ELSTON

WEBSTER’S STICKY ANTICS HELP BREAK SLIDE

A three-week, eight-game winless drought has a way of shaking a team’s confidence. Just ask the Los Angeles Kings. An 0-4-4 stretch between Nov. 25 and Dec. 13 dropped the Kings into second place in the Smythe Division, five points behind the Calgary Flames, whom they once led by four points. And for many players, tension and frustration wriggled into their psyches, replacing confidence and aggression with timid, mistake-prone behavior. But the King’s broke the skid Dec. 15 with an 8-3 win over Edmonton at Northlands Coliseum. “Sometimes, when you’re in a slide, you begin to think a little too much rather than doing what comes natural,” Steve Kasper said. “We definitely made too many mistakes.” The club’s mood was epitomized by a stick-throwing incident involving coach Tom Webster during the Kings’ 4-1 loss to Calgary…

DECKING THE COLUMN WITH GIFTS OF FOLLY

Your intrepid correspondent has dropped his gloves, though they remain firmly clasped at the end of his sleeves, and crawled under the Christmas tree for a look at what Santa has left his hockey friends. Most of it is in the spirit of ho-ho-ho. To Denis Savard: A framed picture of his playing days in Chicago—when he was scoring more, but enjoying it less. To Stan Fischler: A primer on playing defense, written by Bobby Orr, but copied by no one. To Don Koharski: A detective’s guide to Jim Schoenfeld’s 13 favorite—a baker’s dozen—donut shops around North America. To Vladimir Krutov: Another copy of Eat to Win. And this time, Vlad, don’t eat the book, too. To Bob Johnson: A notebook full of great Penguin defensive plays. With room for doodling. To Don Cherry: A roll of…

TEAM HUMILIATED BY NEW ENGLAND RIVAL

It takes two teams to make a rivalry. And the next time the Hartford Whalers make any noise about the Battle of New England, they would be well-advised to prepare for the consequences. Less than three weeks after the Thanksgiving weekend wars, the Whalers thought they were ready to bang heads with the Boston Bruins in another doubleheader. Wrong. The finals were 5-1 and 8-2. The first loss at home Dec. 12 was rather embarrassing. The one the following night at Boston Garden was the worst defeat since Rick Ley took over as coach in 1989. Only a few days after Ley had stripped Ron Francis of his captaincy, Craig Janney, Cam Neely and the rest of the Bruins stripped the Whalers of their pride. That the Whalers bounced back for a 3-2 win in…