Local Teams Hate It, Whatever It’s Called : Ducks: Tavares says both sides are to blame for impasse. Players are not surprised.

The solitary fan sitting in a sea of empty seats is fast becoming a symbol of professional sports.

Tony Tavares, the Mighty Ducks’ president, says he will be the lonely fan on Oct. 9, the Sunday afternoon The Pond was supposed to reverberate with a celebration of the team’s home opener against the Calgary Flames.

“It will be my protest,” said Tavares--as if forgetting he is president of one of the 26 teams that gave Commissioner Gary Bettman unanimous approval to postpone the scheduled opening of the NHL season today. “I’ll be protesting the fact that we haven’t been smart enough as a group--both sides--to figure out a solution.”

The development is a particular letdown for the second-year team, eager for the debut of rookie Paul Kariya.

Kariya says he is disappointed, but “this is not something that’s just come out of the blue.” The battle lines were drawn before he arrived, but he hasn’t hesitated since reaching the front.

“It’s easy for me to back the union, because hopefully I’m going to be in the NHL a while,” he said. “The veterans don’t need to fight for the younger guys, but they’re in there fighting for the new guys and the guys who are 15 years old and playing bantam hockey right now.”

Duck players made a cursory appearance at the arena Friday to hear what they expected: Games called on account of labor dispute.

Bettman announced Friday that the first two weeks of the season have been “postponed”--a term that has inspired an incendiary war of words on both sides.

“You can say what you want about it, it’s a play on words,” defenseman Robert Dirk said. “We’re not going to be playing. Is it a lockout or a postponement? I’m not working as of tomorrow, which I should be, and I’m not getting paid.”

Because the season isn’t starting, players will not receive their first paychecks, scheduled for Oct. 13. Players are not paid during training camp.

As of Friday, they had the weekend off, awaiting word from union chief Bob Goodenow on what their practice procedures should be. Presumably they will practice on their own at a local rink where players have reserved time at $300 an hour. Union representative Bob Corkum and several other players were expecting to go to Toronto or New York to meet with Goodenow.

Tavares and the players agree on at least one thing--the negotiations have little hope of going anywhere until the sides understand one another’s positions.

“We’re spending too much time on terminology,” Tavares said, referring to debate over highly charged terms such as lockout and salary cap. “Too much time is spent on name calling.

“I’d rather play. But I’m not torn by the decision we’ve come to. I support it, because I believe it’s necessary, as painful as this is--and it’s very painful.

“We’re looking for a tourniquet. We don’t need a Band-Aid.”

Mighty Duck Notes

Fans who have tickets for Oct. 9, 12, and 14, home games affected by the two-week postponement, should hold them until the games are rescheduled or canceled. . . . Rookie right wing John Lilley, 22, was assigned to minor league affiliate San Diego of the International League.