Locals Get Chance to Focus Elsewhere

For one day, Paul Kariya of the Mighty Ducks and Rob Blake, Ziggy Palffy and Luc Robitaille of the Kings could forget their respective teams’ struggles.

All four Southern California representatives figured in the scoring in Sunday’s 14-12 North America victory over the World team in the NHL All-Star game. Kariya had three assists for North America, while Robitaille contributed two goals and Blake recorded an assist; Palffy scored a goal for the World team, his first in two all-star appearances.

“It’s a good break,” said Blake, still the subject of trade rumors as the March 13 trade deadline nears. “You play 82 regular-season games and prepare the same 82 times. In this game, you know you’re going to go out and have fun.”

Blake said he credited Palffy for beating him to score the World team’s sixth goal. Palffy claimed Robitaille was trash talking to him all afternoon.

“It was really strange to play against them,” Palffy said. “Lucky was talking to me all the time. He called me ‘Flipski,’ because I’m always flipping pucks.”

Robitaille laughed off Palffy’s claim but acknowledged saying a few words now and then.

“I hooked him, and he wasn’t happy,” Robitaille said. “I backchecked. I said, ‘I’m not letting you score.’ ”

Kariya didn’t score, but he displayed superb passing skills by orchestrating two goals by Theo Fleury and one by Joe Sakic. He also got an unexpected chance to display his gymnastic skills when he was driving to the net and ran into goalie Roman Chechmanek late in the second period.

The collision launched Kariya into a somersault over the goalie. It was an alarming sight, given Kariya’s history of concussions. However, Kariya picked himself up quickly and wasn’t hurt.

“I didn’t think he’d come out of the net in the All-Star game,” Kariya said, laughing.

*

Robitaille, who brought sons Jessie and Steven with him to his ninth all-star appearance, said he sometimes found himself behaving like a fan and watching teammate Mario Lemieux.

“All of us players, we enjoy watching him,” Robitaille said. “Everybody talks about how there’s no hitting in the All-Star game, but the way he played today is the way he plays next week or the week after. He didn’t play any different.”

*

Ray Bourque played in his 19th All-Star game, second only to Gordie Howe’s 23. But Bourque, 40, felt like a kid Sunday in front of his supportive hometown fans. “It was great to be playing in Denver,” he said. “And I never take anything for granted, especially these games. It’s an honor and privilege to be a part of these.”

However, he broke an unspoken rule by trying to make defensive plays. “I found myself on the ice a couple of times trying to block shots,” he said, “and guys were asking me what I was doing.”

*

The 26 goals scored Sunday broke the previous record of 22, set in 1993 at Montreal. The teams tied an All-Star game record set in 1997 when they combined for 10 goals in the second period and duplicated that in the third. . . . Only four skaters (defensemen Janne Niinimaa, Scott Niedermayer, Marcus Ragnarsson and Bourque) did not record a point. . . . North America winger Bill Guerin’s five-point game was one short of the record set by Lemieux in 1988. . . . Lemieux’s goal gave him 12 in all-star play, one short of Wayne Gretzky’s record. With 22 points, he trails career leader Gretzky by three. . . . No penalties were called, the second time in three years that has occurred. . . . Since this format was adopted, North America has a 3-1 series edge over the World team.