A ONCE-IN-LIFETIME HOCKEY EXPERIENCE.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

For a least a few seconds this week, Kings president Tim Leiweke gets to live out a dream.

``I'm looking forward to seeing the Stanley Cup, no question,'' Leiweke said. ``I'm going to try to dream and imagine what it will be like when we get it for ourselves.''

Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche fans, please hold the punch lines for a minute. Leiweke will get to spend some time with hockey's championship trophy this week, and if he desires, Leiweke can even lace up a pair of skates and see if his slap shot can match the speed of that of Kings general manager Dave Taylor.

NHL FANtasy comes to the Los Angeles Convention Center from Wednesday through Saturday and features an entire ballroom full of games and skill contests for the diehard hockey fan, as well as plenty of activities for those who might not even know the definition of a line change.

Staples Center, which plays host to the NHL All-Star Game on Saturday afternoon, also features a celebrity game on Wednesday as well as the YoungStars game, for players 25 and under, and the SuperSkills competition on Friday, but only at the Convention Center can one get a picture standing next to the Stanley Cup or in the driver's seat of a Zamboni.

``We had to create a balance, because we know that fans will come in with different levels of sophistication when it comes to the sport,'' said Frank Supovitz, the league's group vice president of events and entertainment and the point man for the week's activities. ``You might not be the biggest hockey fan when you come out to NHL FANtasy, but we're going to entice you and try to make you a bigger fan.''

Sparked by the success of Major League Baseball's FanFest, NHL FANtasy offers a variety of games and skill contests for youngsters, and the chance for older fans to greet and receive autographs from some of hockey's past greats.

The games are designed to give fans a taste of what it's like to be a top-level hockey player. In a game that the Kings' Felix Potvin (and goalkeepers everywhere) must adore, average folks can try a virtual-reality game that will allow them to try to stop pucks ``shot'' at them at a blistering speed.

Fans can also put on skates and try to stay upright on makeshift ice and roller hockey rinks, and have the ability to skate with some celebrities and former players during clinics on Wednesday and Thursday. Fans can also test their strength with shooting accuracy and hardest-slap-shot contests.

``You will have the ability to actually pick up a stick and shoot a puck,'' Supovitz said. ``If you don't know how to hold a stick, we will show you how. And everybody who tries it will know what it means to have a 105 mile-per-hour slap shot like some of the pros do.''

There is plenty of fun to be had for less-athletic fans. The photo opportunities will no doubt be a highlight of the week, and fans can also have trading cards made of themselves wearing the jersey of their favorite NHL team.

Almost every video game on the market will be available to play, memorabilia and apparel can be purchased and live concerts will take place each night.

The highlight of the FANtasy week figures to be Friday's game pitting members of the 1980 United States Olympic hockey team against a group of NHL alumni. As of the weekend, 19 of the 20 team members had signed on to attend the game, the highest number ever since the team visited the White House after it won the gold medal.

Also, the USC and UCLA ice hockey teams will play in a four-on-four game Thursday night, and members of the Los Angeles Police Department will take on their colleagues from New York in a game Saturday at 10 a.m., just before the pros take the ice next door at Staples Center.

Staples Center will hold the first-ever YoungStars game, which will not include any Kings or Mighty Ducks but will feature 24 of the league's top youngsters, as well as Wednesday's game that includes celebrities and former stars. Actors Cuba Gooding Jr., Denis Leary, Tim Robbins and Keifer Sutherland are scheduled to participate, as well as former Kings Taylor, Jari Kurri and Rogie Vachon.

The tradition SuperSkills competition tests the All-Stars to see who is the fastest skater and who has the hardest and most accurate shot, among other skills.

``(This week) will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for hockey fans in Los Angeles,'' Leiweke said. ``The diehard hockey fans will love it, and the fans who might not be as familiar with the sport, once they experience the history and the tradition, we will make semi-fans into full-time fans.

``There will be a segment that probably won't be interested at all, but the middle element, those who are mildly interested, will really become fans.''

ALL-STAR GAME

Saturday, noon

Staples Center

--TV: Ch. 7

NHL ALL-STAR WEEK HIGHLIGHTS

TODAY

--Noon: The Stanley Cup, a procession of Zamboni machines and NHL players will parade from City Hall to the Convention Center.

WEDNESDAY

--4 to 10 p.m.: NHL All-Star FANtasy

300,000 square-foot interactive hockey festival at Convention Center.

--5 to 6:30 p.m.: Celebrity clinic

Watch and skate with celebrities and NHL alumni, at Convention Center.

--7:30 p.m.: All-Star Celebrity Challenge, at Staples Center

Benefit game includes Cuba Gooding Jr., Kiefer Sutherland, Denis Leary, Jerry Bruckheimer and David E. Kelley.

THURSDAY

--4 to 5:30 p.m.: Heroes of Hockey Skate with the Greats.

Skate with NHL alumni, at Convention Center.

--4 to 11 p.m.: NHL All-Star FANtasy

--8 p.m.: UCLA hockey team vs. USC, at Convention Center

FRIDAY

--1 p.m. to midnight: NHL All-Star FANtasy

--2:30 to 4 p.m.: 1980 U.S. Olympic team reunion game

1980 ``Miracle on Ice'' team faces NHL alumni

--5:45 to 7 p.m.: NHL YoungStars Game

NHL stars 25 and under face off in four-on-four format.

--7 to 8:30 p.m.: NHL All-Star SuperSkills competition

NHL All-Stars showcase their skills in various events.

SATURDAY

--9 a.m. to midnight: NHL All-Star FANtasy

--Noon: 52nd NHL All-Star Game

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NHL ALL-STAR WEEK HIGHLIGHTS (see text)