VIRTUE IN BEING WEBBED TOGETHER.

Byline: KEVIN MODESTI

EL SEGUNDO - At the Kings' practice rink in El Segundo on Saturday morning, dozens of proud parents peered through puck-proof glass, watching the mighty mites on the ice absorb some of sports' harder lessons, such as how to swing a hockey stick without falling down, how to corner on skates without falling down and how to fall down without staying down.

As for sports' larger lessons - things such as the value of teamwork, respect for authority and humility in triumph - the parents and coaches trying to teach them to kids in programs such as the L'il Kings clinics at HealthSouth Training Center are getting a big assist these days.

The Mighty Ducks are putting on a televised clinic every time they play.

I mean, whose approach to the team ethic would you prefer to see your boys and girls emulate, the Lakers'?

``It's teamwork that gets you that far,'' John Prindle, a software developer from Santa Monica, said of the Ducks while keeping an eye on his son Jackson, a 6-year-old defenseman-in-the-making. ``To see somebody reach the pinnacle of a sport like that is great reinforcement.''

When John, a Kings season-ticket holder, and Jackson have watched the Ducks on TV during the team's playoff run to its first Stanley Cup Finals, the father has pointed out how Anaheim is winning despite having fewer stars than most of its opponents.

``The Mighty Ducks,'' Prindle notes, ``play hard every minute.''

Does anybody have those conversations during Lakers games?

If you're a parent wondering when is the right time to introduce your children to sports, the answer is in.

The answer is now.

The Ducks are flying high, preparing to play for the championship. The Lakers are down and out, missing the NBA Finals for the first time in four years. One team did everything the right way this season, the other did everything the wrong way, and look at the results.

The Lakers are the ultimate example of the star system, a team that had the same top-two scorers in all 12 of their playoff games.

The Ducks are the ultimate example of all-for-one, a team that received 10 goals from 10 different players in one stretch of the Dallas and Minnesota series.

The Lakers' superstars, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, have bickered over who deserves credit for the team's championships.

The Ducks' superstar, Paul Kariya, has allowed himself to become a cog in the coach's system.

The Lakers' biggest star is their biggest player, 7-foot-1, 340-pound O'Neal.

The Ducks' biggest star is their littlest player, 5-foot-10, 182-pound Kariya.

The Lakers have fussed and feuded with a head coach, Phil Jackson, who won a championship as a player and six as a coach before reaching Los Angeles.

The Ducks have fallen in line behind a head coach, Mike Babcock, who had not a stitch of NHL playing or coaching experience before this season.

The Lakers lose when they fail to do the dirty work of playing defense.

The Ducks win because they love the dirty work of playing defense.

The Lakers maintained their practiced cool as their season fell apart, certain that what worked the previous three years would get them through this year.

The Ducks seized the day, humbly aware their opportunity to win a Stanley Cup might never come again.

Ego problems?

``I don't know one thing about the Lakers, I don't know one thing about any other team,'' Babcock said, ``but I do know, with our team, that hasn't been a problem. ... We've got a good group of guys who're playing together and working hard for one another.''

Kariya's willingness to sacrifice his starring role, surrendering the team lead in goals scored while pushing his assists-to-goals ratio above 2-to-1 for the first time, is emblematic.

``Everybody has been dedicated since Game 1 to the system Mike has,'' Kariya said. ``Any team that I've been on that's won has had the same attitude, that nobody cares who gets the credit.''

The Lakers' way has won them three championships, so it has been hard to knock. The Ducks' way hasn't won them anything yet, so it has been hard to celebrate.

Besides, Babcock said, referring to Shaq and Kobe, ``I wouldn't mind having the two best players in the game.''

But right now in Southern California, anyone trying to teach a kid that self-sacrifice is not a corny movie fantasy but a winning virtue can point to the real-life Mighty Ducks.