Hockey Makes Its Return

The ice was cold.

The crowd arrived late.

Putting the rubber thing in the net was still the objective.

Hockey was more or less the same as when it left fans a year ago, other than a few rule changes designed to give the game cosmetic improvements.

The U2 song “With or Without You” blared throughout Staples Center before the Kings and Mighty Ducks took the ice Saturday. Likely not a message to Southern California hockey fans, but this was the reward for wading through a year of rhetoric.

Hockey was back, for better or worse.

The Kings and Mighty Ducks returned to a three-quarter-full arena Saturday, even though the Kings provided free tickets for the game.

The 4-2 King victory was the first Southern California test to see how the NHL weathered a labor dispute that led to the 2004-05 season being canceled.

“I think it is going to come back quick,” said Jeremy Roenick, who had three assists in his King debut. “Hockey fans are pretty loyal people. They come because they love the game.

“Fans don’t pay to watch owners. The big difference is that we were locked out, we didn’t strike. The players didn’t do it, we just didn’t fix it in time.”

Those fans in attendance were ready to welcome them back.

They cheered when the puck was dropped at 7:38 p.m.

They cheered the first hit when the Kings’ Dustin Brown slammed Shane O’Brien into the boards 33 seconds into the game

They cheered the first save, a glove snag by the Kings’ Mathieu Garon 2:13 into the game.

And they went berserk for the first fight, a no-decision brawl between the Kings’ Ryan Flinn and the Ducks’ Kip Brennan 4:05 into the game.

In the end, King fans were left cheering after their team overcame a 2-0 deficit with three second-period goals, two by Alexander Frolov. Roenick assisted on each, and the Kings won for the first time since March 14, 2004, when they beat the Ducks at Staples Center.

“That’s what this is about, the fans,” said Craig Conroy, whose goal with 15:25 left clinched the Kings’ victory. “If you’re not in it for them, you shouldn’t be playing. We need to go out and have fun.”

Lisa Lebeck of Ojai, a longtime Duck fan, was appreciative.

“They’re like real people. You can go to their practice free and you can meet all the players. They’re just more accessible. How many people can say they’ve met Kobe Bryant after a game? I’ve met [Sergei] Fedorov. I’ve met all the players.”

Fun was found through traditional hockey outlets.

Jason Marshall zipped a shot past Garon on a power play for the first goal 3:53 into the game. Marshall was then pounded in a bloodletting fight with Ken Belanger four minutes later. Belanger received a 29 minutes in penalties, including a game misconduct. Marshall received four stitches under his right eye. He did not return to the game.

The NHL has promised to crack down on obstruction this season to allow players offensive freedom. Saturday’s game had 36 penalties.

But rule changes were less noticeable, except for the shootout to break ties. The NHL is requiring teams do a shootout at the end of regulation regardless of the score during exhibition games.

But for those King fans suffering from hockey withdrawal the past year, Saturday was a big fix. The Kings held their annual Hockey Day L.A., normally held during the regular season, and fans could watch three practices with a rookie game in the afternoon before the evening’s exhibition game.

“I’ve been dying for hockey to start again,” said James Dobbs of Ontario, a King fan since 1984. “My sons and I have had to watch crazy stuff on TV, like soccer.

“The way I look at the lockout is it was like having an argument with your wife. You’re not happy when you’re going through it, but when it’s over you still love her.”

About 200 fans lined up for single-game tickets before they went on sale Saturday morning, with King players Luc Robitaille, Mattias Norstrom, Derek Armstrong and Eric Belanger helping to sell tickets for an hour, while Conroy, Nathan Dempsey, Aaron Miller and Mike Weaver worked the small crowd.

The Kings said they sold about 7,500 single-game tickets Saturday.

“People were having me sign all kind of things, schedules, pictures,” Robitaille said. “One guy had my rookie jersey, the one I really wore. He said he bought it on eBay. I would kind of like to get that. It was awesome to see all those people waiting for hockey.”

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Times Staff Writer Eric Stephens contributed to this report.