THE COLD WAR; TWO QUALITY HOCKEY SQUADS IN AREA MAKE BEST KIND OF ICY RELATIONSHIP.Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer The Dodgers and Angels play in different leagues. The Clippers and Lakers play on different planets. For pro sports in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, there is only one rivalry, and finally the Kings and Mighty Ducks
Mighty Ducks is a half-hour Disney animated series aired on ABC and The Disney Afternoon in the fall of 1996. Twenty-six episodes total were produced. appear ready to take it seriously. Tonight, in front of a sellout crowd at the Arrowhead Pond, the two teams face each other for the first of six meetings this season. More important, it is the first time in their seven years together in the NHL NHL Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, see there that both are good enough for people to care. ``The atmosphere will be unbelievable,'' said the Ducks' Teemu Selanne. ``There will be fans with two jerseys and they will be wearing whichever team is winning. It's good that both teams have done well. What is good for Southern California is good for the NHL.'' Although the Clippers and Lakers now share an arena, they are at opposite ends of the NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= food chain. Unlike the Dodgers-Angels rivalry, which has never developed even with interleague play Interleague play is the term used to describe regular season Major League Baseball games played between teams in different leagues, introduced in 1997. Before the 1997 season, teams in the American League and National League did not meet during the regular season. , the Kings and Mighty Ducks compete in the NHL's hyper-competitive Pacific Division. If the season ended today, all five teams in the division would make the playoffs. Two points for tonight's victory could mean much more than bragging rights along the Santa Ana Freeway The Santa Ana Freeway is one of the principal freeways in Southern California, connecting Los Angeles, California and its southeastern suburbs. The freeway begins at the four level Bill Keene Memorial Interchange complex in downtown Los Angeles, signed as U.S. Route 101. . It could wind up being the difference for home-ice advantage in the postseason. That's why nobody is saying this is just another game. ``Before you can gain respect in the league, you have to earn it in your own town'' said Luc Robitaille This article has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It needs to be expanded. * It may need copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. , who returns for the first time in almost a month after breaking his left foot. ``But it is happening. They have been the better team and we are going to change that. When we both make the playoffs, this thing will really take off.'' Also unlike the Dodgers and Angels, the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. side of the matchup has been the underdog throughout the rivalry. Even though the Ducks entered the league for the 1993-94 season, they have been to the playoffs twice to just once for the Kings. The Ducks, with two of the league's most exciting players, Selanne and Paul Kariya Paul Tetsuhiko Kariya (born October 16, 1974 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), is a professional ice hockey player who plays for the St. Louis Blues. Personal life , always have represented a flashy alternative to the Kings, who disappeared without a trace after making the Stanley Cup Stanley Cup: see hockey, ice. Stanley Cup Trophy awarded annually to the winning team of the National Hockey League championship. Named for its donor, the Canadian governor-general Frederick Arthur Stanley, Lord Stanley of Preston Finals in 1993. Last year, the Ducks were 5-1 against the Kings. But since then, the Kings have moved into the Staples Center This article has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. * It does not cite any references or sources. , hired a new coach, Andy Murray, acquired high scoring Ziggy Palffy and jumped out to the third-best record in the NHL. They have survived injuries to Robitaille, center Jozef Stumpel and goaltender Stephane Fiset Stephane Fiset (born June 17, 1970 in Montreal, Quebec) is an ice hockey goaltender who is retired. Playing career Fiset was drafted in the 2nd round 24th overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques. and have played well on the road (8-3-2). ``Even though they have had guys out, they have been good out of the gate,'' said Ducks left-wing Jim McKenzie James P. "Jim" McKenzie (born November 3, 1969 in Gull Lake, Saskatchewan) is a retired Canadian ice hockey player. Selected 73rd overall in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the