'02 ALL-STAR GAME NEEDS TWEAKING.

Byline: MATT McHALE NHL 

This is not piling on Kings president Tim Leiweke. He has enough on his mind.

But Sunday's All-Star Game in Denver was a dud.

This is important because Leiweke is hosting next year's game at the Staples Center.

It doesn't matter that Rob Blake will be there in another uniform. OK, it will matter. But in a city where hockey interest is like jazz, a mile deep but only an inch wide, it will be impossible to spread the love no matter how many goals Luc Robitaille scores.

Robitaille, one of the most popular players in Kings history, scored twice for North America at Denver's Pepsi Center.

Yawn.

Teammate Ziggy Palffy had a goal for the World team.

Zzzzzzz.

All of that was lost in the glut of a 14-12 victory by North America that was long on pyrotechnics and short on the elements that make hockey such a special sport.

For one day a year, it is a noncontact drill. Unfortunately, it also is the game ABC has to spice up life after the Super Bowl. Broadcasters were boasting about all the scoring records. But players were going at half speed and kids like Sergei Samsonov were scolded by the veterans for skating all out. This is what the NHL wants you to see?

There is no physical contact. Someone said Sunday's game was like watching flag football. It wasn't that good.

Hockey is a violent game. The league knows that and promotes it on every Jumbotron in the league. Fans cheer for the fights. Purists wept last year at the beauty of Blake's hip check on the Blues' Jochen Hecht.

This is not to condone thuggery, clearly hockey's dark side, but there is something noble about a gritty guy like Ian Laperriere making a living at this.

And that is why an All-Star Game does not work for hockey. Better in Toronto, where fans cling to the sport tighter than a Rob Blake trade rumor. But certainly not Los Angeles, where winter sports center around Shaq's foot and Steve Lavin's firing.

On Sunday, Mario Lemieux's first All-Star appearance in four years brought out thousands of flashbulbs, but it was hardly a Kodak moment. If you want to fully appreciate Lemieux, watch his magic on a Tuesday night during the regular season when the action is full throttle.

Leiweke, who runs the Staples Center in addition to the Kings, is a gifted marketing man who lobbied hard to get the game. Here are a few suggestions to make it worth your time:

--Give the game back to Canada. The home of hockey is hurting so badly to keep up financially with the United States, use the event to make money for struggling teams.

--Get rid of the North America vs. World setup. It is so one-sided for the fans. Colorado's Peter Forsberg, a Swede, was the only member of the World team to get cheered. If you really want to see Blake put a hit on his Slovak teammate Palffy, it might happen sooner than you think.

--Get Stu Grimson involved. His one-punch knockout of St. Louis tough guy Reid Simpson in December was one of the most electrifying moments of the season. Again, the violence was a little grim, so put him in a ring with Bob Probert and 16-ounce hockey gloves. And put him in front of as many cameras as possible. He is the league's most articulate player.

The NHL All-Star Game is a money maker, though, so things aren't likely to change.

All the seats and suites will be filled at Staples Center next February. There will be Fan Fests and downtown streets closed for roller hockey. Wayne Gretzky will be honored for bringing the Kings their greatest moment, the 1993 Stanley Cup finals.

Maybe the club will use the occasion to retire his number at last.

L.A. has one year to do something. Once the game begins, the roar of the crowd will be, ``Who let this dog out?''

HEAD OF THE CLASS

One of the few good things about the All-Star Game was watching youngsters like Philadelphia's Simon Gagne. This was his first time at the event and he responded with two goals. That might not seem like much in this bloated game, but Gagne made it special.

Just 20 and in his second NHL season, Gagne got to play on the same line with fellow Quebec native Lemieux. He said he was nervous, but it never showed on the ice.

Over the weekend, Gagne hung out with Colorado goaltender Patrick Roy, who owns the junior club Gagne played for as a 16-year-old. The two, who live in Quebec City in the summer, have since become golfing buddies.

``I've never met Robitaille,'' Gagne said before arriving. ``I'd like to get a chance to speak to him.''

Robitaille already knows Gagne, who scored a goal two weeks ago in the Kings' 3-0 loss at Philadelphia. Gagne is tied with Keith Primeau for the Flyers' lead in goals (22) and points (45). He also leads the team in plus/minus (plus 18) and game-winning goals (seven, tied for second best in the league with Washington's Peter Bondra).

Drafted 22nd overall in 1998, he has been Clarke's best first-round pick and right at the top of a class that included Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier, San Jose's Brad Stuart, Colorado's Alex Tanguay and New Jersey's Scott Gomez.

BLUE LINES

By Matt McHale

ANOTHER BLAKE

Who is the next Rob Blake, a gritty offensive defenseman who can drive opponents into the boards and drive the salary scale out of sight? His name is Derek Morris, of the Calgary Flames. Blake could sign a record deal, but he has had contract help from Chris Pronger, Brian Leetch and Niklas Lidstrom. All are veterans now. The next level is Morris. ``Of all the guys I've seen, he is closest to Rob in handling the puck and keeping pressure on the opponent,'' Kings coach Andy Murray said. ``It will be tough for (small-market) Calgary to keep him.'' Morris, 22, is only 5-foot-11, not close to Blake's 6-4 and still nine years from unrestricted free agency. But he is no stranger to contract problems, signing a new deal in December after a two-month holdout.

DRINK UP

Sunday's All-Star Game in Denver, wasn't just North America against the World. It was also a corporate matchup between Coca-Cola and Pepsi. The site was the Pepsi Center, but Coke is an official sponsor of the NHL. That was the reason tickets to the All-Star Game carried no mention of the Pepsi Center. Instead, the arena was referred to as the home of the Colorado Avalanche. Pepsi products were served at the concession stands. But only Coca-Cola brands were available at NHL receptions and in the press box. All-Star commemorative bottles of Coke also were passed out.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER 

Next to Blake, the player most likely to be traded before the deadline was Washington's Peter Bondra, who was outspoken in his dislike for Capitals coach Ron Wilson. But general manager George McPhee always hoped the animosity would pass. Last Thursday, Bondra agreed to a four-year contract and responded with his 16th career hat trick. He has been given an additional $770,000 to this year's contract. The next two years are $4.5 million, but there is a $1.1 million buyout in the third year if the Caps don't want him back. Entering the second half, Bondra has 30 goals and 55 points in 54 games.

GOING WILD

Minnesota's Manny Fernandez, who already has beaten the Kings twice this season, is closing in on a record for victories by an expansion goaltender. Fernandez helped the Wild go 4-2-0 before the break and has 16 victories overall, just five short of John Vanbiesbrouck of the Florida Panthers in 1993-94.

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