The point here is not to bash former team president Doug MacLean. His managerial epitaph stands: He was an energetic promoter who got the franchise up and running. But lest we forget:

From the day King cleaned out his desk in Nationwide Arena through Nov. 22, 2006 -- the day Ken Hitchcock was hired, against MacLean's recommendation -- the Jackets went 80-123-18-5. Those were supposed to be years of growth and flower, not drought and wither. King was not the problem. He was always part of the answer. He still is.

Last night, King stood behind the visitor's bench as an assistant for the Phoenix Coyotes. The Jackets paid proper homage during the first period. A stream of highlights from the 2000-2001 inaugural season, culminating in Tyler Wright's winner in overtime in game No. 82, was played on the Jumbotron. King was reintroduced, as if that were necessary. The camera came in tight on him, and he waved. Nearly every fan among the crowd of 13,184 rose to a warm, prolonged ovation.

The Coyotes rolled to a 4-1 victory. The Jackets' funk continues, but that is another story. This one is about King.

"I see the sun every morning in Phoenix, and that's a nice thing," he said after the morning skate. "You have to remember, I've seen Siberia."

By Siberia, he is not referring to the dark days that followed his firing by MacLean. My sense is that was a heavier blow than King will ever publicly acknowledge.

"When you get replaced, you have to have some time to let the wounds heal," he said.

King healed. Then, he saw Siberia. He went off to Russia to coach Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Among his charges was Evgeni Malkin, who still speaks rapturously of his pre-NHL education. Russians love Kinger.

In Omsk, which is in Siberia, a bus driver pulled over, hopped from his seat and ran across the street to ask for King's autograph. This speaks to the depth of King's international reputation. He began coaching Canadian national teams in the early 1980s. He won a fistful of World Junior and Senior and Olympic medals.

He was always seen as a warm-hearted cold warrior, and he loved going back to Russia, partly because he found it intriguing to be immersed in the culture and partly to get an inside look at the way the Russians developed their talent. It goes without saying that his passion for coaching never left him.

King went on to jobs in the Swedish and German elite leagues. (One of his sons, Scott, plays in Germany.) King reveled in his exploration of Europe, collected friends and continued to add to his hockey knowledge. The learning process, he said, never ends.

He retired last summer, almost. The Coyotes called last month. Would King like to be an assistant? He signed on for a year. Why stop now?

And so here he was, eyes twinkling, outside the visitor's locker room in Nationwide yesterday morning. He was the picture of effervescence, extolling Columbus, admitting pleasure that the Jackets are headed in the right direction. He enjoys being an assistant, a good cop rather than the heavy. He has a storehouse of knowledge for any 20-year-old winger who wants to inquire, and they are inquiring.

"I still run every day," he said. "I still coach with the same beliefs. As you get older, your ability to see the big picture grows. You just know there's always a way out, always a way to get better."

His credo holds: "Loose pucks and ice bags."

Meaning: Pay the price, then apply the ice.

"The game will go on forever, and it will always be about those two things," King said, eyes smiling, voice rising. "I've coached in six countries, and that is the constant. That is what I believe in."

Come to think of it, that is perfect advice for the Jackets right about now. Loose pucks and ice bags.

Thanks, Kinger.

Michael Arace is a sports reporter with The Dispatch.

marace@dispatch.com