Hartford Whalers, McKenzie has also played for the Dallas Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, Winnipeg . ``Last year, they didn't have Palffy to fall back on.'' The Ducks have struggled since entering the division as favorites. They are 12-12-2 but were ripped by coach Craig Hartsburg after Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the lowly Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning is a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida, USA. It is a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). . Attendance is way down at the Pond, where the Ducks used to be one of the league's best draws. Wednesday night's crowd of 12,047 was a record low, but spectators claim the figure was about 8,000, kind of like an old Kings game at the Forum. And if that isn't enough, King coach Andy Murray was a finalist for the Ducks job two years ago that went to Hartsburg. Murray interviewed with Michael Eisner, the head of Disney, which owns the Ducks, and thought he had the job. Everything has worked out. Murray has the Kings among the league leaders in points and goals scored. He still calls the Ducks' coach ``Hartsy.'' But the two haven't spoken since nearly going at it during a messy exhibition-season brawl between the two teams at the Forum. ``Until we finish ahead of them in the standings, they will still be the team around here,'' Murray said. ``That is the measuring stick. They have had their way with us for a while and until we win some games, that isn't going to change.'' Both teams are new at this rivalry thing. Before the NHL expanded to Anaheim, the Kings' closest opponent played in Vancouver. And if the Ducks had a rival, it was Phoenix after the two had a thrilling playoff series four years ago. Before he joined the Kings last summer, Bryan Smolinski's NHL career took him to the New York Islanders The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, a hamlet located on Long Island in Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, United States. , who almost always have played in the shadow of the Rangers. It has been a generation since the Islanders won four consecutive Stanley Cups and they are no longer competitive. They usually play in front of sparse crowds at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. ``The Rangers were everything there,'' he said. ``They played in the big city, we played in a place where people went for vacation.'' But Smolinski knows plenty about rivalries, growing up in Michigan and playing at Michigan State. That meant facing the powerful University of Michigan (body, education) University of Michigan - A large cosmopolitan university in the Midwest USA. Over 50000 students are enrolled at the University of Michigan's three campuses. The students come from 50 states and over 100 foreign countries. at Ann Arbor. ``That was just pure hatred,'' Smolinski said. ``I have friends there, but every time you drive through there, you just want to blow it up. ``That's just something that's always been. Here it is all new. It should be fun.'' KINGS vs. DUCKS When: 7:30 p.m., Tonight Where: at the Pond TV: FSN (Full-Service Network) A communications network that provides shopping, movies on demand and access to databases and a variety of interactive services. 2 Staff Writer Greg Christensen contributed to this report. THEIR HISTORY The Mighty Ducks hold a 15-13-5 edge over the Kings, winning six of the past seven meetings. Here's a look at the game-by-game results between the teams, with home team in CAPS: 1998-99 KINGS 4, Ducks 3 OT Ducks 4, KINGS 2 DUCKS 2, Kings 1 Ducks 3, KINGS 1 DUCKS 3, Kings 0 Ducks 3, KINGS 1 1997-98 DUCKS 4, Kings 1 KINGS 4, Ducks 3 OT Kings 5, DUCKS 2 DUCKS 3, Kings 3 OT KINGS 3, Ducks 2 OT 1996-97 DUCKS 4, Kings 1 DUCKS 6, Kings 2 KINGS 3, Ducks 1 KINGS 2, Ducks 2 OT DUCKS 7, Kings 4 1995-96 DUCKS 3, Kings 2 Ducks 2, KINGS 1 OT KINGS 5, Ducks 4 DUCKS 2, Kings 2 OT KINGS 7, Ducks 1 Kings 4, DUCKS 2 1994-95 KINGS 2, Ducks 1 KINGS 2, Ducks 2 OT DUCKS 5, Kings 1 DUCKS 3, Kings 3 OT Ducks 3, KINGS 2 1993-94 Ducks 5, KINGS 2 DUCKS 5, Kings 2 Kings 5, DUCKS 3 KINGS 5, Ducks 1 Kings 3, DUCKS 2 KINGS 3, Ducks 2 TALE OF THE TAPE MIGHTY DUCKS KINGS 12-12-2 Records 14-7-4 Craig Hartsburg (2nd year) Coaches Andy Murray (1st year) 5-1 '98-99 series 1-5 15 All-time series wins 13 5 All-time series ties 5 Selanne '99 Leading scorers Palffy 26 pts (11-15) 27 pts (12-15) 9-82, 11.0 '99 Power Play 20-104, 19.2 20-83, 75.9 '99 Penalty Killing 19-113, 83.2 CAPTION(S): Photo, 2 boxes Photo: (color) no caption (Kings and Mighty Ducks player) Box: (1) THEIR HISTORY (See text) (2) TALE OF THE TAPE (See text) |
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