KINGS NOTEBOOK: DIONNE TAKES PART IN ROBITAILLE FETE.

Byline: Roger Phillips

A dozen years ago, when Luc Robitaille was a 20-year-old rookie, he lived in the home of the Kings' top player at the time, Marcel Dionne.

Saturday night, Dionne was in attendance when Robitaille was honored for scoring the 500th goal of his NHL career two nights earlier. Dionne is third on the NHL goal-scoring list with 731.

``He's the same young man I saw many years ago,'' said Dionne, 47, who owns a sports-marketing firm near Buffalo. ``He comes to play every night, he's very enthusiastic, he loves the game and he's a good family man. He's good for everyone.''

When Robitaille was approaching the 500-goal mark, Kings general manager Dave Taylor called Dionne and asked him if he would attend ceremonies that would be held after the historic goal.

Of Robitaille's accomplishment, Dionne said: ``In order to score 500 goals, you've got to stay healthy. He's had a few nagging injuries but nothing serious. He showed right off the bat he had the ability. He hasn't looked back since.''

Robitaille's spoils: Robitaille received a sport-utility vehicle from the Kings' organization, a big-screen television from his teammates and a Tiffany trophy from the league, which was presented to him by Dionne.

During a brief ceremony after the first period, Kings television announcer Bob Miller read congratulatory letters from fellow 500-goal scorers Mario Lemieux and Maurice ``Rocket'' Richard. Robitaille was joined during the ceremony by his wife, two sons and parents.

Early meeting: Knowing the game would be delayed by the Robitaille ceremony and fearing the effect of a distraction, coach Larry Robinson met with his players in the morning rather than early in the evening to go over the game plan.

``We just played Edmonton a couple of days ago,'' Robinson said, referring to Tuesday night's 4-3 overtime victory. ``There wasn't a lot to go over. We just wanted to go over a few things we went over in Edmonton. In Edmonton, I think we sat back too much. They're one of the fastest teams in the league. If you give them too much room to skate, it makes things doubly worse.''

Taylor not gloating: General manager Dave Taylor stayed patient when the Kings were struggling earlier in the season, resisting calls for a major move to boost the team. But even though the Kings have played better recently, Taylor isn't crowing.

``Right from the start of camp, we felt we had a good team, but we hadn't seen the team on the ice (until recently),'' Taylor said. ``We felt disappointed more than anything. . . . I don't think there was ever any pressure (to make a deal). If the right hockey deal is out there, we'll do it.''

Asked about the possibility of a trade now that the Kings would be dealing from a stronger position, Taylor said: ``It's been quiet lately. We're always looking to improve the team, especially with a couple of guys (ailing forwards Glen Murray and Ray Ferraro) going down who are going to be down for a while.''

Loose pucks: Defenseman Doug Bodger missed his fifth game because of the cervical strain and bruised shoulder he suffered when checked from behind by Dallas Drake of Phoenix nearly two weeks ago. By missing his fifth game, Bodger has missed more games than Drake did for inflicting the damage with a dirty hit that earned him a four-game suspension from the NHL.