PASSION PL.A.Y

After two months in a Colorado Avalanche uniform, there are times Rob Blake lapses and refers to the Kings as “we.” At lunch with teammates recently, thinking ahead to the next game, he idly asked, “What time are we going to Staples tomorrow?” Their laughter jarred him back to reality.

“Everything was so simple for me in L.A., so routine,” he said. “Like finding doctors [for his pregnant wife Brandi]. I never had to worry about finding a new doctor. . . . With the Kings, I grew from Day 1 in the NHL to wherever I’ve gone to. It was an unbelievable time in my life.”

It officially ended Feb. 21, when the Kings traded Blake and rookie center Steven Reinprecht to Colorado for Adam Deadmarsh, Aaron Miller, a prospect and two draft picks. But Blake knew during training camp his time was running out, when the Kings didn’t meet his salary demands and he set his mind on filing for free agency July 1.

“It’s part of my past,” he said Wednesday, after the Avalanche’s rigorous practice. “Any memories of the Kings are what I’ll talk about over a barbecue this summer. That’s a closed door.”

Facing the Kings in the second round of the playoffs, starting tonight at the Pepsi Center, has reopened that door. As much as he can prepare to face former teammates and the fans who loved his thunderous hip checks and blistering slap shots, he will probably feel as many tugs on his heart as he will on his sweater.

“Deep down inside, I probably never, ever wanted to play the Kings in the playoffs,” he said. “Nobody who’s traded from one city to another wants to meet them early.

“But once you lie down in bed you think, ‘This is a business, and being traded is part of it.’ ”

A knee injury kept Blake out of Colorado’s lineup March 31 at Staples Center, the teams’ lone regular-season meeting after the trade. The Kings honored him by showing a video montage of images--a young Blake in the crown logo uniform, a veteran Blake ramming opponents into the boards, a happy Blake celebrating a goal. “I don’t think they’ll have a tribute on the scoreboard this time,” he said wryly.

But he hasn’t been forgotten, no matter that Deadmarsh and Miller have brought to the Kings a competitive fire and tenacity the team had long lacked. Blake is part of their history, and they are part of his. And he is more than a little jittery about facing them, although they all know there can be no quarter given in playoff hockey.

“If you don’t hit him, he’ll hurt you and hurt your team. He knows that,” Ian Laperriere said. “I know if he gets the chance to run me, he will, and I respect him for that. I don’t expect him to change his game.”

Luc Robitaille, who shared with Blake the joy of playing in the 1993 Stanley Cup finals and the pain of the team’s decline, also expects no favors. If he has the puck and is a threat, he knows Blake will hit him. Hard. “We have to do what it takes to win, and he does too,” Robitaille said. “I expect nothing but that.”

Blake wasn’t sure what to expect after the trade. Unlike the Kings, who had plastered his face on billboards and advertisements, the Avalanche had a galaxy of stars with even bigger names. He didn’t have to be the spokesman. He only had to be himself.

He wasn’t sure, though, what that meant. As the new guy, his inclination was to defer to defense partner Ray Bourque, team captain Joe Sakic and everyone else on the close-knit team.

“I was sitting back, but I had come into a situation where you want to look around and learn,” he said. “My main adjustment was I couldn’t change the way I acted or the things I did. But at first, I didn’t want to step on any toes.”

A chat with Coach Bob Hartley gave him the confidence to assert himself as he did with the Kings.

“He probably felt his way for a while. He saw the leadership we have in this organization,” Hartley said. “My message to him was very clear: I needed the Rob Blake that was one of the top defensemen in the league. I needed him to be himself. . . . Look at the series he gave us against Vancouver--he was absolutely fantastic. He changed the momentum with some big body checks and big goals. He has been a great player for us.”

As a hockey fan, Blake can see the trade has benefited the Kings. He watched them upset the Red Wings in the first round and admired Deadmarsh’s indomitable will and Miller’s steady defense.

He didn’t begrudge them their triumph. He applauded it.

“They’re a good team and they’re getting strong goaltending,” he said. “Deadmarsh and Miller were great additions. Deadmarsh is the gritty forward they needed. . . . I’m more happy for them than anything. Those are guys I’m going to be friends with for a long time. You want to see friends do well. It’s going to be a great series.”

He has heard the whispers the Kings would welcome him back if the free-agent market isn’t the bonanza he anticipates. It’s an intriguing thought, but he’s not dwelling on it. If they wouldn’t pay him nearly $10 million a year two months ago, why would they ante up this summer, when they can say they’ve been successful without a big-ticket player consuming a huge chunk of their payroll?

“It’s always a possibility,” he said, “but that will be the furthest thing from my mind now. I left on a good relationship. I respect everything they did over 12 years, and I had the feeling they felt the same for me. It was time to move on. . . .

“I’ve been through a lot of good things there and a lot of bad things. Now, it’s time to start that here.”

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COVERAGE

IT’S SIMPLE:

BE FLAWLESS

The Kings talk as if they expect to win, but they may not mind being underdogs in a series where they have no margin for error, Elliott Teaford writes. D10

PLAYOFF

BREAKDOWN

A series-by-series look at the conference semifinal matchups offers some numbers to consider before the teams take the ice today and Friday. D10