Moment of Truth

Game 7 memories . . .

“I’d like to win one,” King winger Adam Deadmarsh deadpanned Tuesday, alluding to losses in Game 7s the last three seasons while playing with the Colorado Avalanche.

Defenseman Philippe Boucher said: “I played one Game 7 in Buffalo and it was a blast, even though we lost. That’s my best memory in hockey. Game 7 is what hockey is all about.”

Winger Luc Robitaille, a Penguin for the 1994-95 season: “I remember playing a Game 7 with Pittsburgh when we came back from a 3-1 deficit to win against Washington.”

General Manager Dave Taylor, recalling the Kings’ 6-3 victory in the deciding game in 1989 at the Forum: “There was a Game 7 against Edmonton in [Wayne] Gretzky’s first year as a King, but we had Games 5 and 7 at home.”

Bob Miller, the Kings’ hall of fame announcer, referring to a Game 7 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in the conference finals that put the team into the 1993 Stanley Cup final: “I was sweating and shaking and by the time it was over, I was soaking wet.

“I remember that game more than the finals games. It was just a classic series. The captains, Gretzky and [Toronto’s Doug] Gilmour showed unbelievable leadership. Each had a hat trick in the series.”

The Kings will play their first Game 7 since that unforgettable 1993 game at Maple Leaf Gardens, facing the Avalanche tonight at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

The winner advances to play the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference finals. The loser goes fishing. The winner continues to fight for a chance to hoist Lord Stanley’s cup. The loser gets a long, hot summer to ponder what might have been.

Perhaps that finality is what makes Game 7s so remarkable.

“You never know when you’ll be here again,” Taylor said. “Lots of people didn’t give us a chance to be here, so we want to make the most of our chance. . . . One shot can decide it. You have one game to win or lose.”

Game 7s also are something of a rarity recently in the Stanley Cup playoffs. There hasn’t been a Game 7 in the finals since the New York Rangers defeated the Vancouver Canucks in a cross-continent marathon in 1994.

The Mighty Ducks (remember them?) played the last Game 7 in Southern California, highlighting their first postseason appearance with a 3-0 victory April 29, 1997, over the Phoenix Coyotes at the Arrowhead Pond.

There will be a Game 7 doubleheader tonight, the first Game 7s of these playoffs. The New Jersey Devils host the Maple Leafs in a do-or-die game at 4 PDT. The Kings and Avalanche face off about three hours later.

On paper, the Devils and Avalanche should be considered favorites. But, as anyone with an e-mail account and too much time on his hands will point out, “These games ain’t played on paper, bub.”

Indeed.

Home teams aren’t mortal locks. Hall of famers struggle to maintain their form. Unsung heroes emerge. All of which adds to the lore of Game 7s.

“Oh, I remember,” Robitaille said with a vigorous nod when asked about the Kings’ 5-4 victory in Toronto in 1993. “We were really pumped to go there. We felt we could beat them. We kind of feel the same way this time around.”

Never, ever underestimate confidence and momentum in a do-or-die game. After winning Games 5 and 6 by matching 1-0 scores, the Kings certainly would qualify as a team with intangibles on its side.

Colorado’s three-game losing streak and goaltender Patrick Roy’s 2-5 record in Game 7s have been hot topics of conversation in Denver. It has been suggested that a loss tonight would cost Coach Bob Hartley his job. It certainly could also mean ownership will make sweeping changes to the roster, deciding against re-signing Rob Blake, Ray Bourque and/or Joe Sakic when they become free agents July 1.

The Kings have no such pressures on them. No one expects them to win the Stanley Cup championship. Few people expected them to qualify for the playoffs after a midseason 2-5-1 homestand. Fewer still figured them to be alive to play a Game 7 after falling behind in the series, three games to one.

“It was quite a battle just for us to get into the playoffs,” Deadmarsh said. “It’s been pretty exciting. We’re going to have some fun [tonight].”

“Fun” was a word repeated often after the Kings’ workout Tuesday.

“It’s going to be fun to watch it,” Andy Murray said on the eve of his first Game 7 as an NHL head coach.

Added rookie center Eric Belanger a day before his first Game 7: “I’m excited. It’s going to be a fun game. It’s the seventh game. You play for fun.”

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KINGS AT COLORADO, TONIGHT, 7, FSN

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Back From the Brink

3-1 comebacks in NHL playoff series:

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1942 Stanley Cup final Toronto d. Detroit* 1975 Quarterfinal N.Y. Islanders d. Pittsburgh* 1987 Division semifinal N.Y. Islanders d. Washington 1987 Division final Detroit d. Toronto 1988 Division semifinal Washington d. Philadelphia 1989 Division semifinal Kings d. Edmonton 1990 Division semifinal Edmonton d. Winnipeg 1991 Division semifinal St. Louis d. Detroit 1992 Division semifinal Detroit d. Minnesota 1992 Division semifinal Vancouver d. Winnipeg 1992 Division semifinal Pittsburgh d. Washington 1994 Western Conference quarterfinal Vancouver d. Calgary 1995 Eastern Conference quarterfinal Pittsburgh d. Washington 1998 Western Conference quarterfinal Edmonton d. Colorado 1999 Western Conference quarterfinal St. Louis d. Phoenix 2000 Eastern Conference final New Jersey d. Philadelphia

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*Trailed 3-0