 years. Sturm’s attempt to buy the teams and the Pepsi Center stalled while politicians tried to get a personal guarantee from the 67-year-old mogul that his heirs won’t breach the agreement after he dies. A final pact is expected Wednesday.

The closing of Sports Air, a charter airline used by many NHL teams, left the Florida Panthers and Flyers scrambling last week. The Panthers were in Vancouver when the airline ceased operating Friday and had to make last-second plans with other charter carriers. The Flyers and the NBA’s 76ers, who were in Phoenix while the Flyers were in California, took turns using the Phoenix Suns’ plane to get home.

Claude Lemieux’s return to New Jersey was curious, given the rancor he felt toward General Manager Lou Lamoriello before the 1995 trade that sent him to Colorado. But the Devils need the emotion, timely goals and grit Lemieux provides, and they have a dozen defensive clones such as Brian Rolston up front. Rolston has the speed and talent to be more productive in a system that’s less restrictive.

Voters in Scottsdale, Ariz., and two nearby cities approved a financing package for a new arena for the Coyotes, whose lease at America West Arena expires after the 2000-01 season. Many hurdles remain, such as environmental impact studies and choosing an architect and a design. . . . The Carolina Hurricanes were outscored, 10-2, in losing their first two games at the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena. That may be why they drew only 12,264--64.4% of capacity--Sunday, when they defeated Washington for their first home victory.

After losing Sami and Igor Kravchuk, the Senators may be looking for a defenseman. They’re willing to give up Vaclav Prospal, who may not have much market value. They reportedly looked at unrestricted free agent Marty McSorley. . . . USC’s hockey club is having a better season than the football team and is ranked ninth nationally by the American Collegiate Hockey Assn. Hockey is a club sport at USC.