For the Ducks, Kings Are No Role Models

First will come the disclosures of who played on a bad ankle, who was hampered by a sore shoulder, and who requires surgery for an injury there’s no reason to hide now that the Mighty Ducks’ season has come to an emotionally wrenching conclusion.

While they brood over their Game 7 loss to the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup finals and attend to their medical needs, the Ducks must begin to think of how to use this experience to improve, and to avoid becoming a one-hit wonder.

For a model of what not to do, they need look no further than to the Kings, who are struggling to return to the plateau they reached 10 years ago during their only appearance in the Stanley Cup finals.

The Kings made hockey hot in Southern California in 1993, when Wayne Gretzky and his teammates advanced to the finals against the Montreal Canadiens. They were an exciting team, blessed with scorers and character players unafraid of grunt work. They drew solid TV ratings and lured movie and TV stars to the Forum in Inglewood, glamorizing the game and appealing to loyal and new fans alike.

The Ducks made their NHL debut four months later, a legacy of the Kings’ success. The Ducks were well-received at the start because of their hard-working, scrappy style, but the Kings disintegrated after their five-game loss to Montreal in the finals and have never fully recovered.

While egos mushroomed and infighting between coach Barry Melrose and general manager Nick Beverley became toxic, the Kings began a slide in which they missed the playoffs the next four seasons. Players lost their selflessness and the financial fraud committed by owner Bruce McNall undermined the club’s operations and its ability to sign and pay players.

Beverley was gone by May 1994 and Melrose was fired before the 1994-95 season ended. Gretzky was traded in February 1996 and McNall went to jail.

There are many reasons to believe the Ducks will avoid the traps that ensnared the Kings.

For one, Duck Coach Mike Babcock and General Manager Bryan Murray have a solid relationship. Melrose and Beverley fought for supremacy in personnel decisions but Babcock defers to Murray, who did an outstanding job in revitalizing a flailing organization.

Babcock isn’t lacking in the ego department. But based on a season in which the Ducks set records for victories and points and upset Detroit, Dallas and Minnesota before stretching the Devils to the limit in the finals, Babcock is entitled to be proud of what he and his team accomplished -- as long as they don’t become complacent, which his hard-driving personality suggests is unlikely.

Also working in the Ducks’ favor is the stability of their ownership. Even though the club is for sale, parent company Disney has supported Murray’s requests to spend money on upgrading the roster and there’s no indication Disney will dump the Ducks. On the contrary, Chairman Michael Eisner reappeared at the Arrowhead Pond for several playoff games and was in New Jersey during the finals.

Not to be underestimated is that goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, the most valuable player in the playoffs, is a fundamentally sound goalie and not a “hot� goalie, who might be subject to slumps. He’s capable of playing this well again without benefit of breaks, because his solid, square-to-the-puck approach will enable him to be competitive.

The Ducks assembled a good blend of personalities, with veteran Steve Thomas helping youngsters Samuel Pahlsson and Stanislav Chistov, and 40-year-old Adam Oates setting an example with his dominance on draws. However, it’s not certain Thomas or Oates will return. Thomas is unrestricted and Oates’ return is subject to a club option, and both appear to have a lot left, but the drop-off in production for an older player can be swift.

And what happens should another club extend an offer sheet to Giguere, who will become a restricted free agent July 1? Such offers are rare, but it’s not impossible to envision Colorado, which must replace the retired Patrick Roy, throwing huge money at Giguere and going for broke before the anticipated work stoppage that could shorten or erase the 2004-05 season. The Ducks would get five first-round draft picks as compensation, but could they find another Giguere? If they match the offer, they’d have a huge salary to pay and squeeze under a salary cap or luxury-tax ceiling should a new labor agreement include those provisions.

There’s no easy answer. But Giguere’s performance this season marked him as a gem and cornerstone of the franchise for another decade.

Any move and any analysis of the Ducks’ season must be filtered through the perspective of history. The Edmonton Oilers lost their first Cup final, in 1983, before embarking on a run of five championships in seven seasons. The Calgary Flames lost to Montreal in 1986 before winning in 1989, and the Red Wings were swept by the Devils in 1995 before rebounding to win titles in 1997 and 1998.

But the trail of the Stanley Cup also is littered with teams such as the Washington Capitals, who haven’t been a threat since they made it to the 1998 finals, and the Carolina Hurricanes, who won the East title last season but missed the playoffs this season.

The Ducks survived a grueling test that highlighted the huge disadvantage Western teams face, especially with a 2-2-1-1-1 format in the finals. They may never have this chance again. Or they may sustain the spirit that carried them this spring and find a way to take that last, difficult step that separates champions from hopefuls. To an extent, it’s their choice. And if they can maintain this level while sparking the Kings to challenge them next season, so much the better for hockey fans here and everywhere.