Notes on a Scorecard - Jan. 18, 1995

You work for nearly 30 years as a high school business teacher, college instructor, computer salesman, major league hockey scout, assistant director of player recruitment and junior league executive. . . .

Finally, you land the job of your dreams, general manager of an NHL team. . . .

So what happens? . . .

The league shuts down. . . .

“It’s been a very difficult time,” said Sam McMaster, hired by the Kings last May 24. . . .

“I don’t know which carries more stress: wins and losses or lockouts. I had no control over anything. You want to say something, you want to scream, but you just have to let the process work itself out.”. . .

Having done that, McMaster will be in the press box Friday night at the Forum, watching the Kings play their long-anticipated opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs. . . .

“It should be exciting,” he said. “Because of the short season, every game will be like a four-pointer. We’ve got seven of our first eight games at home, so those will be particularly important.” . . .

Asked what he has been doing the last three months, McMaster said, “Bothering my wife.” . . .

Actually, he has been going to the office regularly and making a few trips to scout King prospects perform for Phoenix in the International Hockey League. . . .

Tonight, McMaster will watch Roadrunner winger Rob Brown, center Yanic Perreault and defenseman Chris Snell participate in the IHL all-star game in Las Vegas. . . .

After the game, Brown, among the league’s scoring leaders, will report to the Kings. . . .

McMaster, general manager of the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League the last six seasons, saw the Kings play five times on television last season. . . .

In July, he made the controversial trade that sent Luc Robitaille to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Rick Tocchet and a second-round draft pick and perhaps changed the fabric of the Kings. . . .

“You’ll see a much more physical team this season,” McMaster, 50, said. “We’ll be hard-hitting and hard-nosed.”. . .

“I’m disappointed that we couldn’t show off the changes in our team in October, but, on the other hand, I’m undefeated.”. . .

*

Early box office reports from Inglewood and Anaheim indicate that local NHL fans are ready to come back. . . .

Tickets are still available for the King-Toronto game, but a capacity crowd of 16,005 is expected. . . .

“We had a line of about 400 people outside the ticket windows this morning,” Mighty Duck publicist Bill Robertson said. The Pond of Anaheim opener is Monday against Edmonton. . . .

In the wake of 38-28, many NFL scientists still believe the Dallas Cowboys have a better all-round team than the San Francisco 49ers. . . .

They are convinced that the Cowboys would have won Sunday at Candlestick Park if they had been coached by Jimmy Johnson rather than Barry Switzer. . . .

USC, which will be represented in Miami by the 49ers’ Tim McDonald and Derrick Deese and the Chargers’ Junior Seau, has had players in every Super Bowl except the third. . . .

*

Oscar De La Hoya and Rafael Ruelas, expected to collide in Las Vegas on May 6, are training at Larry Goossen’s Gym in Big Bear for earlier bouts. . . .

But they make a point never to see each other, and De La Hoya is always out of the gym 15 minutes before Ruelas begins his workouts at 3 p.m. . . .

Scotty Olson couldn’t agree to terms for a title bout against light-flyweight champion Humberto (Chiquita) Gonzalez and then straw-weight champion Ricardo Lopez turned down a $250,000 offer from the Forum to fight Gonzalez. . . .

Instead, Gonzalez will defend his title against Jesus Zuniga on a March 31 card at the Forum expected to include three other world-championship bouts. . . .

Bert Blyleven will be master of ceremonies at the third annual Cucamonga Quakes’ Winter Warm-Up Feb. 9 at the Red Lion Inn in Ontario. . . .

Former Dodger and Chicago White Sox outfielder Rudy Law, 38, has signed to play with the Long Beach Barracuda of the Western League. . . .

The women’s basketball game between second-ranked Connecticut and top-ranked Tennessee, won by the Huskies, drew an advance sellout crowd of 8,241 at Storrs, Conn., Monday afternoon. Some $8 tickets were scalped for as much as $75. . . .

Any list of improved players should include Indiana Pacer forward Dale Davis. . . ..

The Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves are the only two NBA teams without a player whose height is listed at least 7 feet.