Do Kings rule again?

Kings roster

The team, coached by Larry Robinson, has been hanging around .500 all season long which has kept the team on a solid second place in the weak Pacific Division.

Kings' new general manager Dave Taylor, who spent his entire player career in Los Angeles, has done an outstanding job. Acquisitions like Jozef Stumpel, Glen Murray and Sandy Moger have been right on the money and the return of L.A.'s favorite son, Luc Robitaille, is the icing on the cake.

Overall, life is good for the Kings these days. New, steady ownership is building a state-of-the-art arena for the Kings and NBA's Lakers, celebrities are returning and attendance is up. Now they just need to make the playoffs...

Coach Robinson said about the tumultuous past. "We went through a time right after the McNall regime when things were in disarray here and money being what it was a lot of people got burnt and I think that is sort of what happened. It's been a process but the loyal fans have been great."

Slap shots
Phoenix RW Rick Tocchet was suspended by the NHL, pending a hearing, for his knee-to-knee hit on the Edmonton's Ryan Smyth... Vancouver goalie Sean Burke has pleaded guilty to assault charges stemming from his Nov. 2 arrest after a domestic dispute with his wife...The NHL fined the Canucks and the Sabres $25,000 apiece as a result of a series of multi-player brawls during their game in New York on January 15th...