THE NHL / HELENE ELLIOTT : Short Season Means Kings Have Less Time to Find Excuses

In a normal season, the Kings would be starting their annual January slump about now, their legs heavy after too many tedious trips through too many time zones. A year ago, they were two losses into a 4-12-5 dive that dropped them from third place to fifth in the Pacific Division and swept them out of playoff contention.

But this isn’t a normal season, and they had reason for more than the usual opening-night optimism before Friday’s 3-3 tie with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Forum.

For once, they felt they were starting out even--and possibly ahead--because they won’t have to make their usual four Eastern trips. The 48-game, intra-conference schedule created after the lockout will cut the Kings’ travel mileage considerably, and it’s ideal for a team that relies heavily on 10 players who are 30 or older.

“Everybody’s always complaining that 84 games is too long, so this is perfect,� said 35-year-old defenseman Charlie Huddy.

Although Wayne Gretzky stopped short of thanking Commissioner Gary Bettman and union boss Bob Goodenow for the labor dispute that abbreviated the season, he figures he will benefit from the condensed schedule.

Gretzky, still a reluctant flyer, won’t miss those long and winding treks East, and as he approaches his 34th birthday Thursday, he values rest over another visit to Maple Leaf Gardens or the Montreal Forum. The new schedule is long enough to get him going and keep him interested, but not long enough to exhaust him.

“I kind of refer to it now like a tournament. You’ve got to win every game,� said Gretzky, who began his 17th professional season by scoring two points. “The feeling is that you can’t lose a game because every game is like a four-point game.

“This helps us, the Ducks and San Jose tremendously. Until you play in the West, you don’t know how much easier the East Coast teams have it. It’s something all three (California) teams have to take advantage of. I’ve traveled so much in my career. Guys I’ve played with in Edmonton and L.A. have said they might have played 10 years more if they’d played on the East Coast.�

Like every NHL coach, Barry Melrose will have to modify his strategy to fit the new circumstances. He won’t have time to ease rookies into the lineup and, if a veteran falters, Melrose might have to throw in a young player sooner than he’d like. He also will have to act quickly and decisively if the Kings slide, which he didn’t do last season .

Those possible problems aside, he’s looking forward to capitalizing on the new schedule’s advantages.

“Everybody’s on a level playing field,� he said. “There are going to be teams that jump out, and you can’t start slow or you might not catch up. The short season magnifies injuries and slumps, but that’s true for every team.

“What I like is there’s no cruising now. It’s a sprint, not a marathon. Fans are going to benefit because every game is going to be intense. No team can afford to take a night off. Every game, it’ll be two teams battling.�

The Kings’ schedule might also give them an edge--or it might ruin them. They play seven of their first eight games at home, and a good start could launch them back into the playoffs. A poor start would be tough to overcome, and missing the playoffs would further alienate fans who felt ill-treated by last season’s failures and the slow distribution of refunds from canceled games.

The sellout crowd roared when the puck was dropped Friday, but nights like that were rare last season when the Kings’ playoff hopes were evaporating. Players know they must win the fans back.

“I’ve heard some people say the hockey is not going to be great, and granted, the first couple of games might not be great because we don’t have the timing and feel,� Huddy said. “But I think that’ll pass soon. Every game is going to be crucial. In an 84-game season, you could take a night off. If you miss one now, it could take you out of the playoffs.�

Eldest statesman Pat Conacher, who will be 36 in May, recalled a friend telling him that baseball needed 2 1/2 years to regain the fans and stature it lost during its 1981 strike. Hockey, still last among the major professional team sports, can’t take that much time to rebuild its audience.

“The fans have voiced their opinions and we know they were unhappy,� Conacher said. “We have our work cut out (in luring them back). . . . Everyone is hungry to be playing again and focused. We realize how important every game is. Hopefully, we can get off to a good start and use to our advantage all the factors the new schedule gives us.�

While most of the Kings expect to adapt quickly, Rick Tocchet might lag slightly behind.

“I’m so used to playing Jersey and the Rangers, now I’ve got to learn to hate the teams we play out here,� said Tocchet, who was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Luc Robitaille in July. “When you play in the East, you don’t see Vancouver and Calgary much. The guys have been telling me about those teams, and I’ve got to learn to hate those teams with them.