Now That It Has Been Built, Will They Come For Kings?

King Coach Andy Murray will consider at least one mission accomplished if people start coming to Staples Center primarily because they want to see his hockey team instead of the new arena. . . .

But he is well prepared for Staples Center to be the center of attention during the Kings’ home opener tonight against Boston. In their first practice on the new ice last week, not even his players could stay focused on hockey. . . .

“We actually had a real bad practice because we kept looking around,” Luc Robitaille said. . . .

Compared to some of the arenas where the players have skated over the years, they were in the Taj Mahal. . . .

Recalling the arenas that are least likely to be confused with the 18,500-seat Staples Center, defender Mattias Norstrom of Sweden and forward Marko Tuomainen of Finland mentioned the same one. Located in Fussen, Germany, where they were competing in the 1991 World Junior Championships, it had a roof but no walls. . . .

“It was in late December or early January and no more than 20 degrees,” Norstrom said. “People were freezing.” . . .

For Murray’s home opener last season, he was behind the bench of the Shattuck-St. Mary’s High team he coached in Faribault, Minn. The arena, he said, held 500 to 600. . . .

Asked how he will keep the Kings focused on the game tonight, he said, “I will remind them that the Bruins are here to spoil our party.” . . .

Meantime, the Kings seemed relieved after their workout in the new arena Tuesday to discover that the showers worked. Bruce Springsteen complained during his concert Sunday night about the water pressure in his dressing room. . . .

After a thorough investigation by building administrators, they blamed it on pilot error. A brief instructional session on the shower controls solved the problem before “the Boss” appeared on stage again Monday night.

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Vince Evans, who attended a luncheon for the Kings at Staples Center on Tuesday sponsored by the L.A. Sports Council and Chamber of Commerce, said he is going to call Bill Parcells to see whether the Jets would be interested in a 44-year-old quarterback. . . .

While the sponsors at Staples Center were feeding a hockey team, the Orange County Sports Newsmakers got off lightly in the wallet with their monthly luncheon Tuesday. They played host to a jockey, Kent Desormeaux. . . .

Judiciously selecting his food in the buffet line, Desormeaux told the woman behind him, “I ride for free. I get paid for watching my weight.” . . .

Always seeking methods of predicting earthquakes, perhaps Kate Hutton and friends at Caltech should subscribe to the Daily Racing Form. . . .

Last Saturday, a few hours after the Hector earthquake, Desormeaux rode Richter Scale to victory at Keeneland. . . .

The race was simulcast at Santa Anita, where, on the same day, Six Point Eight finished second at 6-1 odds in the sixth race. . . .

Polls indicate that 50.7% of San Antonio voters support a Nov. 2 referendum to publicly fund a $175-million arena for the Spurs, with 36.6% opposed and the rest undecided. . . .

If the proposal fails, reports are that the Spurs will give Tim Duncan a voice in deciding where they move. . . .

I wonder how he likes Anaheim. . . .

The Virginia Tech Hokies look real to me. . . .

“Everyone loves Mike Tyson,” says his promoter, Dan Goossen. “Everyone who doesn’t love to see him win loves to see him lose.” . . .

Tyson might have lost some of his skills through the years, but he still has a punch. He knocked down his sparring partner, Everett “Big Foot” Martin, in the first round of a session Tuesday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Tyson is fighting there Saturday night against Orlin Norris. . . .

Although it has been well-established that Tyson is no longer the draw he once was, Goossen contends his heavyweight is still more popular than Oscar De La Hoya. . . .

Maybe not in Las Vegas. Or in New York, where De La Hoya is appearing this week with Rosie O’Donnell and Regis and Kathie Lee. But in some places. . . .

“I was in Moscow last week for the [World Boxing Council] convention and I couldn’t find one person who had even heard of De La Hoya,” Goossen said. “But you go into the restaurants and all the people, the grandmothers, the grandfathers, the children, knew Tyson.” . . .

Yeah, they all knew Stalin too. That didn’t make him a good guy. . . .

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While wondering what a Hokie is, I was thinking: I figured all along the Chargers would have a contending team in Ryan Leaf’s second season, the NFL should suspend Mike Ditka for at least one game, the Lakers won’t trade for Latrell Sprewell--unless he’s a close personal friend of Jerry Buss.

Randy Harvey can be reached at his e-mail address: randy.harvey@latimes.com.